General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Leslie King - Election Address – House of Laity - General Synod Elections 2026 Page 1 of 2
Please take the opportunity to watch my short introductory video if you get the chance.

Leslie King
Standing for the House of Laity of General Synod
Nominator 1: Carolyn Graham (Guildford Deanery and former member of Synod)
Nominator 2: John Padwick (Epsom Deanery)

General information about me
I attend Christ Church Epsom Common where I'm on the PCC, a Life
Group member, the Epsom Deanery Synod rep, and the Parish
Safeguarding Officer. I would love to be part of the Worship Team but,
due to a complete lack of giftedness, I’m relegated to “making a joyful noise!” Hallelujah!
• I consider myself an ‘evangelical’ Christian, but, for me, believing this also means being
fully inclusive, excluding nobody from a full church and Christian life.
• I've been married to Maureen for 55 years. We have two sons, one of whom has
Asperger's Syndrome. That helps me focus on the needs of those challenged by
neurodiversity.
• I have a BA (Hons) in Public Administration and Management. I spent 42 years in law
enforcement, retiring as a Chief Superintendent after 32 years in the Metropolitan Police. I
worked in law enforcement for another ten years before retiring at 65 from the National
Crime Agency (NCA). Hopefully good relevant experience for General Synod.
• I am a long-time subscriber of the Church Times which keeps me abreast of matters
relating to the C of E, General Synod and the wider world from a Christian perspective. I
will never stop asking questions to help deepen my knowledge and faith.
• I like designing board games, caravanning, reading, graphic design, printing and I am
passionate about the value of top-notch publicity for churches.
I’d like to be elected as a General Synod representative because:
• I want to see General Synod becoming a simpler, humbler and bolder body, with a
straightforward vision of what the Church and Christians can be.
• I have a straightforward view of what the Church is – it is to be the body, hands, feet
and mouth of Christ as he establishes the Kingdom of God on earth. We must use HIS
example as our guide, showing love as we engage in discipleship and mission, strive
towards holiness, and put God first in all we do, and show genuine love to our neighbour.
• I have a straightforward view of what a Christian is – and that is someone who loves
God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind and who loves their neighbour as
themselves. Someone who prays, reads scripture and who trusts in the promises of the
resurrection and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Someone who yearns to be a true
disciple and then works towards becoming a disciple-maker in their church.
• I believe we do this by focusing on and imitating Jesus by following both his words and
deeds, such as his example of being inclusive and challenging hypocrisy and the
abuse of power, encouraging ourselves and others to take this role seriously.
• I believe we are enormously helped in this quest by the Pastoral Principles for Living
and Learning Well Together, published by the C of E, which encourage the Church,
within its membership, to address ignorance, pay attention to power, cast out fear,
acknowledge prejudice, speak into silence and admit hypocrisy.

Leslie King - Election Address – House of Laity - General Synod Elections 2026 Page 2 of 2
Please take the opportunity to watch my short introductory video if you get the chance.

• I believe this is the only way the Church can become more relevant in a society that has
largely abandoned the Christian message. Our society is so much in need of the salvation
and joy offered through Christ and we must seek God and the empowerment of the Holy
Spirit to enable change. We must do everything we can to promote unity and to avoid
division inside the church through mature discussion.
• I have a very straightforward view of what General Synod is for – and that is to help
the church and its members achieve the bullet points listed above.
• I am dedicated to promoting full inclusivity in my church and Deanery, the Diocese and
hopefully the wider church through General Synod. I long to make the church a safe place
for LGBTQ+ individuals, allowing them open relationships, marriage and full access to
leadership in all roles within the church. I also have a desire to ensure the full involvement
of women in church leadership in all quarters of the church without let or hindrance. And,
of course, we must never neglect the full inclusion of our brothers and sisters from different
ethnic backgrounds and ensure they are fully welcomed, fully involved and all
opportunities in church life are open to them as well.
• I am passionate about equality and justice issues, with a real concern for the
marginalised - the 'other'. We must constantly major on issues of race, ability, sexuality,
gender and gender identity, and any other marginalised group within the C of E. I seek a
church where the God-given potential of all is fully embraced and celebrated - calling for
an end to all discrimination against anyone. If elected, I would do my best to pursue
equality and justice issues through the General Synod.
• You will not be surprised that I am a supporter of the Inclusive Church Network and
Together for the Church of England and publicly endorse their statements. In
summary, that is a “Commitment to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles
within the church and across the whole range of God-given diversity”.
• I try to promote my own church’s values of Community, Inclusion and Hope, and the
Guildford Diocesan strategy: “Transforming Church, Transforming Lives”.
• I believe the parish must be affirmed as the outward and visible pivotal sign of the
unique mission of the C of E and I support the “Save The Parish” campaign.
• My other concerns are around modern slavery/people trafficking, and the climate
emergency. Drawing on my law enforcement experience, I have a deep-seated concern
around matters of safeguarding, bullying and protecting the vulnerable – which is a
very live issue for General Synod. I also believe we, as a church and as a nation must do
much better in aiding the ‘alien’ and the immigrant who comes to our shores. I strongly
support tackling mental ill-health inside and outside the Church – seeing that as a
mission priority. Healthy leaders lead healthy churches!
Thank you for reading my electoral statement. I hope that you will feel able to give me
your first preference vote, and I’ll be truly honoured if are able to do so. General Synod
voting is by single transferable vote, so please put me high on your list if I’m not your first
preference vote. WHATEVER, PLEASE DO USE YOUR VOTE.
You can, if you would like, see me in a 2½ min video via this link: https://youtu.be/QlX4QGf3GFY
To ask me about anything I have written above, please contact me: Leslie King,
129 Holmwood Road, Cheam, Surrey SM2 7JS email: [email protected]
Don’t forget to vote! Votes must be in by 13th October 2026

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