General Synod Election Candidates 2026

MARCUS WALKER
As the founder and chair of Save the Parish, this statement is (unsurprisingly) going to focus on that
campaign and why our voice is so important in Synod right now.
Five years ago we were told that "a building, a stipend, and long costly college-based training" were
the "key limiting factors" holding back church growth. Over these five years we have discovered the
exact opposite: that it is buildings, stipends, and deep theological education that are the key
amplifying factors of Anglican mission. This isn't just my theory. The Church of England's own
studies show this.
Who am I?
I am the Rector of Great St Bartholomew in the City of London. Having been
baptized and confirmed in Jerusalem and raised across the Middle East and
the former USSR, I am a child of the Anglican Communion and have made
supporting persecuted Christians one of my personal priorities. I was a curate
in North London and then Deputy Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.
Having worked in politics prior to ordination, I use those skills to scrutinise
legislation, build cross-party coalitions, and ensure the voice of the local
parish is heard clearly in General Synod.
Rector, Great St Bartholomew | House of Clergy | Founder, Save the Parish
EVIDENCE FOR THE PARISH SYSTEM
• "the Church of England’s parish system offers a 'CHRISTIAN PRESENCE IN EVERY COMMUNITY': often, the Anglican
church is the only (or at least the only visible) Christian presence in a community, leading people to gravitate towards it"
(Understanding Young Adult Journeys to Faith, 2026)
• "AN INCREASE IN CLERGY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF GROWTH in attendance, while a decrease in
clergy is associated, on average, with a decline in attendance.” (Going Deeper, 2016)
• “Amalgamations of churches are MORE LIKELY TO DECLINE. The larger the number of churches in the amalgamation
the more likely they are to decline.” (From Anecdote to Evidence, 2013)
THE CHURCH'S EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
27%
Fall in full-time
stipendiary
positions
40%
Church closures in
top 10% deprived
parishes
25%
Decrease in new
ordinands
(2020-2025)
35%
Incumbents
exhibiting signs of
clinical depression
20-30
Churches in new
mega-benefices with
few clergy
78%
Churchwardens would
resign if anyone would
take their place
The Church has total endowments of £17 billion and spends £653m a year.
Only £85m of that is spent on parish ministry.

A Clergy Charter of Care
that commits to support
priests' mental health,
limits benefices to
manageable sizes, ends
destructive managerial
metrics of success, and
puts a stop to clergy cuts.
Theologically-rich,
ordinand-centred
training to reverse the
loss of institutional
confidence and ensure
ordinands are supported
as they need not as
budgets dictate.
A Churchgoers'
Charter to show we
value the hard work
and love of our
volunteers, limiting
managerial demands,
making their life and
ministry easier.
Reform the Mission &
Pastoral Measure
which sounds deathly
dull but defines in law
how parishes are
merged and churches
closed; this is a big task
of the next Synod.
Front-line first: Cap
ballooning diocesan
bureaucracy (which
grew by 29% in three
years) and move toward
a 1:8 ratio of support
staff to parish clergy by
1.

Parish |
Priest |
People
5
4
3
2
Restore the
Commissioners'
£11.6bn endowment
to its original purpose:
to fund "the cure of
souls in parishes where
such assistance is most
required."
1
6
If you want mission spoken about, get a vision strategist
If you want mission done, pay for a priest
OUR SIX COMMITMENTS FOR THE 2026-31 SYNOD
FIVE YEARS ON GENERAL SYNOD
Full details can be found in our manifesto: www.savetheparish.com/general-synod-manifesto-2026/
1 MARCUS WALKER
For a strong voice for the parishes in Synod, give your first preference to
WORKING TOGETHER
Our work crosses church traditions and one of the joys of
the last five years has been working with High, Low,
Middle of the Road; Tories, Labour, Green; Liberal, and
Traditional; it's a truly cross-church coalition.
REVIEW OF NATIONAL FUNDING
We persuaded Synod to launch a comprehensive review of
how all church money is distributed, which will report
next year. This could transform the Church, putting
parishes back at the heart of church funding.
PUTTING THE PARISH BACK IN LAW
Our biggest win was a massive effort to put back into law
the rule that Church Commissioners' money must be
spent on poorer parishes. I proposed the amendment,
which was strongly opposed but our coalition won the day.
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE
A decade ago the national church stopped direct funding
of parishes to 'stop subsidising failure'; parish ministry was
never mentioned in strategies. This has completely
changed now, especially under Archbishop Sarah.
LOWEST INCOME COMMUNITIES FUNDING
Church figures showed that only 60% of money reserved
for the poorest parishes actually got to them, and that
money was frozen for 5 years. We made a successful
targeted pitch for a 36% rise & direct payment to parishes.
CHALLENGING LONDON'S £6.5M DEFICIT
The Diocese has more than doubled its employees in a
decade while running a deficit. It allowed its fund
managers to mismanage our £100m+ portfolio, losing
0.6% in a year the FTSE rose 18.7%.

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