General Synod Election Candidates 2026

CHRISTOPHER TRUNDLE
Vicar of Our Most Holy Redeemer
and St Mark’s, Clerkenwell
Nominated by Peter Anthony
All Saints, Margaret Street
Seconded by Stephen Gallagher
Fulham Missioner, St Chad, Haggerston & Holy Trinity, Hoxton
ABOUT ME: I am Vicar of Holy Redeemer and St Mark’s, Clerkenwell, two parishes of differing
traditions in the Stepney Episcopal Area, having previously served in Tottenham and Pimlico. I am also
an Army Reserve chaplain. I served in the last two General Synod quinquennia, am an elected
member of Diocesan Synod, and have been Chair of the House of Clergy since 2021. I am married to
Lucy and we have three young children. Living and ministering in Clerkenwell, where the gap between
rich and poor continues to widen, has reinforced my commitment to the mission of the local church,
ministry among young people, and encouraging vocations to ordained ministry. At a time when many
are ready to hear the Gospel, I believe this is a moment to invest confidently in our parishes and in our
clergy, and support them in serving their communities.
SOME KEY ISSUES FOR THE GENERAL SYNOD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
• Our parish churches, rooted in their communities
and aware of their contexts, are extremely effective
units of mission, discipleship and ministry. Parish
clergy should be and feel well-supported, and I
strongly back efforts to hold the Church
Commissioners to account for the lack of resources
parishes and dioceses are experiencing—our
financial situation need not be as it is. While I am
not one of Save the Parish’s candidates, I think they
have this absolutely right. We need to ensure, too,
that plans for a financially challenging future do not
adversely affect our ministry to the poorest
communities, and continue to cherish our diverse
traditions, patterns of ministry and our polity.
• Although progress has been made recently, it is still
the case that liturgical and sacramental expressions
of church life are underrepresented in projects
supported by the Strategic Mission and Ministry
Investment Board. Having seen at first hand the
opportunities such funding can create, I believe
national funding should be accessible to the whole
Church, not least those rooted in the Catholic
Tradition.
• The Church has experienced four years of declining
numbers entering ordination training, while many
stipendiary clergy are approaching retirement. The
future of our Church depends upon vocations. We
must encourage vocations to ordained ministry and
ensure ordinands receive the training and financial
support they need. This particularly includes
protecting excellent formation and properly
resourcing residential training—the quality of future
ministry depends on the quality of formation we
provide now.
• The position we have reached in the LLF process
has left many on different sides of the debate tired
and disappointed to say the least. It is not over, of
course, and for transparency I come to this
discussion unable to support further developments
beyond the point we have now reached. I am not a
one issue candidate, however, and the future life of
our Church will depend on our generous and
honest engagement with each other on this and
many other issues.
• Strong partnership between self-supporting and
stipendiary clergy will be needed more than ever to
ensure the best deployment of gifts and skills; I say
this as someone who has had the privilege of
working closely with wonderful self-supporting
colleagues for many years.
• The Seal of the Confessional is now under threat,
and the catholic voice needs to be heard in its
defence and in explaining why and how it remains
integral to the Church’s ministry.
• Above all, I want to see a Church of England that
remains faithful to its inheritance, confident in
proclaiming the Gospel, committed to its parishes,
and determined to hand on the Faith to future
generations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this address. I am committed to representing the clergy of the
Diocese in General Synod actively. There are many other issues for General Synod to consider than those
above; if you would like to get in touch, my email address is [email protected]
I would be grateful of your support with your first preference vote.

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