General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Sam Tanna-Korn
I am standing for General Synod because I love the Church
of England. I wish to serve our church so that it can serve all
God’s children.
Proposed by Revd Canon William Lamb, Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford
Seconded by Revd Laura Wheatley Downs, Area Dean of Sonning
Dear colleagues,
I am writing to ask your vote in this General Synod election.
I love the Church of England. I love how it is rooted in the
life of the nation. I love its breadth and diversity. I love its
vocation to bring the transforming love of Christ to every
community.
My ministry in four dioceses has convinced me that the
renewal and growth of the Church can only begin in the
local parish. Diocesan and national structures serve our
mission best when they listen closely to the experience of
parishes and enable clergy and lay people to worship, serve
and proclaim the gospel with confidence.
My own roots are in the Catholic tradition of the Church of
England, having served in both conservative and more liberal
contexts (I myself am very much in favour of women’s
ministry at all levels). This tradition is a living inheritance: it
gives us the confidence to respond imaginatively to new
circumstances while remaining faithful to what we have
received.
I am particularly committed to the Church’s work in schools.
Through parish ministry, chaplaincy, governance and youth
work, I believe schools can become places where children
and young people encounter Christ and begin to explore
Christian faith.
Ecumenism is at the heart of my ministry and theology. My studies with the World Council of Churches
in Geneva and practical ecumenical work in parishes have strengthened my conviction that our divisions
weaken our witness and that we must seek every opportunity to work, pray and grow together, and to
seek the full visible unity of the Church.
If elected, I would bring to Synod a commitment to our parishes, a promise to listen carefully and
confidence in the future God is preparing for the Church. Please consider giving me your vote.
Yours in Christ,
Sam
My CV
Currently

• Rector of St Paul’s, Wokingham, with St

Nicholas Emmbrook & Woosehill Church
(Local Ecumenical Partnership)

• Member and Treasurer of the Sodality of

Mary, Mother of Priests

• School Governor at two schools
• Trustee for Soulscape, a Christian youth

work charity
Previously

• School chaplain at St Mary Magdalene

Academy, an all-through comprehensive
school in Islington

• Assistant priest at St Mary’s Bourne Street

(Diocese of London)

• Vicar of Aintree (Diocese of Liverpool)
• Curacy in East Barnet (Diocese of St Albans)

Education

• MA in Theology & Religious Studies

(University of Cambridge)

• PGDip in Christian Theology (Anglia

Ruskin University)

• Certificate in Ecumenical Theology

(University of Geneva)
[email protected]
07440 338056

“
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The next term of General Synod

Sam is a priest whose commitment to young people and ecumenism are clear in his ministry.
Whilst he holds strong convictions surrounding the priorities of General Synod,
his desire to see the whole Church flourish means that he seeks wisdom in our shared heritage
and what we have in common, rather than our differences.
Revd Laura Wheatley Downs, Area Dean of Sonning
Depending on God
The renewal of the Church begins in prayer. Before we work on strategies, programmes or structures, we
depend upon God. In all the difficult conversations and situations that come up in the coming term of Synod, I
promise to be above all a person of prayer, listening for God’s will for the Church.
Schools and young people
My experience as a chaplain, governor and parish priest has convinced me that schools can be places where
children and young people encounter the living God. As a school chaplain, I worked with teenagers who were
at risk of falling out of education, putting into practice the Christian story of hope and redemption.
The Archbishop of York said in his closing address at the last General Synod that church schools are ‘one of
our greatest treasures’: in them thousands of children and adults have daily contact with the Christian faith and
its potential to transform lives. In the issues that arise over the next five years, I will always be asking the
question: ‘Where are our schools in this?’
Relationships and sexuality
I pray for a Church where all people can be fully and unashamedly who they are, and where all can share in
the holiness of married life regardless of sexuality. I am glad to sign up to the ‘Together for the Church of
England’ statement:
We are committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles within the church, regardless of disability,
economic power, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.
Parishes and sustainable ministry
The local parish remains the foundation of the Church’s presence and growth. National and diocesan
governance should be simpler, more accountable and more closely focused upon the needs of parishes. Clergy
need proper practical and pastoral support, realistic expectations and manageable workloads, so that they and
their families can flourish and sustain joyful ministries.
Safeguarding
Keeping people safe in the Church is a moral and theological imperative. I will support safeguarding
arrangements that are independent, trustworthy and transparent, together with proper redress for victims and
survivors. The Church must deal swiftly and conclusively with the failures of the past: acknowledging the
truth, doing justice and ensuring that lessons are permanently embedded in our common life.

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