General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Revd Ross Meikle (he/him)
Age: 36
Status: Single
Current Role: Missioner for Young People, Salisbury Cathedral
(2024-present)
Current Offices Held:
Training Incumbent (2025-present)
Previous Church Employment:
Receptionist & Administrative Assistant, Diocese of York
(2012-2013)
Pastoral Assistant, St Matthew’s Westminster (2013-2014)
Ordinand, Cranmer Hall (2014-2017)
Assistant Curate, Benefice of Witney (2017-2021)
Vicar, Reading St Luke with St Bartholomew (2021-2024)
Previous Church Roles:
Diocesan Synod member, Diocese of Oxford (2018-2024)
General Synod member, Diocese of Oxford (2022-2024)
Young Vocations Champion, Diocese of Oxford (2021-2024)
Member of Diversity Hub [HR and Safeguarding Initiative],
Diocese of Oxford (2020-2024)
LGBTQIA+ Chaplain, Diocese of Oxford (2020-2024)
Opening Statement
I invite you to discern with me whether I should be elected to General Synod in the Diocese of
Salisbury. I sat on General Synod during the last quinquennium before I was appointed to my
current post in this Diocese. I was a vocal member at General Synod: I advocated for greater
administrative support for local parishes to free up priests for mission; I spoke in favour of the
House of Bishops speaking with a diverse voice; and, I highlighted the ways in which a
discussion about remarriage after divorce was handled so differently from the discussions
around same-sex marriage. I am a courageous and articulate public speaker.
A Vote for Informed Anglicanism
I have grown up in the Church of England, and I have considerable experience of serving it in
many forms – from diocesan and national administration support to full-time parish ministry at
‘the coal face’. I have experience of the wider Anglican Communion from my time as a teenager
living in Kenya as a missionary family with MAF, and I have represented Anglicanism at a Roman
Catholic seminary as an ordinand on an ecumenical placement. I have worshipped across the
breadth of church tradition within the Church of England, and I understand keenly the
challenges that are faced across country – in rural and urban contexts, traditional worship styles
and newer expressions of Christian communities.
I am an advocate for the parish system that is so distinctly Anglican, and I would like to see
greater imagination as to how we can actually give the support to parish ministry that will free
up overworked and overstressed clergy, without adding in extra layers of middle management.
As a vicar in Reading, I faced a range of challenges including navigating the Covid restrictions;
Proposer: The Revd Leila
Mather, Rector of
Charminster, Stinsford and
the Chalk Stream Villages
Benefice
Seconder: The Revd
Kenneth Padley, Canon
Treasurer at Salisbury
Cathedral

the loss of our financial reserves due to a broken boiler; the legal and further financial
ramifications of a business renting a church space going bankrupt; HR processes with staff
changes in music and hall management; and complicated occasional offices. I have experience
of the range of challenges that parish clergy face, and the impact they have on their life.
I have the imagination, the understanding, and the rootedness in the Anglican tradition to make
a positive difference at national level.
A Vote for Youth Voice
Part of my job at the Cathedral is provide a greater platform for the voices of our children and
young people to be heard across our collective life together. I take seriously the charge of the
cathedral to be ‘mother church’, and I am always aware of how my ministry can better serve the
wider diocese.
As Missioner for Young People, I believe that I am uniquely situated to ensure that the voices of
our young people are accurately represented at General Synod. During my previous time on
Synod, I was concerned by the way that young people became a political tool. If elected, I would
like to explore the ways in which we can effectively hear from the diverse range of young people
in our churches and schools across the diocese, building on the relationships I have with school
chaplains, the DBE, the DBF, and our other local connections.
I am ideally placed to speak into Church of England discussions and debates with the insights
from and interests of our children and young people.
A Vote for Culture Change
Serving on General Synod is costly, and I have made it no secret that during the last
quinquennium, I found it to be one of the most graceless spaces within the Church of England. I
am curious to see whether that culture will continue under Archbishop Sarah, and if elected, I
would be invested in finding ways that can transform an often difficult and divisive place into
one that reflects the fruits of the Spirit – otherwise, it will be no good for anything or anyone!
I am passionate about a Church that can work faithfully, peaceably and even joyfully together,
across theological convictions, to fulfil our common ministry to all people who live in England.
If not elected…
In the event that I am not elected, then that may be considered a mercy. I am enjoying my
current ministry at the Cathedral, which feels like it is at an exciting moment of development. I
am working towards a Masters in Theology and Mission with Ministry at Sarum College.
However, I want to be honest that I recognise that I have the knowledge, gifts, and experience
that could serve this new General Synod well. If you think that’s the case too and want me there,
then consider voting for me.

Thank you for considering my address and for discerning with me whether I am called to sit on
General Synod this coming quinquennium. Let us pray:
Loving God, you call us by name; we are yours.
Bless us your servants as we discern among ourselves who we believe is called to serve you and
your church in this new synodical season. May your will be done.
In the name of Christ, Amen.

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