General Synod Election Candidates 2026

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Dr Chinedu Madichie, All Saints Church, Newmarket
Dr Chinedu Madichie: Candidate for the House of Laity — General Synod 2026
Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich
Why I am standing
I am standing for General Synod because I believe the experience of parish life should remain closely connected
to the decisions we make as a national Church.
Through my involvement at All Saints Church, Newmarket, including service on the PCC and as a Deanery
Synod representative, I have seen both the joy and the challenge of sustaining local church life. Our parishes are
places of worship, fellowship, pastoral care and mission, but they must also manage very practical realities:
safeguarding, finances, buildings, volunteers, governance, changing communities and the challenge of reaching
new generations while continuing to serve existing congregations.
National decisions can have significant consequences for local churches. I would therefore seek to ensure that
these realities are properly understood when General Synod debates policy, legislation, priorities and the use of
the Church’s resources.
I would do this by listening actively to clergy and lay people across the Diocese, engaging with Deanery and
Diocesan Synod discussions, and identifying recurring concerns and opportunities that merit national attention.
Before major debates, I would want to understand how proposals may affect parishes in practice; afterwards, I
would seek to explain clearly what Synod has decided and why it matters locally.
Where appropriate, I would use the mechanisms available to Synod members — questions, contributions to
debate, amendments and voting — to ensure that practical consequences for parishes and communities are
considered alongside theological, financial and institutional arguments.
What I would bring
In my professional life, I have spent more than twenty years in senior leadership within life science
organisations, where governance, accountability, organisational culture, risk and evidence-based decision-
making are central.
The Church is not a corporation, and I would never wish it to become one. Its purpose is fundamentally
different. Nevertheless, good governance matters because it should enable, rather than obstruct, mission.
My experience has taught me to ask difficult questions constructively, distinguish evidence from assumption,
consider unintended consequences, examine whether systems are working as intended and encourage
organisations to learn when things go wrong. I believe these skills can provide a useful lay perspective within
General Synod.
How I would approach Synod
I would not come to General Synod assuming that I already know the answers.
The Church of England contains a wide breadth of Christian traditions, including evangelical, Anglo-Catholic,
broad church and charismatic expressions, alongside many parishes combining elements of several traditions. It
also represents very different lived experiences: rural and urban churches, small and large congregations,
churches serving deprived communities, growing churches with younger congregations, and parishes facing
significant financial, pastoral or building pressures.
Members will also bring different convictions to difficult questions facing the Church, including mission,
sexuality and relationships, safeguarding reform, clergy deployment, parish finance, racial justice,
environmental responsibility, assisted dying, science and technology, and the relationship between national
structures and local autonomy.

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Dr Chinedu Madichie, All Saints Church, Newmarket
I would seek to listen carefully, especially to those whose experiences or conclusions differ from my own;
approach difficult questions prayerfully and with humility; examine evidence and consequences before reaching
conclusions; and ask constructive questions where greater clarity or accountability is needed.
For me, unity does not require uniformity. It requires the willingness to listen, disagree well and continue
seeking together what will best serve the mission and witness of the Church.
Looking ahead
The Church of England is carrying out its mission in a society that is changing rapidly.
Many parishes face financial pressures, ageing or declining congregations and the responsibility of maintaining
historic buildings. Clergy and lay leaders are managing increasingly complex demands. Safeguarding must
remain embedded within healthy Church culture. Younger generations are exploring faith and community
differently, while developments in science, medicine, digital technology and artificial intelligence are raising
new ethical and pastoral questions.
At the same time, churches continue to provide something deeply valuable: places of worship, prayer and
belonging; pastoral care at important moments in people’s lives; support for families and vulnerable people;
practical service within communities; and, above all, the proclamation of Christian hope.
I would therefore want to challenge General Synod consistently to test national proposals against their impact on
mission on the ground.
I would want us to ask:

Will this decision strengthen or weaken the ability of local churches to worship, make disciples, care
for people and serve their communities?

Are we placing new responsibilities on parishes without understanding the resources and capacity
required?

Are national structures enabling local mission, or unintentionally making it more difficult?

How will we know whether our decisions are actually achieving what we intended?
General Synod must be willing not only to make decisions, but also to examine their consequences, learn from
experience and change course where necessary.
My commitment
If elected, I would regard membership of General Synod as a responsibility of service.
I would seek to represent the Diocese faithfully, remain accessible to those who wish to share concerns or
perspectives, prepare properly for Synod business and communicate significant developments back to the
Diocese.
I would bring my own experience and judgement while recognising their limits. I would seek expertise where
needed, listen carefully to theological and pastoral perspectives beyond my own experience, and remain willing
to change my mind where the evidence or arguments persuade me.
There will inevitably be occasions when people within the Diocese hold different views about how I should
vote. I would listen to those views seriously, but ultimately I would exercise prayerful judgement and
conscience and, where appropriate, explain the reasoning behind my decisions.
For me, membership of General Synod would be less about having a national voice and more about accepting a
national responsibility: to listen well, prepare carefully, contribute constructively and help the Church make
decisions that support its worship, witness and mission.

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