The Revd Richard Barber
Leeds
House of Clergy
Rev Richard Barber - Candidate for House of Clergy
e.[email protected]
Do get in touch if you have any questions
Proposer: Rev Mike Resch
Seconder: Rev Bev Monck
I am standing for General Synod because I love the Church
of England and want to see it flourish. From infancy onwards I
have attended Church of England churches and have known
them to be growing, full of young people and gospel-centred. It
is my hope and prayer that there will be many people of all
ages and backgrounds who are able to experience the same
thing for generations to come. This is why I’m standing for
General Synod.
About Me
My name is Richard. I am 34 years old, married to Jasmine and father to Anna. I
currently serve as vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Morley and I have done since January
2026. As well as this, I am also involved in Theological Education in various ways
across the diocese of Leeds. Prior to my current role I completed my curacy at Holy
Trinity Boar Lane in the heart of Leeds. I trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall in
Durham where I did both a BA and MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission. Prior to
ordination, I worked as a primary school teacher in Harrogate. In my spare time I enjoy
reading, walking and spending time with family.
Why I’m standing for General Synod
Primarily, I’m standing because I believe it is something God is asking of me. However,
beyond this, there are some other reasons behind why I have chosen to stand. Over the
years there have been increasing calls for the Church of England to grow younger.
However, as I’ve paid attention to General Synod, it doesn’t seem that this desire is
reflected in the Synod’s membership. One reason I am standing is to do my bit to try
and buck this trend. I’m also aware that engagement with General Synod by the
charismatic evangelical tradition of the church - of which I’m a part - can be sparse. I’d
like to do my bit to change that by being ‘in the room’ in order to be helpfully
encouraged and challenged by the diverse range of voices Synod contains as well as
bringing the best of my tradition to bear on the issues discussed.
Specific Issues
As well as the general reasons outlined above, there are also some specific issues that
have caused me to want to stand:
Clergy Well-Being
Clergy well-being has been a much discussed topic over recent years. I’m keen to
contribute to ongoing discussions about this. Specifically within this, as a member of a
clergy couple, I am keen to ensure that clergy couples can have clarity over what they
can and can’t expect to be possible in terms of working together and arrangements to
enable ministry and family life to work together. In my relatively short experience of
ordained life so far, I have become aware of a wide range of practice as it pertains to
clergy couples and clarity and consistency in this area would be welcome.
Theological Education
The future of theological education is something that has been much discussed in the
recent past with concern being raised about the future of residential training. As
someone who is recently out of residential ordination training, I would welcome the
opportunity to input into discussions about theological education in the Church of
England in order to help ensure that the strengths of residential training are retained
even if the future of theological education has to look different.
Local Mission
My current role is one that combines parish priest and church planter into a church
revitalisation role. While there’s differences in how both of these are worked out, one
commonality between them is a focus on local mission. While there’s much that’s good
that comes from being able to draw on centralised services and structures in both a
diocesan and national context, should I be elected to Synod, I would use my voice to
advocate for the centre serving the local parish rather than the other way around.
Human Sexuality
I am aware that the last five years have been bruising ones for General Synod as issues
of Human Sexuality have been keenly debated. It seems to me that these discussions
are more than likely to continue on into the next Quinquennium. I am keen to play my
part in contending for and upholding the orthodox understanding of marriage and
sexuality I believe the bible teaches us while also listening respectfully and engaging
constructively with those who hold a different view in order that we might move forward
with as much unity as possible.
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