General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Paul M. Hagger
St John’s Ealing
[email protected]

Highlights
• Committed member of St John’s Ealing for 25 years.
• Governor and committee chair at Twyford Church of England High School for eight
years including sitting on school exclusion panels.
• Church warden for six years including time of vacancy and extending into Covid
pandemic.
• Home group, Alpha and soup kitchen team leader.
• Welcomer for morning service and previously mid-week toddler group.
Background
I grew up in suburban London/Essex where my brother and I were brought up by our mother
after our parents divorced. I benefitted from Christian teachers at my school who were good
role models, and I became a Christian as a teenager. After school, I spent a gap year in youth
work in a parish in Weymouth. I am excited to see young people searching for and finding God
today in 2026! My personal experience as a school governor and sitting on school exclusion
panels has shown me how vital is the mission of the church to our young people.
I graduated in Theology and Politics and have spent most of my working life as a journalist with
the BBC, Premier Christian Radio and Sky News. These skills enable me to get to the heart of a
story quickly, and to consider the impact of what we say in the public sphere. I am keen to
play a part in ensuring a more positive good news message is heard from the Church of
England in our nation, both in reality, and how it is perceived in wider society.
I am currently working as a civil servant and help lead the Christian fellowship in our office.
Understanding parish life in conjunction with being alongside government will help me to
ensure good synodical process serves a good outcome.
I place a high value on the Church of England’s commitment to parish ministry across the
whole of the country and have been part of Anglican churches in west London, Essex, Bristol,
the Midlands, Weymouth, and in rural areas when on holiday. My understanding extends
beyond an urban context.
Personally, I have been married to Daniela for 26 years, and we have two teenage children.
Nominated by:
Abi Rotimi (Ealing Deanery)
Sarah Tett (City Deanery)

In summary, I want to help build a church for all ages with a message of hope for every parish
in the country.
Thank you for reading my election statement. If you feel able to vote for me, thank you and I
would be grateful if you could give me your first or highest preference vote.
I am praying, as I am sure you are too, for God’s guidance as we elect our General Synod
representatives from London for the next five years.
Thank you for all you do in serving our churches and deaneries across London.
Yours in Christ,
Paul Hagger
Key issues
Equipping parishes: I believe the church cannot continue to draw on reserves and bold
steps need to be taken to ensure a sustainable future. Decisions need to be made not to
manage decline, but to enable growth; we need to prune for a better harvest! This may
mean reducing central costs further in parallel with making good use of lay-clergy
leadership collaborations in smaller churches.
Enabling churches to grow: We prune to grow: my hope is in the transforming power of the
Gospel and, if elected, I will do everything I can to help grow our congregations by both
reaching new people and encouraging people back to church. This will require financial
investment in mission and ministry, but ultimately a growing church will also improve the
church’s finances.
I am excited about some of the church growth in recent years in London and am keen to
represent London in all its variety, both poor and rich to General Synod
Enabling all people to flourish, including the young: We need to grow younger as a
church, providing hope to young people while, at the same time, valuing people of all ages,
pastorally and in the gifts that they bring
Safeguarding: My experience as a churchwarden helps me know how important a good
safeguarding church culture is and how important it is that any systems are clear and breed
confidence. I will speak up for a clear, victim-centred approach that enables local PCCs to
discharge their responsibilities in an excellent and manageable way
Living in Love and Faith: This has been a challenging time for many, and I want to see a
church that is welcoming to all while upholding traditional Christian views of marriage and
the family.

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