General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Ms Charlotte Patrick
Woodbine Cottage, Howle Hill, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5SP
Email: [email protected]
mobile: 07739918126

I am an active member of the Stow Caple Benefice in the Wye Valley and a cradle
member of the Church of England. I am currently in the discernment process for
ordination and hope to begin training in September 2027, with a view to serving as an
associate priest – God willing, and if the Church of England will have me.
Why am I standing for General Synod?
I am standing because I care deeply about the future of the Church of England – and
particularly about what that future looks like in rural communities such as ours.
To keep mission at the heart of what we do. I am an evangelical at heart, but worship
in a more liturgical church. I therefore value the breadth of the Church of England and
want to listen seriously to Christians whose traditions and conclusions differ from mine.
But believe the Church must retain confidence in telling people about him and am
therefore interested in all missional and evangelistic discussions.
To add my support to the needs of rural churches. I want to give a voice to my
worshipping community and be involved in discussions about sustainable ways to
maintain a Christian presence in our villages, rather than gradually managing its
decline. I would love to help ensure that there is someone in our communities, twenty
or thirty years from now, who can introduce people to Jesus.
To make it easier for people to respond to God’s call. I understand that the Church
faces a serious shortage of clergy, particularly in rural areas, and I believe we need to
look carefully at how we identify, train and deploy people for ministry. My own journey
towards ordination has been a long one, and while I value careful discernment and
rigorous formation, I have also experienced how cumbersome the processes can be. I
would therefore be very interested in this topic.
To bring an outside perspective. Most of my working life has been spent outside the
Church, advising large organisations on technology, strategy and change. I am used to
asking difficult questions, analysing complicated problems and trying to work out what
will actually work rather than simply what sounds attractive. I think some of that
experience could be useful to Synod.

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