General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Laura Taylor - House of Laity

Local Missional Leader, Stanford on Soar
Email: [email protected]

Why | am standing
lam standing for General Synod because | long to see the Church of

England renewed in confidence in the good news of Jesus Christ and @
rooted in faithful, local parish ministry. My own ministry and work have given me a 5 particular heart
for rural churches, for generosity and sustainability in local mission, and for rebuilding trust
through honest, accountable and gracious decision-making. Looking back over my years of
ministry, | have become increasingly aware of how God has prepared my heart and deepened my
sense of calling to stand for General Synod.

Who | am and what! bring to General Synod

| have been a churchgoer all my life, and it has played a large part in pivotal moments of my life,
including meeting my husband, Jamie, in the church choir. My faith has seen me through many
difficult parts of my life, from my dad dying at a young age to more recent health challenges.
Through the difficulties, | have felt a great sense of peace and rest in God.

Local Missional Leader and Reader

Over the last four years, my husband and | have shared in missional leadership in a small rural
parish; | have grown in my understanding of the challenges of mission and ministry on the ground.
| would seek to bring the experience of the successes, challenges, and needs of rural parishes to
Synod and hope to be a good representative for rural parishes in this space.

Parish Giving Officer - Diocese of Leicester

| work with people across a diverse range of theological convictions and expressions of worship. |
seek common ground in forming pastoral relationships with PCCs and have a passion for shaping
a generous, faith-sharing culture in all churches. | would seek to bring a listening ear to people
across the diocese, taking their concerns to General Synod while seeking to maintain faith and
unity amid theological difference.

Former Secondary Teacher

| built strong pastoral relationships with staff and students, living out my faith and being open
about it ina secular setting. | set up an active and thriving Christian Union. This experience has
deepened my concern for trust, accountability and safeguarding in the church.

Ministry Experience

| have been involved in children and youth ministry since | was a teenager and now support youth
work in our benefice. | have a heart for pastoral ministry, including a passion to address rural
poverty. | have held several roles on PCC, including secretary, treasurer and parish safeguarding
officer. | have a breadth of understanding of the governance and structures of the Church of
England, and the ministries within it. This would help me to contribute thoughtfully to a wide range
of conversations at General Synod.

My top three priorities

Sustaining parish and rural mission

| would like to see rural parishes thriving rather than struggling to sustain regular worship,
community engagement and pastoral support. People in rural parishes often look to their church
in times of celebration and sorrow. | would also like to see greater support for rural churches,
enabling them to thrive and deepen their connections with their local communities.

How national resources serve local churches

| would like to see further consideration of changing the restriction on money managed by church
commissioners, allowing a greater proportion of these resources to be used to support local
parish ministry. In my job, | see the impact that the rising cost of ministry has on churches, with
fewer churches able to support and sustain stipendiary ministry. | would like to see Synod
consider distributing resources to better strengthen and support the ministry of local churches
on the ground.

Rebuilding trust and accountable governance

Recently, General Synod received a report outlining research into a lack of trust in the Church of
England. This lack of trust stems from failings in a number of areas, including governance,
safeguarding, and the way debates concerning LLF and finance have been conducted. | would like
to see the report’s findings considered, and | hope to help shape a way forward to rebuilding
public trust. This will include learning to hold unity amid healthy disagreement, as well as
strengthening cultures and structures around accountability, transparency and humility in the
Church.

Theological conviction

Through my relationships across a wide variety of churches, I'm acutely aware that the Church
has not always offered good pastoral care towards those who find the Church's teaching on
marriage problematic, difficult, or hurtful. | would like to see the Church be a place where all are
welcomed and treated with love and dignity.

Alongside this conviction, | remain convinced that the current teaching of the Church of England
on human identity, marriage and sexuality is good and worth upholding; and my hope is for a
sustainable way forward in which we speak truthfully, listen carefully, love well and no one feels
excluded from the Church.

My commitment to you

e | would seek to be available to listen to you, to listen to the needs and concerns of you and
your parish

e |would be happy to be contacted by phone, email and in person to answer any questions

e |would aim to communicate regularly about the happenings and proceedings at Synod

| hope this address has given you a sense of who! am and how! would represent you as a
candidate for General Synod. | hope you will feel able to give me your first-preference vote, or to
rank me highly in your preferences. If you would like to know more or have any questions, please
feel free to email me. | will also be posting video updates on my channel.

accountability,benefice,church commissioners,finance,generosity,good news,llf,marriage,mission,missional,pcc,pccs,poverty,rural mission,rural poverty,safeguarding,safeguarding officer,sexuality,stipendiary,transparency,youth,youth ministry,youth work