General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Ian Flintoft - General Synod Election Address 2026

Candidate:
The Rev’d Canon Ian Flintoft

Vicar of Newsham and Horton
Area Dean, Bedlington Deanery
Proposed by: The Rev’d Canon Louise Taylor Kenyon, Vicar of Bamburgh, Belford and Lucker
Area Dean, Bamburgh and Glendale Deanery
Seconded by: The Rev’d Canon Nigel Taylor, Vicar of St Mary’s Monkseaton

Area Dean, Tynemouth Deanery

Why I am standing for re-election:
It has been a (sometimes painful) privilege to service on General Synod during the last
quinquennium, and I have tried to use my voice and vote to speak up for the reality of life and
ministry in our Diocese and region, a reality that is seldom-heard by some at ‘the centre.’
Thank you for the trust placed in me, and I hope, if re-elected, to continue to repay that trust
by faithful service.

I am standing for re-election because I wish to continue to be a strong advocate for the mission
and ministry of our local parishes and chaplaincies and for the interests of the Diocese of
Newcastle on a national level. I would bring to this role my 22 years of experience as a parish
priest, Bishop’s Chaplain, DDO, and Director of Ministry, an ability to listen carefully, as well as
strategic and analytical skills, and a conviction that the Church of England continues to have a
vocation to ‘proclaim afresh in each generation’ the Gospel of Christ.

Some of my convictions:
My thinking and practice in the areas of Christ’s mission in the world and the Church’s ministry
as part of that mission have been strongly influenced by the work of Sam Wells. He speaks
about the nature of the ‘paroikia’ in the time of Jesus, from which we get our word ‘parochial’
(in its proper sense). Wells says that the ‘paroikia’, literally meaning those beyond or outside
the household, was the area of a city reserved for ‘non-citizens,’ those who contributed to the
city’s welfare but had no voting rights. In missional terms, this means for me that the Church of
England has a vocation to be here to welcome those who feel, or have been told, that they
don’t belong (and that might include some of us), who don’t feel worthy enough to approach
God, who don’t yet know that they have a place in the heart of God. For me, this conviction
about the nature of Christ’s Church has profound and challenging implications for many areas of
church life considered by General Synod.

Representing the local church and the Diocese:
I love this Diocese and its people and parishes, having served here since ordination in 2004. As
well as significant ministry in suburban, outer estate and post-industrial parish settings, I have
had the privilege of working with parishes and leading worship in many communities across the
breadth of the Diocese during vacancies. All this, together with my time on Bishop’s Staff, has
given me a good understanding of our contexts and of the needs, hopes, and challenges of local
church communities here. I think we need to be represented by people who know this Diocese
well and who are unafraid to speak on its behalf.

Remaining outward-looking:
I sense that organisations under threat can easily turn inwards, becoming consumed with their
own interests and survival. If we are a Church here for those who are outside the household
(which has until now been a key part of the vocation of the Church of England), then we need
to keep looking outwards and reaching out in love and service. My work with the Church

Urban Fund in establishing Together Newcastle and my service as Chair of the West End
Refugee Service have given me valuable experience in this field and I would continue to use my
voice on General Synod to advocate for the outward-facing mission of the Church.

Keeping God and God’s priorities at the heart of decision-making:
My ministry as a spiritual director and as DDO convince me of the need for careful discernment
as we seek God’s way forward for the Church of England. I accept the urgency of the missional
and evangelistic task facing us, but sense that at times we have been too impatient in our search
for quick fixes to apparent problems, without always weighing fully what God might be saying to
us and asking of us. As the General Synod considers in its next sessions the right balance
between inherited and newer models of church, we will need the patience and discernment of
God’s Holy Spirit, as well as courage and boldness.

Working to bolster clergy morale, as well as proper accountability:
Some of us may feel as clergy that we too are beyond the household: we may doubt our
worthiness, and the recent report from Save the Parish re-emphasised the threats posed to the
flourishing of all of us by the lack of trust between clergy and ‘the centre’ and by that
demoralisation experienced by many. I am very concerned about clergy morale at the present
time, and would work hard on Synod to ensure that the key role of clergy, alongside lay
members, is properly recognised, cherished, and promoted. The ongoing work of the General
Synod on clergy conduct, safeguarding, and wellbeing will be significant in creating the right
culture to enable us all to flourish.

Inclusivity and differing convictions:
As I hope is obvious from what I say about the nature of the Church as ‘paroikia’ (and from
what many of you know of me), I am firmly convinced that the Church of England has a
considerable way to go before it can claim to be demonstrating the ‘radical Christian inclusion’
spoken of by previous Archbishops. For me, this inclusion is certainly concerned with the
ongoing debate on sexuality (which has been so painful for so many) but is much wider – and it
is key because it is about individual human beings, loved and cherished by God, and not about
‘issues’. As a former trustee of the Northumbria Deaf Mission and as a parish priest in some of
our most deprived communities in the North East, I see many others who feel they are beyond
the household, who may have been told they don’t quite belong, and I long for them to feel fully
included too. But being inclusive also means living with those with whom we disagree, and my
ministry as a liberal catholic in a traditional catholic parish gives me first-hand experience of the
joys and challenges of this.

For the parish and chaplaincy:
Returning to full-time parish ministry has helped me see more clearly than ever the
opportunities the parish system gives us for creative and incarnational mission, and I see this
lived out in many of our chaplaincies too, whose work is often hidden and unrewarded. Yes,
there are hard decisions to make as we live with new realities about stipendiary numbers and
financial challenges. But in many communities, the parish church, with its vocation to be here
for all, is still the best place from which to ‘put out into the deep and let down the nets.’
Ministry in parishes and chaplaincies needs investment, financial and otherwise, and if re-elected,
I would use my voice on General Synod to be a strong advocate for such resourcing.

Thank you for reading this address: may I ask you to consider giving me your first or second-
preference vote in this election. If you would like to discuss further anything I say here, please
feel free to contact me:
[email protected] or 07469 950231

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