aging,clergy conduct,clergy wellbeing,finances,mission,neurodiversity,ordination,pccs,safeguarding,vacancy

Neil Robbie
Vicar
Holy Trinity West Bromwich

Who am I?

I am a Scot who is 6’6” tall. Ordained deacon
at Lichfield Cathedral at Petertide 2005.

I have served all my ordained ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield, first in
Wolverhampton then West Bromwich. Married to Amanda, we have three adult
children and a large, aging greyhound-saluki lurcher, called Theo.

Before ordination, I worked as a structural engineer in the UK and overseas
and was a licensed Lay Reader in the Diocese of Singapore to the
majority Tamil parish of Christ Church. This experience led me to an
understanding of and practice of intercultural ministry. I now serve Holy Trinity,
West Bromwich, with members born in 18 different countries. I would like to
see more work done across the Church of England to make parish churches
become God’s home for everyone who has made this country home.

I discovered I have dyslexia whilst training for ordination. I would like to see the
church serve neurodiverse people better and spoke on this at the July 2026 synod.
Watch my speech on neurodiversity on
https://tinyurl.com/yfyef67n

I have a track record in steering changes to policy through diocesan synod and will
continue to work with others to make church life and mission better for all.

Synodical and Governance Experience

I am standing for re-election to General Synod having already served for 18 months following
a casual vacancy. Within just a few weeks of being elected in spring 2025, I was asked to join
the revising committee for the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy,
chaired by the Ven Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London.

The work of the committee focused on ensuring the Guidelines offer aspirational standards
for clergy and, as they are also to be used as a code of conduct for cases under the Clergy
Conduct Measure, an effective deterrent to their weaponisation against the clergy.

General Synod has also proved to be a place of healing for me, which was an unforeseen
experience during my first Group of Sessions. I did not expect God to meet me in that place
and to use various people and the governance process to heal some lingering trauma.

I have a personal interest in the Clergy Conduct Measure and have
made contributions on the measure and rules. I am still concerned that
the process for the handling of complaints categorised as a
‘grievance’ confuses the work of conciliation and investigation.
Reconciliation, which is a high priority for the church, as we have been
reconciled to God in Christ, will be hindered by the new measure and
rules. This is, in my mind, unfinished business, which I hope to address.

Work on Diocesan Synod

My experience on Diocesan Synod includes raising and steering two motions to completion.
First, there was a need to bring the Church Representation Rules into line with
Safeguarding, strengthening protection for PCCs and synods. This motion resulted in
changes to the CRR, most notably the introduction of a confirmatory vote, which may be
used when candidates are returned unopposed.

I also brought a motion to diocesan synod from our Deanery Synod which sought to protect
clergy from vexatious, malicious and unreasonably persistent complaints. My work
included membership of the working group which wrote the policy and revisions. Lichfield
Diocesan Synod was the first in the Church of England to welcome such a policy.

My other governance experience includes 18 years service as ex-officio governor at our
church school where I use my engineering and project management background to
oversee finances and the school estate and my lived experience of neurodivergence to
inform my work as Link Governor for SEND provision.

What others say about me

Rev’d Canon Ben Whitmore (proposer)
I have known Neil for many years and know him to be a person of profound Christian faith
and integrity. He is prepared to ask difficult questions and, when necessary, to ‘speak truth to
power’. He has a particular passion for clergy wellbeing - in particular the recent revision of
the Clergy Disciplinary Measure (Clergy Conduct Measure).

Rev’d Mark Wilson Rural Dean of West Bromwich (seconder)
I am pleased to second Neil’s nomination. He has served well on General
Synod and has put a lot of work into making sure clergy are protected
from vexatious complaints and have the right Guidelines for Professional
Conduct.

Contact Details. If you want to ask me about this picture of a parrot or
chat about anything else to do with my reasons for standing again, I can
be contacted on 07810 544265 or [email protected]