General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election Address 2026 House of Laity
In a nutshell
Lived in Kent for sixty years
Married with children and grandchildren
Became a Christian whilst a teenager
Served on PCCs in both town and village parishes
An LLM (Reader) for over thirty years
Served with a missionary organisation and led a church plant
A specialist in historic buildings
Chaired the UK’s accreditation body for conservation engineers
Sixteen years on the Fabric Advisory Committee at Guildford Cathedral
Now retired (from paid work, that is…)
Dear Elector
I am writing to ask for your vote to represent the Diocese of Rochester in the House of Laity of General Synod.
The election comes at a significant moment in our history: we have our first woman Archbishop of Canterbury. Rural parishes,
where I live, have recovered from the worst ravages of Covid, but face the demands of merger and a stretched ministry. Yet
there is warmth and close fellowship everywhere.
May I please encourage you to prayerfully consider all the information you receive in this election? I, of course, believe my
skills may be of use, but there are many candidates. Four of us from Rochester will be joining the House of Laity for the next
five years. The decisions made by General Synod will have a major impact on our parishes and I want to join these important
debates as your representative.
I am standing after reflection, counting the cost of the commitment it will take. My background in both Christian ministry and
with historic buildings has made me think deeply about the relationship between evangelism, mission and building fabric. I
want to take this forward on your behalf, to Synod.
If elected, I will be faithful in prayer and gracious in debate, devoting time to understand the issues and seeking direction from
the Lord on how to vote, and making myself available to all in the Diocese to help us share in the future of our church.
Yours in Christ
James
James Miller
Kent Downs and Malling
Team Benefice
In the Malling Deanery
Proposer: Jane Jordan, St Michael and All Angels Church, Offham
Seconder: Denise Lingham, All Saints Church, Birling
Thank you to Jane and Denise for proposing and seconding me. I have served with them in local parishes for several years
Contact Details
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 07511 390267
Home: Aldon Farmhouse, Aldon Lane, Offham, ME19 5PH

Personal
I became a Christian when I was seventeen, not hav-
ing grown up in a church-going family. At the time I
found the way church did things and the language it
used very new. At University I became chapel secre-
tary, sharing the role and praying together with a
with a Catholic friend. My wife and I settled in Seven-
oaks, worshipping at St Nicholas, where the then
Rector Ken Prior asked if I would train as a Reader. In
the mid-1990s, God called us abroad and we worked
in France for three years, as keepers of a centre for
evangelism and prayer in the north.
I studied Engineering at Cambridge and had become
a consulting engineer. I specialised in historic build-
ings and have worked on many churches and some
cathedrals, maintaining, adapting and extending
them. For a while I led a church congregational plant
in Sevenoaks. I was a school governor for eight years.
Having moved to Offham we are now committed to
village communities and, deliberately spreading our-
selves, we worship across three parishes.
Why vote for me?
My wife and I characterise ourselves as missionaries
and sweepers. We have enjoyed opening-up oppor-
tunities, and helping others if gaps appear. We have
previously started a music group, a holiday club and
prayer meetings, and frequently try to fill-in holes!
I would like to link this ministry to my understanding
of historic buildings and put my skills to good use in
the service of the church at General Synod. I want to
encourage moves in evangelism and discipleship,
especially those that welcome families. I am keen to
promote ways that bring the wider community into
our ancient places of worship whilst respecting their
reason for being. I believe my experience of handling
historic fabric may help Synod examine the way we
manage our church buildings which includes the effi-
ciency and effectiveness of the Faculty system, but
also help with the burden of maintenance and use of
the church’s wider land-holdings.
I have sought to pray with and for Christians of all
traditions, and am committed to engaging in debate
with respect and dignity.
A few key issues for General Synod
Ministry and Ordinands
The number of ordinands has fallen significantly, and Dioceses continue to enlarge their benefices. This has a pro-
found effect on clergy training, wellbeing and LLM roles, and I want to engage with the issues that will be brought to
debate, to develop sound strategies for change.
Buildings Barely Used
Many of our churches in deeply rural areas welcome few people. I would like to contribute to the thinking on what
to do, finding ways in which the wider community might feel they can invest in them and share a common heritage.
Living in Love and Faith
This remains an important debate and raises the question of how the church relates to a changing society. I want
our discussions to be gracious, and I seek a body that should welcome all, upholding traditional values, giving scrip-
ture its primacy with reason and history the lens through which it is interpreted.

archbishop,archbishop of canterbury,benefice,catholic,church plant,clergy training,dioceses,discipleship,evangelism,living in love and faith,mission,ordinands,pccs,prayer,traditional