General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Reverend Lis (Elisabeth) Goddard – [email protected]
Vicar of St James the Less Westminster
Proposed by: The Reverend John Beauchamp – Disability Officer, Diocese of London
Seconded by: The Reverend Sally Baily, Vicar Holy Trinity Hounslow; Hounslow Deanery
PRIORITISING PARISH MINISTRY, MISSION, AND EVANGELISM
I believe the CofE, if it is to reach England with the gospel, needs to look at how,
particularly given the financial challenges which face us, we can prepare seriously for
the future to enable sustainability and growth across churches of all sizes and to enable
us to nurture our parochial heritage.
I am deeply committed to parish ministry and mission having significant parish
experience working with complex needs: mental health, young people, students,
homelessness and creative expressions of church, including church plants. St James the
Less (SJtL) where I’ve served since 2010, though in Pimlico, is among the most deprived parishes in the
country (987 out of 12154 according to the Church Urban Fund). This enables me to speak with a depth of
understanding in debates around deprivation, social cohesion, and how we reach working class people with
the gospel. I helped to set-up the London National Estates Church Network (NECN) and have hosted its
annual conferences for estate practitioners from across the South East.
My commitment to mission and evangelism has led SJtL to partner ecumenically with other local churches
to develop The Pimlico Foundation, an award-winning detached youth trust working with Pimlico’s most
vulnerable children, young people, and families. It has given me a real insight into the challenges faced by
our young people growing up on estates, at risk of poverty and violence – particularly through gangs and
drugs.
SUPPORTING MINISTRY: Ministry Development Board & Crown Nominations Commission
I have been a theological educator, particularly in ministerial formation, including mission and spirituality.
This continues to be a passion and I was elected to be a General Synod representative on the Ministry
Development Board (MDB). I have brought to the national church table all my experience across the fields
of vocation, discernment, formation, training, parish base, and the ongoing well-being of laity and clergy. If
you re-elect me, I would complete my term of office and seek to be re-elected to MDB for a further 5 years,
ensuring that the experience I have gained is not wasted.
Being on the MDB has meant that I have had the chance to take to the next stage of implementation work,
such as around Maternity/Family Friendly policy, I began as part of the Transformations Steering Group
(TSG). Archbishop Rowan asked me (as then chair of the Junia Network – a group representing evangelical
ordained women) to serve on this when it was set up in 2011. There I had a significant role in drawing
attention to the serious disparity between the numbers of men and women in young vocations and then
pioneering Young Female Vocations Events. As a member of the MDB I continue to be able to monitor and
respond to not only the level of vocations overall, which dropped massively during COVID and is only just
recovering, but also the comparative levels between men and women of different ages. Involvement in
MDB has also meant framing codes of practice which are beginning to go some way to deal with the crucial
issues around bullying and harassment particularly of clergy.
Within General Synod I was also elected to be a central member of the Crown Nominations Commission
(CNC) which nominates diocesan bishops to the Crown. It has been a huge privilege to serve on the
•
On General Synod since September 2020
•
Member of London Diocesan Synod, St Margaret’s Deanery & Deanery Standing Committee
•
Member of Ministry Development Board & Crown Nominations Commission
•
Co-Chair, Trustee and Council Member of CEEC (Church of England Evangelical Council)
•
Trustee of The Pimlico Foundation

Commission, especially on the Commission for Canterbury. If I am re-elected, I have one more year to serve
on the CNC. I believe we need prayerful bishops with creative experience of growing churches.
A POSITIVE AND CREATIVE VOICE WITHIN SYNOD
If you re-elect me, then I would wish to continue contributing especially in a number of key areas.
Marriage and Sexuality: The debates around Living in Love and Faith (LLF) were not easy in the last Synod.
There were times when the pain in the Chamber was palpable. It was a privilege to be asked to be part of
the LLF working groups where deep friendships formed across our differences. I hold the church’s
traditional view on human sexuality and through our discussions I can honestly say that we learnt more
about each other and began to look for an honest way forward. This mirrored work I was asked to do within
the diocese around Pastoral Principles. It was from my sub-group that the consensus emerged on how to
replace ‘Issues in Human Sexuality’. It is clear that, though LLF may be over, we are still not at the end of
this particular road. I pray that as we travel it together we will be able to find an honest path which enables
all of us to move forward and God’s mission to flourish in England in a way that honours Him. I look forward
to bringing my experience to the ongoing process of discernment at General Synod.
Eco-Church: Within the diocese, I and SJtL have been very involved with the Westminster Net Zero Forum
from its earliest days, signing up to the Sustainable City Charter. I am completely committed to the
missional imperative of creation care and the fifth mark of mission and value the opportunity within
General Synod of seeing how this can dovetail with our other priorities.
Racial Justice: At SJtL we are an ethnically rich congregation in an ethnically diverse context enabling me to
contribute effectively to key debates around ‘From Lament to Action’ looking at the church’s failures
among our UKME and GMH sisters and brothers.
Mental Health: I am trained as a Mental Health First Aider and throughout ministry have maintained an
interest in how we as a church engage creatively with those for whom mental wellbeing is a challenge. With
levels of mental ill-health rising, this will inevitably continue to be an area which is on Synod’s agenda. This
concerns both the general population and the well-being of our clergy. This has been an important concern
in Synod and MDB throughout the last Synod. I have been involved in debates and taking forward work
begun with the TSG and I would anticipate continuing to do so in the coming quinquennium.
Disability: I am epileptic and dyslexic and believe work around disability, particularly among the clergy, is
vital. I was a founder member of the Diocesan Neurodiversity Forum, a group where we provide support for
one another in ministry and put on training events to enable flourishing in ministry.
Safeguarding: This was a key priority of the last quinquennium and will inevitably, and rightly, remain high
on the agenda for the new Synod. I have, throughout my ministry, been committed to the highest levels of
care and oversight for those God has entrusted to us. Safeguarding cannot be an add-on, it must be integral
to our mission and witness to the kingdom, ensuring that as we share the gospel with others we do so in a
way that honours every person as made in the image of God. I have had the privilege of accompanying
survivors of some of the most serious abuse scandals of recent years, and I am clear that survivors matter
and must not be ignored. I have also been an accompanier for clergy going through the CDM process,
sometimes accused of serious failings. Sometimes those accusations prove to be vexatious and so I am also
clear that this is not simple. If re-elected I would bring all this experience, plus that of being the vicar of a
complex parish with many safeguarding issues, to the debates in General Synod.
I have enjoyed my experience so far of representing London Diocese and believe that I still have a lot to
bring to General Synod. Most of all I hope that I can help Synod maintain its focus on the God who in Christ
shows us his redeeming love and on our primary task to share this good news with his world.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please do be in touch with any questions if you want to follow
up on anything I have said here. I hope that you will consider putting me first in the ballot in order to re-
elect me.

abuse,archbishop,bullying,cdm,ceec,church plants,creation care,crown nominations,crown nominations commission,disability,discernment,drugs,eco church,evangelical,evangelism,good news,gospel,harassment,homelessness,human sexuality,junia,justice,living in love and faith,llf,marriage,mental health,mission,missional,net zero,neurodiversity,poverty,racial justice,safeguarding,sexuality,survivors,traditional,violence,vocations,witness,working class,young people,youth