abuse,accountability,assisted dying,benefice,church commissioners,climate change,dioceses,discrimination,elderly,environmental,evangelization,gender identity,gospel,inclusive,inclusive church,isolation,justice,loneliness,mission,missional,national safeguarding,non stipendiary,palestine,parish share,pccs,poverty,racial justice,safeguarding,same sex,same-sex relationships,spiritual abuse,stipendiary,transparency,victims,young adults,young people,youth,youth workers

Election Address

The Revd Dr Stephen O'Connor

Oxford

House of Clergy

Full Election Address Text

General Synod Election Address

Reverend Dr Stephen (Steve) O’Connor

| am the Rector of Winslow Benefice in the Archdeaconry of
Buckingham. | was ordained later in life after a 30-year career in
the NHS and the University sector in the UK and abroad, first as
a nurse, then a lecturer, and finally, a senior researcher in cancer,

| was not born into the Church of England. | came to it by choice, and through a strong
sense of calling to it whilst | was living and working in the Netherlands. This calling saw
me ordained in Canterbury Cathedral in 2019 after completing my formation at Ripon
College Cuddesdon, with no real sense even then of the challenges — but also the great
joys — which would face me as a first incumbent in the Church of England, including the
discovery of significant fraud conducted by the treasurer in one of my parishes over
several decades. This has made me realise how vulnerable clergy, and those leading our
parishes are in a system which asks so much of so few people without the support they
truly need to ‘keep things going’ let alone engage in meaningful ministry and mission.

This experience, as well as being a voluntary chaplain at several General Synods in recent
years, has taught me that no matter what we think about the issues which have divided
us in the past, Christ loves the Church of England; and just as in St Francis’ day, we need
to do a great deal of rebuilding - from the foundations upwards - so that the mission of
God in this present age can be truly fulfilled, and so that we, as clergy, can get back to
being those who sit with God with God’s people on our hearts as Michael Ramsey so
aptly put it. This is why | am standing for election to General Synod, where | hope to help
build a Church which genuinely belongs to each of us, and in which everyone should be
able to find a place within it as a beloved child of God. | am passionate that the Church of
England should be a Church which is confident, compassionate, inclusive and honest: a
Church rooted in the Gospel, present in every community, and unafraid to change when
change is necessary so that we can share the light and life of Christ with all.

| have shared my life with Pascal for the last 26 years together with our adopted Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel Ambre, and our two rescue cats Loki and Léon.

MY TOP PRIORITIES IF ELECTED

| will campaign for a genuinely independent national safeguarding system, properly

resourced and free from institutional pressure in which victims are heard and treated
with dignity and respect, processes are completely transparent, and accountability is
real, so that safeguarding is about protecting the victims rather than the institution.

| believe that every person is made in the image of God and should be able to find a

genuine welcome and sense of belonging in the Church of England. | fully support the
recognition of loving, faithful same-sex relationships, but our inclusion must go further,
to celebrate and affirm every individual — lay or clergy — without discrimination, so | fully
support the aims of ‘Inclusive Church’ and ‘Together in the Church of England’.

We cannot build a sustainable Church by exhausting those who are already carrying

its heaviest burdens. | will therefore argue for better administrative support and further
streamlining of governance processes to reduce the time clergy, churchwardens, and
PCCs spend maintaining their buildings, improving their safeguarding cultures, and meet
necessary financial and regulatory requirements so they can invest more of their time in
ministry and mission, including safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation.

| will support measures to better recognise and support the huge contribution made

The Church Commissioners and national institutions must genuinely serve the

mission of the whole Church and be more answerable to it through better and more
accountable synodical governance. To do this, we need fairer funding mechanisms, and
the parish share system needs urgent reform. | will argue for greater transparency and
fairness in the allocation of funding both nationally and within dioceses for education,
training, and missional initiatives with a stronger voice for deanery synods and parishes
in determining how resources are used to build the Kingdom of God in every parish.

General Synod must address the wider challenges facing the Church and our society,

so | will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and
existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help
parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique
challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, | hope, contribute to
important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and
exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual
abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.

Terms used in address

abuse,accountability,assisted dying,benefice,church commissioners,climate change,dioceses,discrimination,elderly,environmental,evangelization,gender identity,gospel,inclusive,inclusive church,isolation,justice,loneliness,mission,missional,national safeguarding,non stipendiary,palestine,parish share,pccs,poverty,racial justice,safeguarding,same sex,same-sex relationships,spiritual abuse,stipendiary,transparency,victims,young adults,young people,youth,youth workers

Theological Tradition Terms

inclusive,inclusive church

Theological Tradition Sentences

I am passionate that the Church of England should be a Church which is confident, compassionate, inclusive and honest: a Church rooted in the Gospel, present in every community, and unafraid to change when change is necessary so that we can share the light and life of Christ with all. ------ I fully support the recognition of loving, faithful same-sex relationships, but our inclusion must go further, to celebrate and affirm every individual — lay or clergy — without discrimination, so I fully support the aims of ‘Inclusive Church’ and ‘Together in the Church of England’.

Sexuality, Marriage & LLF/PLF Terms

gender identity,same sex,same-sex relationships

Sexuality, Marriage & LLF/PLF Sentences

I fully support the recognition of loving, faithful same-sex relationships, but our inclusion must go further, to celebrate and affirm every individual — lay or clergy — without discrimination, so I fully support the aims of ‘Inclusive Church’ and ‘Together in the Church of England’. ------ so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.

Safeguarding Terms

abuse,national safeguarding,safeguarding,spiritual abuse,victims

Safeguarding Sentences

I will campaign for a genuinely independent national safeguarding system, properly ------ resourced and free from institutional pressure in which victims are heard and treated with dignity and respect, processes are completely transparent, and accountability is real, so that safeguarding is about protecting the victims rather than the institution. ------ I will therefore argue for better administrative support and further streamlining of governance processes to reduce the time clergy, churchwardens, and PCCs spend maintaining their buildings, improving their safeguarding cultures, and meet necessary financial and regulatory requirements so they can invest more of their time in ministry and mission, including safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation. ------ so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.

Evangelism, Mission & Church Growth Terms

evangelization,gospel,mission,missional

Evangelism, Mission & Church Growth Sentences

Before nursing, I worked for Lloyd’s Bank; and was also a short-term mission worker with WEC (Worldwide Evangelization for Christ) as a builder, maintenance man, and relief cook at Bourofaye Mission School in Senegal, West Africa. ------ This has made me realise how vulnerable clergy, and those leading our parishes are in a system which asks so much of so few people without the support they truly need to ‘keep things going’ let alone engage in meaningful ministry and mission. ------ This experience, as well as being a voluntary chaplain at several General Synods in recent years, has taught me that no matter what we think about the issues which have divided us in the past, Christ loves the Church of England; and just as in St Francis’ day, we need to do a great deal of rebuilding - from the foundations upwards - so that the mission of God in this present age can be truly fulfilled, and so that we, as clergy, can get back to being those who sit with God with God’s people on our hearts as Michael Ramsey so aptly put it. ------ I am passionate that the Church of England should be a Church which is confident, compassionate, inclusive and honest: a Church rooted in the Gospel, present in every community, and unafraid to change when change is necessary so that we can share the light and life of Christ with all. ------ I will therefore argue for better administrative support and further streamlining of governance processes to reduce the time clergy, churchwardens, and PCCs spend maintaining their buildings, improving their safeguarding cultures, and meet necessary financial and regulatory requirements so they can invest more of their time in ministry and mission, including safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation. ------ mission of the whole Church and be more answerable to it through better and more accountable synodical governance. ------ I will argue for greater transparency and fairness in the allocation of funding both nationally and within dioceses for education, training, and missional initiatives with a stronger voice for deanery synods and parishes in determining how resources are used to build the Kingdom of God in every parish.

Doctrine & Formularies Terms

Doctrine & Formularies Sentences

Society, Justice & Inclusion Terms

assisted dying,climate change,discrimination,elderly,environmental,isolation,justice,loneliness,palestine,poverty,racial justice

Society, Justice & Inclusion Sentences

palliative, and end-of-life care, with a special focus on quality of life, symptom assessment, psychosocial support, and service improvement for both cancer and non-cancer patients including the elderly, people with dementia, HIV, young adults, and those with severe disabilities. ------ I also spent a great many weekends and much of my annual leave teaching modules and short courses in cancer, palliative, and end-of- life care to nurses and other healthcare professionals in many countries including Romania, Lithuania, Estonia, Palestine, and Turkey. ------ I fully support the recognition of loving, faithful same-sex relationships, but our inclusion must go further, to celebrate and affirm every individual — lay or clergy — without discrimination, so I fully support the aims of ‘Inclusive Church’ and ‘Together in the Church of England’. ------ so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.

Clergy Concerns Terms

isolation,loneliness,non stipendiary,stipendiary

Clergy Concerns Sentences

to the Church’s ministry by our non-stipendiary and PTO clergy, our chaplains, youth workers, pioneer, and lay ministers, and call for more investment and training to help them flourish in their ministries and receive the recognition they truly deserve. ------ so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.

Church Structure & Policy Terms

accountability,benefice,church commissioners,dioceses,parish share,pccs,transparency

Church Structures & Policy Sentences

I am the Rector of Winslow Benefice in the Archdeaconry of Buckingham. ------ resourced and free from institutional pressure in which victims are heard and treated with dignity and respect, processes are completely transparent, and accountability is real, so that safeguarding is about protecting the victims rather than the institution. ------ I will therefore argue for better administrative support and further streamlining of governance processes to reduce the time clergy, churchwardens, and PCCs spend maintaining their buildings, improving their safeguarding cultures, and meet necessary financial and regulatory requirements so they can invest more of their time in ministry and mission, including safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation. ------ The Church Commissioners and national institutions must genuinely serve the ------ To do this, we need fairer funding mechanisms, and the parish share system needs urgent reform. ------ I will argue for greater transparency and fairness in the allocation of funding both nationally and within dioceses for education, training, and missional initiatives with a stronger voice for deanery synods and parishes in determining how resources are used to build the Kingdom of God in every parish.

Other Churches & Other Faiths Terms

Other Churches & Other Faiths Sentences

Youth & Next Generation Terms

young adults,young people,youth,youth workers

Youth & Next Generation Sentences

palliative, and end-of-life care, with a special focus on quality of life, symptom assessment, psychosocial support, and service improvement for both cancer and non-cancer patients including the elderly, people with dementia, HIV, young adults, and those with severe disabilities. ------ to the Church’s ministry by our non-stipendiary and PTO clergy, our chaplains, youth workers, pioneer, and lay ministers, and call for more investment and training to help them flourish in their ministries and receive the recognition they truly deserve. ------ so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.