General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Candidate for General Synod

Revd. Joy Mawdesley

Associate Rector – Newbury St Nicolas and Speen St Mary

[email protected]
Having contributed to General Synod over the past five years, I would like
to offer myself to serve the Diocese of Oxford and the wider Church in
standing for election again. I am currently serving on the Oxford Crown
Nominations Commission to identify the next Bishop of Oxford.
Most of my life in the Church has in fact been spent as a lay person, but I
have a lifetime of Anglican commitment, my father having been a parish
priest before me. I also bring to the work of Synod over 25 years’
experience in local authority Children and Families social work.
I became a Christian as a teenager during a mission week at my Church. I
grew up without an awareness of labels; I just knew that I wanted to follow
Jesus and my youth leaders filled our heads and our hearts with knowledge
of and love for God’s Word. It was this that 30 years later was a key factor
that led to me being ordained as I longed to open up Scripture and make it accessible for everyone.
I have worshipped in four different churches in the Diocese of Oxford over the past 32 years.
Because of my experience in the local Church as both lay and clergy, I will continue to seek to ensure
that the issues affecting the local Church, and the needs that it has, will remain the key focus of
Synod, so that it is supported and resourced for mission and ministry.
My time spent as a social worker in Child Protection and with Children Looked After brought me face
to face with many areas relevant to Synod, such as understanding and working with diversity, an
awareness of the poverty in our Diocese, what it is like for our congregations to live on the frontline
in the workplace and experience of safeguarding practice.
I would be grateful for your support in the election (and if I am not your first-choice candidate, I
would ask you to consider giving me your 2nd or 3rd vote).
Thank you.
Overview
Current post

Associate Rector, Newbury St Nicolas and Speen St Mary (since 2019)
Previously

Curate, Newbury St Nicolas and Speen St Mary (since 2016)

Ordinand, Ripon College Cuddesdon (2014-16)

As a lay person, Undergraduate Diploma at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (2008-10)
Pre-ordination
Different roles as Social Worker and Manager in local authority social work
(1990 – 2016), including Child Protection, working with Looked After
Children, Training, Complaints Management, Fostering and Adoption
Family and Other
Married to Paul (retired secondary school teacher), two grown up children. I
love our border terrier, walking, making flapjack and Northumberland.

Experience & Responsibilities
For the past ten years I have served in a Benefice of two wonderful and different churches. One is a
market town church that is busy and growing with a children’s and youth ministry that attracts 70
children each week. I love our intergenerational worship as 0s-90s gather together. The second
church is smaller with a greater sense of parish identity, and our mission being to share God’s love
with all those around us in our geographical area, seeking to be available for occasional offices, as
well as having a presence in our local school – and we love our BCP Choral Evensong! Since
ordination, I have fully immersed myself in the life of the Benefice, seeking to care for God’s people
well (by taking a lead on pastoral care) and to equip them to hold onto the good news of Jesus in
their daily lives and to share it with others (by playing my part in preaching and teaching week by
week).
Specific Issues
Over the past five years on General Synod, I have contributed to the following issues and would love
the opportunity to continue to do so, along with other issues as they arise…
Safeguarding Having spent years working in the field of safeguarding, I long for the Church to be the
best that it can be in this area. This remains a key area for Synod’s work, especially as we move
towards greater independence in our safeguarding practice – both nationally and locally. Since
2018, I have been a volunteer trainer in the Diocese, offering face to face Foundation training in my
Deanery and beyond. I remain passionate about contributing to this area of our national Church.
Lay Ministry I was involved in different kinds of lay ministry in the Diocese for over 20 years before
ordination, and I am keen to grow and support lay ministry. Only my Incumbent’s confidence in me
enabled me to try things out and to flourish (and to end up where I am now!) and in my current
Benefice we are actively seeking to grow the clergy/lay partnerships that are going to be vital to
enable the church to continue its mission into the future.
Human Identity and Sexuality In my own context, the Living in Love and Faith process nationally and
leading the LLF course locally both helped us to have these important conversations. Although LLF
has drawn to a close, Synod still has significant decisions to take in this area and, whilst holding to a
traditional view of marriage, I want to continue to contribute to this important matter in the life of
our national Church. I see the priorities as being listening to each other, listening to our Anglican
traditions and most significantly, listening to Scripture.
Clergy Wellbeing Drawing on my experience in complaints management, I was involved in the
Revision Committee relating to the Clergy Discipline Measure, part of the work that has led to
significant improvement with the new Clergy Conduct Measure. Clergy wellbeing is something close
to my heart whether that be about resting well, pensions or housing – all the different ways in which
clergy are enabled to thrive as they seek to serve God and his people in their setting.

Nominated by
Revd Canon Mark Bennet, Team Rector, Thatcham Team Ministry
Seconded by

Revd Jackie Fountain, Vicar, Tilehurst St Catherine’s & Calcot St Birinus

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