General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election Address
Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster
I am standing for General Synod because I love the Church of England. I am thankful for our
service in parishes, schools and chaplaincies across the nation. I long to see us grow in faith,
courage and love, underpinned by wise governance.
I have served as a Northern Suffragan on General Synod in the last quinquennium, and been
called to speak on the environment, finances, LLF & prayer. I have contributed to the House
of Bishops on a wide variety of topics, including clergy terms and conditions, young people,
church planting, finance. I am the Bishop for Science in the Northern Province.
I have a wide range of interests in church and national life, including the significance of the
working sphere (following my career in scientific research & a multi-national company),
mission & evangelism, media, children & young people, vocations & theological education,
prison chaplaincy, inter-faith relationships and spiritual direction.
Three passions which I would bring to Synod:
•
Prayer: at the last Synod of the quinquennium, together with +David Walker, I
organised a Half night of Prayer for synod which was well attended from across
traditions. I would bring a passion to foreground our dependence on the immanence
of God’s wisdom and intervention both at GS and at the House & College of Bishops
where, together with a group of six bishops, I have responded to the appetite for
multiple seasons of 40 days of prayer & fasting
•
Governance: I bring a commitment to working towards increased transparency,
accountability & synodality. I chair our Diocesan Synod business group where we
have enabled a more gracious culture with a wider diversity of voices. I have served
as chair of New Wine, where I commissioned our own Scolding independent review
following the revelations about Mike Pilavachi, and held oversight of complex
safeguarding
•
Vocations & leadership: I am a sponsoring bishop our Diocese and served in senior
leadership in a TEI. I am keen to actively increase our reach in vocations and training
especially from our more deprived areas, and to mobilise a prayerful and strategic
response to the serious impact of our dwindling vocations
I am also an Assistant Bishop in the Church in Wales and have been involved with their
navigation of same-sex blessings and marriage. This year I have co-authored a book on the
saints (Held in God’s Gaze, SPCK) with one of our LGBTQI+ parish priests who holds very
different views from me on the divisive issues of Synod.
I long to see a courageous faith-filled, mission-focussed Synod which offers wise prayerful
governance to enable the Church of England to truly be a Christian presence in every
community and to transform our nation under Christ.

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