General Synod Election Candidates 2026

House of Laity

Diocese of Ely

General Synod Elections 2026

Christopher Townsend

Dear Elector

It has been a privilege to serve on General Synod as a lay
representative of the Diocese of Ely over the last five years.

lam offering myself for election again and would consider it an
honour, if re-elected, to continue to serve as your representative
on General Synod. In the last five years, | have sought to widen
and deepen my understanding of our Diocese through visits to
churches across several of our deaneries, by serving on Bishop’s
Council, and in reviewing data to help draw up the Statement of
Needs which played a part in the process by which we recently
welcomed +Sarah as Bishop of Ely.

Parish: Holy Sepulchre
with All Saints

Deanery: Cambridge North
Age: 63

Please, as you discern for whom to cast your vote, telephone me
or email me if you have any questions for me. | would be

Phone: 07919 307648 honoured to receive your 1st preference vote or, failing that, the

Email: christopher_townsend
@icloud.com

Address: 51 Roseford Road
Cambridge CB4 2HA

My story

My faith journey: | went to Sunday School and later, as
a teenager, committed my life to Jesus Christ. My faith
in its early years was nurtured by Church of England
churches in an ‘ordinary’ suburban parish (Pyrford), a
university town (Cambridge), and a multi-ethnic urban
parish (Tooting).

Committed to our church: Since returning to
Cambridge, my wife Kate and | have worshipped at

St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge for nearly 35 years.
In the past, | have helped to lead our youth work and
our ministry among international families. | have served
on the PCC for 11 years, on Diocesan Synod for 8 years,
and on Bishop’s Council for 4 years.

Links with a rural parish: \t has been a privilege to
develop links with the parish church in Terrington

St. Clement, near King’s Lynn, through friendships, visits
and a charitable trust which supports its ministry. Over
time, this has afforded me some insight into the
challenges and opportunities of rural ministry.

Family: Kate and | are deeply grateful to God that,
despite our parenting mishaps, our grown-up children,
James, Susannah, and Elizabeth, are in the kindness of
God all walking in the faith. Our son, James, is ordained
and serving as a curate in the Diocese of London.

Yours in Christ

Christopher

highest preference that you are able to give to me.

My experience

Law: Until my retirement, | was a partner ina
national law firm, Mills & Reeve, advising
clients in the business, university and charity
sectors. To help me apply my legal skills in a
church context, | have joined the Ecclesiastical
Law Society.

Theological study: On retirement, | completed
an MPhil in New Testament and Early
Christianity at Cambridge University.

The Christian faith in the modern world: | ama
trustee of The Faraday Institute for Science and
Religion and help edit Cambridge Papers which
examine a wide range of contemporary issues
from a Christian perspective (see here).

On General Synod: | have asked formal
questions on a variety of topics including
safeguarding, recruitment processes for senior
posts, Strategic Mission and Ministry
Investment Board funding, and prayer and
action for persecuted Christians. You can view
my speech on sport and wellbeing ministry
here in which | mention recent initiatives at St
George’s, Littleport. Mindful of the many rural
parishes in Ely, | was part of the Rural Interest
Group on General Synod.

Diocese of Ely General Synod Elections 2026

Issues facing General Synod 2026-31

The next General Synod will play a vital part in addressing several
key issues. The planned agenda already includes:

Church finances: The Church Commissioners contribute nearly
£400m each year to help finance the Church of England. How is
this money best spent? Before spending plans for 2029-31 are
drawn up, General Synod will debate this issue. | would like to see
more allocated to help fund stipendiary ministry — especially in
low-income communities — to support parish ministry, more
invested in clergy training and wellbeing, but | continue to see a
role for strategic investment in new mission initiatives.

Safeguarding: General Synod will have important work to do on:
(i) legislation to establish an Independent Safeguarding Authority
responsible for policy development and external oversight and on
a new Code of Practice to govern complaints handling. This will call
for detailed consideration of governance and process;

(ii) the question of whether the safeguarding work undertaken by
diocesan and cathedral teams should be transferred to
independent bodies? So far, | am not yet persuaded it would be a
desirable step to ‘outsource’ safeguarding operations but more
detail on the pros and cons is awaited. Safeguarding is essential
and the Church of England has been making good progress, but
issues remain — among them trying to avoid imposing unnecessary
burdens on hard-pressed clergy, PSOs and PCCs.

Relationships, Sexuality and Gender: A working group set up by
the House of Bishops is due to report within the next two years.
The way forward with respect to same-sex marriage is still unclear
but there is a renewed recognition that good process can help to
produce better outcomes. | hold the catholic and reformed view of
Scripture’s teaching on marriage and believe that, properly
understood, it is good news for all - including my LGBTQ+ friends.
Yet a settlement, acceptable to all parties, which allows us to draw
a line and move on from this debate, should not be beyond our
grasp and would have a great deal to commend it.

Priorities: Many other matters will all — rightly — require attention
at General Synod. However, | long to see General Synod devote
more attention to the distinctive mission and unique calling of the
church and more effort to supporting the grass roots ministry of
local churches. We need to do more to value and support parish
ministry while at the same time learning to be mission-minded in
new ways to reach the unchurched and grow younger. It is clear
that the recruitment, deployment and retention of clergy is a key
issue: nurturing vocations, investing in theological training, and
prioritising clergy wellbeing are all vital. At the same time, the life
and witness of the local church, and its contribution to the
wellbeing of the community, are impossible without the many
forms of lay ministry which need to be treasured and encouraged.

House of Laity

My Christian perspective

| believe that one’s faith should
permeate and shape all aspects of
life: home, work, leisure, and
church. My views are rooted in the
witness of Scripture, and my
spiritual life has been nurtured
within the evangelical tradition.

However, | recognise that all of us
are limited by our history, context,
and human frailty, and so would aim
on General Synod to be persistent in
listening to differing views and to
draw on the insights available from
others. My goal will be to reach
well-informed judgments on
sometimes complex issues and
always to work with respect and
generosity towards those with
whom, ultimately, | may disagree.

In all this, | will endeavour to
promote our faith as expressed in
the catholic creeds and Anglican
formularies. | hope and pray that at
all times | will be able, with St. Paul,
to say: ‘1am not ashamed of the
gospel, because it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone
who believes...’. (Romans 1v 16).

My commitment to you

In seeking election as a lay
representative for Ely on General
Synod, | would like to make the
following commitments to you:

e | will devote time and effort to
fulfil my obligations faithfully,
prayerfully, and knowledgeably
| will be available to you by
phone, email or, where
practicable, in person to answer
questions and receive input.

Thank you again for considering my
candidacy.

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