General Synod Election Candidates 2026

THE REVEREND DOCTOR PATRICK RICHMOND
2010-15, 2016-26
Over 15 years on General Synod
2019-present

Chair, House of Clergy, Diocesan Synod
2020–present
Diocesan Clergy Wellbeing Forum
2015-present
11 years on the Bishop’s Council of Trustees
2019-25

Rural Dean, Norwich South
2007-present

19 years as Vicar, Christ Church, Eaton, Norwich
2001-07

Chaplain and Fellow at Cambridge University
1997-01

Curacies in Leicester (d. 1997, priest 1998)
1994-97

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford 1st class Theology B.A.
1994
CMS Overseas Experience Placement in Pakistan
1990-93

Green College, Oxford Doctorate in Physiology
1987-90

Balliol College, Oxford Preclinical Medicine
Born 1969. Married to Catherine for 30 years. 3 adult children

Proposed by:
The Rev’d Canon Helen Jary, Rector of the Oulton Broad Team Ministry
Seconded by:
The Rev’d Canon Howard Stoker, Rector of Holt with High Kelling

Dear Clergy Colleagues,
Thank you for the privilege of representing you on General Synod. I feel called to stand again, believing my
experienced, evidence-based representation, grounded in parish ministry, clergy wellbeing and faithful
theology, can make a constructive contribution in a particularly important period of the Church’s life:
Grounded in Parish Reality & Clergy Wellbeing
• Parish Experience: 23 years in the parish and 19 years as Vicar of Eaton have taught me that central
decisions need to deal with the challenges parish clergy increasingly face: heavy administration,
ageing buildings, stretched finances, fewer volunteers, and complex pastoral demands.
• Clergy Wellbeing: Synodical work on the Clergy Covenant and serving on the Diocesan Clergy
Wellbeing Forum has sharpened my conviction that clergy need realistic expectations, proper
support, and fair pay, housing and pensions.
• Fair discipline and complaints: I supported replacing the adversarial Clergy Discipline Measure with
the Clergy Conduct Measure and will press for proper implementation. I will continue to seek the
clear recourse against toxic behaviour by lay officers that the Church and clergy currently lack.
Save the Parish but Realistic and Targeted
• Frontline Parish Ministry First: Frontline, stipendiary parish ministry must come before central
bureaucracy. I welcome Archbishop Sarah’s recommitment to flourishing local parishes, confirming
that the “mixed ecology” was never intended to displace the parish system.
• Demographic Realism & Foresight: Since my widely reported 2011 Synod question on our ageing
membership, I have pressed for honest, age-based projections. National forecasts from the Ministry
Development Team show stipendiary clergy falling from 7,000 to around 5,400 within a decade,
requiring preparation, not wishful thinking.
• Evidence-Led Hope and Investment: Realism is not defeatism: culture change and five years of post-
Covid growth show what is possible where faith, youth, families and mission are prioritised. Extended
vacancies damage growth. Given stipendiary clergy may well be in short supply, local oversight, focal
leadership, funded interim ministry and shared benefices matter. Funds should be used to prevent
short-sighted cuts and targeted toward areas of population growth, deprivation and youth ministry.

An Experienced, Effective Synod Contributor
• Effective Contributor: I have served on legislative steering committees and have moved targeted
amendments to make motions more helpful and more broadly acceptable.
• Promoting Accountability: I use my full allowance of questions at every session to hold the centre
to account. Among other things, my questioning on Synod’s practical impact led the Business
Committee to begin tracking whether national motions and calls to dioceses achieve real results on
the ground.
• Nationally Informed: As Chair of the House of Clergy and an active member of the national
Diocesan Clergy Chairs' Forum, I remain closely connected to the practical concerns of clergy across
England.
• Safeguarding and Redress: I support the urgent delivery of genuinely independent safeguarding and
the robust, trauma-informed operation of the Redress Scheme. Following recent external audits, we
must eliminate structural ambiguity, build survivor trust, and deliver clear independence from
institutional conflicts of interest. Survivors shouldn’t have to trust the institutions that failed them to
investigate themselves and put honesty and truth above reputation.
A Scientifically Literate Theologian and Ethicist
• With a doctorate in science, publications in theology, ethics and philosophy, and ongoing work as a
reviewer for Science and Christian Belief, I bring analytic rigour to Synod’s debates on theology,
bioethics, AI, and creation care.
Committed to Unity in the Apostolic Faith
• My own journey — cathedral chorister, university chapels, evangelical theological college, and
nearly two decades in parish ministry — has given me real appreciation for the breadth of the Church
of England. Christ commands us to love one another; I am committed to working charitably and
constructively with colleagues of every tradition.
• I uphold the Church's historic faith and marriage doctrine. Recent work by the Faith and Order
Commission, together with legal advice to the House of Bishops, has emphasised that liturgy,
discipline and unity are bound up with doctrine that is authorised by the whole Church, not merely
narrowly. Because pastoral practice cannot bypass doctrine and proper process, I seek principled,
respectful engagement across our disagreements, and as much unity as theological integrity allows, so
that we can give renewed attention to our shared mission.
Your Vote Matters
If re-elected, I will keep bringing parish realism, legislative scrutiny and faithful theology to General Synod,
and will represent all our clergy diligently, including those who discern things differently.
Under the Single Transferable Vote system, every preference counts. If you would like me to serve you on
Synod, please give me your first or high preference vote.
With thanks for reading this and best wishes and prayers for your ministry,

The Revd Dr Patrick Richmond
161 Newmarket Road, Norwich NR4 6SY
Tel: (01603) 250844
Email: [email protected]

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