General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Jeremy Lasman
Standing for the House of Laity of General Synod
Nominated by:
Professor Helen King, General Synod member, 2021-26
Seconded by:
Peter Barrett, General Synod member, 2021-26
‘We urgently need Jeremy's experience on General
Synod: we’re delighted he is willing to offer his skills
in strategic thinking in the service of our Church.’

Who am I?
I am 66, and have lived in Witney, West Oxfordshire for the past 10 years. I was born and brought up
in London, where I have spent most of my working life, but with spells also in Manchester and New
York. I am a highly experienced Programme Director, having run multi million pound change
programmes for Barclays, RSA and Lloyds Banking Group. Towards the end of my (paid) career, I was
a partner in a Management Consultancy, specialising in strategy, organisational design and change
management, working at Board level with clients including major PLCs, Government Departments
and Universities. I would wish to bring to General Synod my experience working with complex
organisations to help them clarify strategic issues and, where necessary, identify and implement
structural change effectively.
After moving to Witney, I served as Parish Warden of the Parish of Witney for eight years and where I
am still Treasurer. I am Chair of Governors for two linked primary schools in the town, as well as a
Trustee for a couple of local charities.
My Faith
My mother was Italian, my father, a fourth generation Jew from the East End of London. As such, I’m
an ‘Oy Vey, Maria’, but baptised and confirmed in the Roman Catholic church. I came to a living faith
at University, and worshipped in conservative evangelical Anglican, Baptist, and Independent
churches for over twenty years. I have served in many different roles in these churches, including as
a home group leader, team leader for a church plant, worship leader, preacher and PCC member.
I came out as gay and divorced in my early forties, and so left the church, fearing a lack of
acceptance. However, having moved to Witney, I started worshipping at the parish church of St Mary
the Virgin, an inclusive Anglican church, with a modern catholic tradition. My experience of the
immeasurable love of God has deepened hugely as a result of my acceptance into this community,
and also through the discipline of regular observance of the Daily Office and in the receiving of the
sacrament of Holy Communion.
My Convictions
The following personal convictions would frame my input to any debates at General Synod:
•
All are God’s beloved: we should seek and nurture the image of Christ in everyone
irrespective of whether they profess a faith or not
•
Inclusion: the church should be a place where everyone is accepted for who and what they
are, again irrespective of their faith, or lack of it. I am 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’
•
Church Growth: this is driven by a combination of the desire to grow deeper in our
relationship with God and an outward focus in the service of our wider community
•
Parish: the nature of the Church of England confers upon it a cherished status, creating
opportunities for it to serve in every local community through the parish system
•
Listening: most issues are rarely black or white, and in order to engage in constructive
debate, it is important to step into the other person’s shoes, to try to see alternative
perspectives.
Current Challenges
If elected, I would bring my skills and experience to bear to help the church address some of the
challenges that it currently faces, for example:
•
Parish System: While preserving its benefits, how should we evolve the organisational
structure of the church, in order to respond to the pressures many parishes face in terms of
their finances, membership, regulatory requirements, upkeep of buildings and fabric,
sustainability etc.?
•
Inclusion: Irrespective of ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’, as the Prayers of Love and Faith are
introduced, how do we present the church as a place of acceptance and inclusion, especially
to those who have, hitherto, felt alienated from it?
•
Society: How should the church respond, in policy, practice and with compassion to the
increasing fragmentation of society, the positive and negative impacts of social media, and
the move towards single issue politics?
•
Gender Equality: more specifically, how should the church respond to the subversive trends
of misogyny, sexism and misandry increasingly promoted through social media?
•
Our ageing population: This is reflected in many congregations, and provides both
opportunities and challenges. How do we find more creative ways to leverage their wisdom
and experience?
Many of the challenges faced by the church are interdependent, and sometimes the potential
options to address one might run contrary to the solutions of another. I am sure that many are aware
of this tension, and the need for clarity and holistic thinking as such issues are debated at General
Synod. I hope to bring my strategic and change management skills to bear to make a positive
contribution in any such Synod debates.
Very Rev Canon Toby Wright, Dean, Wells Cathedral
‘I commend Jeremy to you. He is a person of deep faith, who also has a wealth of experience in
strategy and change management. With a wide experience of differing styles of churches, he is a
great public speaker, and draws people along with him. Jeremy has much to offer to the work of
General Synod and I warmly encourage you to vote for him to represent Oxford Diocese.’
Finally
Thank you for taking the time to read my election address. I hope that it has given you enough
flavour of who I am, what I believe and what I would contribute to enable you to give me your first
preference vote. Please do contact me about anything; I would be very happy to hear from you.
Jeremy Lasman, [email protected] (n.b. don’t miss out the ‘.l’!)

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