General Synod Election Candidates 2026

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Andrew Bell MA PhD
8 Cheyne Close
Gerrards Cross
SL9 7LG
[email protected]

07876 391382

About me
I have worshipped at St James, Gerrards Cross since moving to Buckinghamshire 30 years ago.
I’m married to Gail and we have three married children who all have a vibrant Christian faith
and are all serving God faithfully in their own churches in England and Belgium.

My parents were Christians and I became a believer in my early teens. At each stage in my life I
have been an active member of my Anglican parish church. I am passionate about the local
church and that it should reach out to the world with the Good News of Jesus.

I took early retirement in 2015, after a career in pharmaceutical research with GlaxoSmithKline.
I have significant business experience including project management, working in teams,
managing change, facilitating decision-making and collaborating with people and teams in
many different functions and at all levels. Retirement has allowed me to devote significant
time and energy to the church at parish level and beyond.

I was a Churchwarden at St James for 10 years during which time I was involved in the
appointment process for a new Rector and in managing changes that naturally follow with new
leadership. I am always keen to serve in any role where I can make a useful contribution: I am
a member of our Global Mission Group and I help to teach in the vital ministry to children on
Sundays. My wife and I lead a weekly Growth Group for Bible study and fellowship.

Why am I standing for re-election?
I was first elected to General Synod in 2015, having been encouraged to stand by fellow church
members and leaders, and by my family. It has been a privilege to serve over the last 11 years
– although it’s hard work sometimes! I have spoken in debates and asked questions on various
subjects, have proposed amendments to motions, and have served on a revision committee. I
should like to be able to continue to serve, and believe that my experience of the workings of
Synod enables me to make an effective contribution.

I am privileged to be part of a large and active church, and I trust that I am able to contribute to
the wider Church something of that experience, while also valuing the experience of those in
different contexts. I believe my business and church experience, together with the time I have
available now I have retired, equips me well to contribute effectively to the work of General
Synod, for the sake of the church as a whole.

If I were to be re-elected:
•
In all deliberations I would aim to ensure that Scripture is upheld as our primary source of
truth, and to encourage the Church to remain faithful to its formularies: the Book of Common
Prayer, the 39 Articles and the Ordinal.
•
I would promote and support measures to resource and enable local churches to grow and to
reach out in the name of Jesus to their communities and beyond, for the sake of the nation and
the world.
•
I would use my experience and skills to facilitate wise and godly decision-making, seeking to
listen carefully, work constructively with others and help find effective ways forward.
•
I would serve faithfully and prayerfully, and participate actively at General Synod and also
Diocesan and Deanery Synods. I would be willing to serve on additional permanent or
temporary bodies if invited.

What are some important issues facing the Church of England?
As the established Church, the Church of England is in a unique position to offer hope and salvation to
the people of our nation, but it is becoming harder to stand up as a Christian in our increasingly secular
and sometimes antagonistic culture. The Church must be outward-looking (“a church of missionary
disciples”) and more and more Christ-like. We should actively explore bold, new and relevant ways of
reaching out with the gospel to the nation and the world. Church planting, variety in worship (including
the traditional as well as the new) and new congregations can contribute, and local churches should be
encouraged to find their own, locally relevant solutions. We need to optimise use of the church’s
resources at diocesan and national level, and to enable and support parish ministry and mission.

Decline in church membership, particularly among young people, is a serious issue, although it is
encouraging to see a growing number of young adults coming to saving faith and joining our churches.
We have a bold ambition of doubling the number of children and young, active disciples in the C of E by

1. Our approach should not be to conform to the culture of the world, but to be people with a heart

for young people. We want to introduce them to Jesus – not primarily to fill the pews, but to see lives
transformed.

To be bold in reaching out, we need to encourage church members and build each other up as whole-
life disciples of Jesus. Good training, both for clergy and for lay-leaders, is vital if the Church of England
is to continue to meet the challenges of our society, and to uphold the truth of the gospel.

Sexuality, identity and marriage will continue to have a high profile as the Living in Love and Faith
project ends and new working groups are established. I aim to engage in the ongoing discussions in a
spirit of grace and truth. God’s blessings are generously offered to all, and we must learn to welcome
all as Jesus did, and repent of our mistakes in this area in the past. Nevertheless, following scripture
and the traditional doctrine of the church through the ages, I believe that God in his grace has ordained
marriage between one man and one woman as the place for sexual relationships.

Other challenges, in areas such as Medical Ethics, Safeguarding policy and structures, Social Policy and
the Environment, face us urgently. The Church must continue to engage and influence in these areas –
as always, based on the teaching of scripture and the doctrine of the Church, and remembering that the
greatest need facing us, our nation and the world is repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss any of these matters, or any other topic. I
would be grateful for your prayers and support, especially your first preference vote or, failing that,
your highest available preference.

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