clergy discipline,clergy wellbeing,climate change,disability,elderly,finance,inclusive,lgbt,mission,net zero,racism

Andy Salmon for General Synod
Rector of Sacred Trinity Salford
Proposed by Grace Thomas of Manchester Cathedral
Seconded by Richard Worsfold, Area Dean of Salford and
Leigh
I am asking once again for your support for me on General
Synod. Please give me one of your high preference votes.
I have been on General Synod since 2010 representing our
diocese and I still have the energy and enthusiasm to do it
for a little longer if you would put your trust in me.
About me.
I was born in London and mainly brought up in Sussex. I have also lived in Algiers,
Nottingham, Manchester and Salford. I have now lived most of my life in Salford and
Manchester and count myself as an adopted Salfordian. I am married to Michaela who
works in Adult Education and we have 3 grown up daughters. Our eldest has profound
Learning Disability and lives in the L’Arche community in Manchester. My youngest
daughter works for L’Arche and my middle daughter lives and works in The Hague in the
Netherlands. I was ordained in Manchester Diocese in 1988 and have served all my
ministry here. For the last 22 years I’ve been rector of Sacred Trinity Church in the Salford
bit of the City Centre. I’ve done this part time with a variety of other jobs including Mission
Action Planning Officer for the diocese and HeartEdge co-ordinator. I currently only have
the one church and spend much of the rest of my time caring for elderly parents. I bring a
wealth of experience to my role on General Synod including 10 years as an elected
councillor on Salford City Council. On General Synod I have served on the national
Finance Committee, on Appointments Committee and am a Deputy Prolocutor (Vice chair)
of the Northern House of Clergy. My hobbies include running, cycling, gig-going,
photography and writing poetry.
Current Concerns
A big church with room for all! I am a passionate Anglican and want to see the Church
of England thriving. At the moment we are facing huge challenges and have been in
numerical decline for years. In my opinion some of the recent national investment has
been misplaced, investing in niche churches that recruit new people from other
denominations but have little impact in the community. We need to find ways to invest in
effective Parish Ministry.
Parish Ministry. This is always going to be the heart of the Anglican Church and whilst we
cannot go back to how things were in the past we can find creative new ways to engage

people in our local communities. In my roles in Mission Action Planning and with
HeartEdge I have helped churches to better understand their community, find partners and
engage in mission to the whole community. I bring this experience with me to General
Synod and to Diocesan Synod and Bishops Council.
Clergy Wellbeing. Looking after our clergy has to be a top priority. It worries me that too
many clergy are given impossible jobs to do. We need to find ways to support clergy, to
simplify administrative tasks and pastoral reorganisation. On Synod I have supported the
replacement of the Clergy Discipline Measure. I recently suffered from a vexatious
complaint so know personally how stressful this can be. I have just discovered that clergy
will lose the tax benefits of working from home (HLC) and have raised this with the national
church. I hope that they can persuade government to make us an exception but I have
also asked that if that’s not possible they look again
at the Cycle to Work Scheme. This is a national
scheme that makes it cheaper to buy a new bike
(including electric assisted) and I have previously
been told that we are ineligible. This is because we
work from home and don’t travel to work and the
scheme doesn’t support travel in work. If we are to
lose the tax benefits of working from home then
perhaps we could gain access to this scheme as
many of us now serve at least one church that is not
next to our house.
Inclusion. For the Church of England to thrive we need to be a church that welcomes all
in our community. Despite the rise in the far right most people in this country still value
acceptance of others. Jesus gave us a model of acceptance of those on the margins and
the church needs to be modelling the radical inclusion that Jesus demonstrated. On Synod
I have helped to pass the legislation to allow women to become bishops which has been a
great blessing to us. I have worked to counter racism and have worked tirelessly for
LGBT+ inclusion in the church. Sadly we still have work to do in all these areas.
Finance. I spent time on the national Finance Committee and the way we invest our
money is a crucial issue. We need to be investing in our parish clergy and parish churches
whilst also encouraging churches to find creative ways to raise the income needed.
Climate change. Globally we have not done enough to tackle the problem of climate
change and the church can play an important role in modelling ways to move towards net-
zero and to adapt to changes. We also need to take a lead in challenging the climate
change deniers, who are sadly still spouting their deluded nonsense.
Let’s work together for an expansive but humble Church of England that has room for all.
Please vote for me and other inclusive candidates in at least your votes 1 to 6.
I welcome people getting in touch with me. Phone is 07436532408 and email is
[email protected] Best wishes. Andy Salmon