General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Nic Tall

Standing for the House of Laity of General Synod

Mary Gould, Lay Chair Gloucester Deanery
Michael Vann, Fairford PCC and Cirencester Deanery

Dear Deanery Synod member,

| am writing to ask you to vote for me in this important election for the General Synod. | offer
significant experience, having served for five years on the General Synod and am an active
member with a reputation for getting things done. Being a member of General Synod is a
significant commitment, and | feel called to offer myself for another term, putting my experience
and skills in service of God, our diocese, and the national church.

| am 53, married with two grown up children and worship at St Laurence’s in the heart of Stroud.
Gloucestershire is a special county blessed with many local churches that have been part of
spiritual and community life for generations, and | love being part of an active worshipping
community here.

My working experience includes:

e lam the National Co-ordinator of Together for the Church of England, a charity working
for the full inclusion of all in the life of the Church of England.

e [also help run Modern Church, a theological charity promoting thoughtful Christian debate.

e Six years in diocesan administration, running the synod department, working on clergy
housing, pastoral reorganisation and diocesan communications. | have an in depth
understanding of how the Church of England works.

e Project management in local government and the NHS.

e Being a full time carer for my children when they were small — the full on reality of family life!

| have deep experience of church governance, having served on PCC, Deanery Synod,
Diocesan Synod, Bishop’s Council, a Crown Nominations Commission and General Synod. | am
on the General Synod Business Committee, making me the go-to person for many on Synod
needing advice. | have the knowledge of how the system works to serve our diocese effectively if
re-elected to General Synod.

| have been fully engaged with the church all my adult life, having become a Christian when |
was eighteen. | know that being a Christian was something you have to live so took a step of
faith, finding a way of life centred on Jesus and an everyday spirituality guided by the
Spirit. | have lived this in many ways:

e Lay leadership, as a Reader since 2008, creating and leading services, preaching and
building up the local church.

e Outreach in the local community, establishing and running a parent and toddler group for
seven years when my own children were small. During this time the number of parents
coming to church with their children increased significantly.

e Community service, volunteering with a local foodbank and having led a church project
supporting vulnerable families at our church school.

e Exploring faith more deeply, including a first class theology degree from Oxford University.

Don’t forget to use your vote! Votes must be in by Tuesday 13‘ October

Nic Tall General Synod 2026

As an experienced member of General Synod | have engaged with a broad range of issues facing

the church. Issues | care about on Synod include:

An inclusive church for everyone

We are all made in God’s image, we are all
invited to the Lord’s table. | fully support
women’s ministry and equality for LGBT+
Christians, at all levels and in all roles in the
church. On Synod | have been a key player
for greater inclusion for LGBT+ people, fairer
gender representation, action on racial
justice and better accessibility for disabled
and neurodivergent people.

Mission and Growth

The Church of England has experienced modest
consistent growth in the last few years, and this
is something to give thanks for. | want to see a
living, faithful, growing church, rooted in and
sympathetic to local communities to best serve
God through mission and ministry. We also need
to support our clergy, and | backed improvements
to clergy pay and conditions. | also led on
national policy supporting working class people
through the discernment and ordination process.

Environment and Heritage

Living in Gloucestershire, it’s easy to appreciate
the beauty of our local area and it’s heritage. |
have supported environmental measures relating
to climate change and biodiversity. | have also
engaged with the importance of caring for church
archives and with how we manage the costs of
maintaining our historic church buildings.

Thank you for reading my electoral statement, I hope you will give me
your first preference vote. | am an experienced General Synod member
who cares deeply about the local church. If you want to contact me about

anything | would be very happy to hear from you.

Nic Tall

97 Court View, Stonehouse, GL10 3PJ. Email: [email protected]

A better deal for the local church

On Synod | have consistently worked for a fairer
deal for local churches. The finances of the
Church of England are top heavy, with millions of
pounds from the Church Commissioners being
spent on questionable projects. If re-elected | will
keep working to ensure a greater focus on
resources being used to support the 12,000
parish churches we already have.

Valuing volunteers

| appreciate the dedicated work that so many
give to keep our churches running. When
making decisions on Synod my consistent
principle is to make sure things are kept as
simple and effective as possible, always
considering the volunteers who work so
diligently and lovingly. Thank you for all that
you do for your parish church.

Working with Others

| love that the Church of England is a broad
church with more that unites us than divides
us. | work well with people from different
backgrounds, and use my knowledge of
process to support others on General Synod.
As a member of the Synod Business
Committee and a leader of the Together on
General Synod group | empower others to
be more effective, making Synod work better
for the good of the whole Church.

“Dear friends, let us love
one another, for love
comes from God.
Everyone who loves has
been born of God and
knows God.” 1 John 4:7

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