General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election 2026
Election of Lay Representatives
for the Diocese of London
Mrs SARAH FINCH
14 Pensioners’ Court
The Charterhouse
15 Charterhouse Square
London EC1M 6AU
tel. no. 020 7336 0682
[email protected]

Dear Elector,
I invite you to give me your first preference vote in this election.
I care passionately about the future of the Church of England. With its presence in every
community in the country, and on the national stage, it has the potential to be used by
God to transform our society, by communicating the good news of new life in Jesus
Christ, and making this relevant to everyone.
Already, there are signs of a spiritual awakening across our multi-cultural country:
members of Gen. Z are turning away from materialism and seeking God. Our local
churches must be ready to welcome and disciple them. The General Synod, at a national
level, needs to be ready to support our parishes in their ministry.
HOPES FOR GENERAL SYNOD’S FUTURE
If General Synod is to help the Church of England to flourish at national and parish level,
it must be guided by the word of God, the Bible, in all its decisions. This will mean:

guarding the position of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one
woman, and the basis for a strong and cohesive society

protecting children, through encouraging stable family life, and dealing with
damaging sex-ed materials in schools

encouraging godly, strong and gifted candidates for ordination

supporting theological training that is well grounded in Scripture
WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER
Experience in General Synod:

member of the House of Laity since the year 2000

since then I have made speeches on a wide variety of topics

been an elected member of the Appointments Committee since 2005

been an appointed member of the Liturgical Commission for 5 years

put forward a successful Private Member’s Motion against assisted suicide
SARAH FINCH - an active lay member of
General Synod, committed to seeing the
word of God, the Bible, guide our decisions.

As the Church of England continues to grapple with complex and controversial issues, I
know how imperative it is, within Synod, to listen carefully and with respect to those with
whom one might disagree. Contributions to debate need to be constructive and eirenic.
Experience generally (past and present)

freelance editor of non-fiction books

trustee of the Bible Society

member of the Church of England Evangelical Council

school governor of a Church of England primary school

General Synod representative on the Council of Oak Hill Theological College,
and now on the Council of Wycliffe Hall Theological College

trustee of The Latimer Trust, a Christian publishing house

member of the Church Buildings Council
As an orthodox member of the Church of England, I uphold the Church’s formularies,
the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-nine Articles and the Ordinal.
BACKGROUND

brought up as an Anglo-Catholic

studied at Durham (French and Russian) and Oxford (History of Art) Universities

my late husband, Stephen, shared my Christian commitment, and was very
involved in parish, Deanery and Diocesan life

2 married daughters, both active with their husbands in their local churches, and
2 grandchildren

at eighty-one, my health is very good – helped by a weekly session with a personal
trainer
As a linguist and an editor, I am very interested in the use of words, which leads to a
particular interest in liturgy. If I am re-elected, I hope to put forward a Private Member’s
Motion with the purpose of correcting something that has been wrong with the Church
of England’s liturgy for far too long.
If you would like to strengthen the biblical voice in General Synod, please consider
giving me your first preference vote. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any
questions or would like to discuss something. And please join me in praying that God’s
will may be done in these elections.
In Christ’s service, yours sincerely,

Sarah Finch

Date of birth: March 1945
London church: St Helen, Bishopsgate
Proposed by Mr Clive Scowen, Seconded by Miss Susannah Trafford

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