environment,evangelical,finance,gospel,justice,marriage,orthodox,pcc,scripture,traditional,young people,youth

I am standing for election to General Synod because I believe the Church of England
needs people who are both firm in their Christian convictions and prepared to
engage positively with the changing world around us.
I am a committed evangelical Christian, rooted in traditional orthodox Christian
principles. I believe that Scripture, the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of the
Gospel must remain at the heart of who we are and what we do as the Church.
I have spent my adult life leading, serving and influencing beyond the immediate
church environment.
I am happily married to Sarah for 36 years. We are both committed Christians and are
blessed with three fabulous young adult daughters and, so far, one grandson!
My own journey of faith began as an adult. At 27, I had a profound, Spirit-filled
experience which changed the direction of my life. I became a committed follower of
Jesus and was baptised a few months before Sarah and I were married.
Since then, my Christian faith has not simply been something I have practised on
Sundays. It has shaped how I have tried to live, lead and serve throughout my life.
My working career has been varied and, at times, involved reinventing myself
completely. I began as a graduate consulting engineer and became a Chartered
Engineer at 27. I still have the privilege of driving past some of the buildings I helped
design all those years ago.
During the 1990s and the Dot-Com era, I completed a Master's degree in IT
Management and moved into IT consultancy and management. I subsequently worked
for a global venture-capital finance company, working internationally, before
eventually establishing my own Management and Leadership business, which I
successfully ran for 20 years before retiring early at 62. I am also a published author
of two books: on personal; and high-performance team development.
Throughout my career, I carried my Christian faith with me into the secular business
world. That mattered greatly to me. My strengths are people leadership, strategic
influence and building relationships. I am naturally warm and relational. I believe
that effective leadership is ultimately about people: understanding each other,
bringing ourselves together, and helping each other achieve something worthwhile.
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Andrew Jenkins
MSc BSc CEng JP
Candidate for General
Synod
[email protected]
07795 182 860
Faith, Leadership and Service…
A little about me…
What I stand for…

My Christian service has always been practical as well as spiritual. I have been
involved in church leadership for many years, including co-leading youth and house
groups and serving in leadership and advisory roles.
As a younger man, I co-founded and led a Christian adventure-training initiative which
took young people from difficult and unchurched backgrounds, into the great outdoors
to experience mountaineering, kayaking and other adventures. It was an opportunity
to demonstrate something of God's creation and, perhaps more importantly, to
demonstrate God's love to young people who might otherwise have had little contact
with the Church.
Today, I serve on the PCC of Holy Trinity Barnstaple and on our local Deanery Synod.
I also serve the wider community: as a past School Governor for many years; and
today as a serving Magistrate and Presiding Judge.
I am not a theologian, instead I am an engaging, passionate and action-focused
Christian who understands the importance of traditional Christian teaching, love and
effective leadership.
I believe the Church needs both theological wisdom and people who can translate
conviction into action and influence strategically.
The Christian faith has had an extraordinary and positive influence on our society. It
has inspired education, transformed attitudes towards slavery, established charitable
institutions and helped shape principles of justice, human dignity and the rule of law.
Many of these principles we once took for granted are now being questioned and
challenged. I believe the Church has an important role in responding to this — not by
retreating, but by actively engaging with it confidently, intelligently and graciously.
For me, General Synod is therefore an important strategic platform. It has the
opportunity to influence the direction of our Church at a time of significant change.
•
Christ-centred and Bible-rooted strong growing local Churches.
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Traditional Christian marriage and family life, as well as freedom to live and
express the Christian faith with confidence, courage, humility and love.
If you elect me, I will see it as a responsibility to listen to you, represent you and
contribute constructively to the decisions that shape our Church.
I will bring my experience of leadership, business, strategic influence and public
service, together with my Christian faith and a genuine desire to see the Church
flourish.
I am prepared to ask difficult questions when they need asking, to challenge when
necessary, but also to listen carefully, build relationships and work with people who
may see things differently.
I believe we need a Church that is faithful without being fearful, confident
without being arrogant, and loving without compromising its convictions.
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Faith in action…
Why General Synod?
How I would serve…
If elected, I would seek to stand firmly for: