General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Rich Miles
Candidate for House of Clergy
E: [email protected]
Please do contact me if you have any questions
Nominated by: The Revd Suse Osmond
Vicar of St Marys and Chilton Trinity, Bridgwater

Seconded by: The Revd Jon Ball
Minster at Orchard Grove Church, Taunton
Why I am standing
Clergy across Bath & Wells serve faithfully in hugely varied contexts, but many of the
conversations I have across our diocese tell a similar story: ministry is becoming increasingly
complex, expectations are growing, and too often we are asking fewer clergy to carry more.
My current role gives me the privilege of travelling across Bath & Wells, working alongside clergy
and churches and hearing candidly about both the joys and pressures of ministry. Those
conversations are one of the reasons I have decided to offer myself for election to General Synod.
If elected, I would seek to be a representative who listens carefully, thinks deeply and
exercises good judgement, bringing the realities of ministry on the ground into national
conversations and being prepared to ask difficult questions and speak with both conviction and
grace.
About me
I currently serve as the Diocese of Bath & Wells' Missional Priest for Youth and Young Adults.
Although my role is diocesan in scope, it is rooted in the life of the local church, working alongside
parish clergy, congregations, schools and communities across Bath & Wells.
I am a member of Bishop's Council and Diocesan Synod, a trustee and director of the Diocesan
Board of Finance, and a member of the Conditions of Service Group. Together, these roles have
taught me both how decisions are made and how to work constructively within our structures to
bring about change.
Much of my ministry has involved starting and developing new things. In 2015 I founded
Movement, bringing together young people and churches from across the diocese for worship,
discipleship and leadership development. I have since helped develop Young Leaders Learning
Hubs and contributed to diocesan and national work around young adults, leadership and
vocations.
My own journey has also given me an awareness of how easily people's gifts can be overlooked
when they don't fit our expectations, and of the difference it makes when someone recognises
God's calling and creates opportunities for those gifts to flourish.
What I would bring to General Synod
General Synod considers a huge breadth of issues affecting the life, governance and mission of
the Church of England. I would approach these prayerfully and thoughtfully, seeking to understand
the evidence and different perspectives before reaching a judgement. There are, however, four
areas where I believe I could make a particular contribution.

• Rich Miles Election Address -

Listening and representing. Clergy across Bath & Wells will not always agree with me or with
one another. I value that breadth and would continue to listen to clergy serving in different contexts
and seek perspectives beyond those I naturally encounter. Representation, however, is not simply
reflecting back the views I hear. I would approach decisions prayerfully, informed by Scripture,
careful listening and evidence, ultimately exercising my own judgement about what I believe best
serves the mission and flourishing of the Church.
Clergy wellbeing and sustainable ministry. I believe clergy wellbeing needs to be a national
priority, not simply something we address when somebody reaches crisis point. We need to look
honestly at the structures, expectations and resourcing that affect clergy and their families.
Through the diocesan Conditions of Service Group, I proposed increasing paternity leave from two
weeks to six weeks a change which was subsequently agreed. I am also concerned about the
continuing consolidation of clergy roles. I recognise the financial challenges facing the Church, but
we cannot keep responding to a shortage of clergy by simply asking fewer priests to do
more. In too many places we are already spreading our priests too thinly. I want us to be ambitious
about sustaining and growing ordained ministry and creating patterns of ministry in which clergy,
their families and the churches they serve can flourish.
Growing vocations and removing barriers. If fewer priests doing more is not the answer, we
need to be ambitious about growing vocations. That means asking: who might God be calling
who we are currently failing to see? I particularly want us to address barriers relating to socio-
economic background, disability and neurodiversity within discernment, training and ministry.
Vocation should be recognised because of someone's calling and gifting, not inadvertently shaped
by assumptions about background, education or how somebody communicates. We need both to
invest in the clergy serving today and to find, form and release those whom God is calling to serve
tomorrow.
Mission and the next generation. For more than a decade, much of my ministry has focused on
helping younger generations encounter Jesus, grow as disciples and discover their place within the
life and leadership of the Church. There are encouraging signs of spiritual openness among
younger generations, presenting us with a significant missionary opportunity. Responding cannot
simply be the responsibility of youth and young adult specialists; we need healthy local churches,
supported by flourishing clergy, where younger generations can encounter Jesus, belong and grow
as disciples. I would keep asking whether our national decisions, structures and resources equip
rather than hinder local churches in the mission God has given them.
A final word
These are particular priorities, not an exhaustive manifesto. General Synod will inevitably consider
questions and challenges we cannot anticipate now. On those issues I would bring the same
approach: listening carefully, engaging seriously with Scripture and evidence, hearing different
perspectives and being prepared to exercise my judgement.
I want to see a Church that is confident in Jesus Christ and his Gospel; where clergy and their
families can flourish; where we invest in growing ordained ministry rather than simply managing its
reduction; where unnecessary barriers to vocation are removed; and where local churches are
equipped for God's mission.
It would be a privilege to serve and represent the clergy of Bath & Wells on General Synod.

I would be very grateful for your prayers and, if you feel able to support me, for the highest
preference you are able to give me in this election.
Thank you
Rich

• Rich Miles Election Address -

clergy wellbeing,diocesan board,disability,discernment,disciples,discipleship,finance,gospel,mission,missional,neurodiversity,next generation,scripture,vocations,young adults,young people,youth