church commissioners,disciples,doctrine,good news,gospel,justice,marriage,mission,ordinands,project spire,sexuality,stipendiary,young people

ANDREW FARLEY House of Laity

159 Lower Road
Bemerton
Salisbury
SP2 9NL
[email protected]
07968 095125

Proposer: Dr. Philippa Bracegirdle
Seconder: Mr. Nicholas John Saint

I am committed to the Church of England with all its challenges and difficulties. I long to see a
united Church that, in every parish in the nation, is God’s voice for proclaiming, by word and deed,
the Good News of Jesus Christ and the new life He offers to all.

PERSONAL

• I came to faith in Christ in 1980 when I was a young solicitor practising in London.
• I married my wife Susie in 1989 and we have four sons of whom I am very proud. We also
now have a 4-month old granddaughter who is a great joy.
• We moved from London to Salisbury in 2003 when I joined a local law partnership from
which I retired in 2021. My specialism was private client work which I enjoyed very much.
Ever since moving to Salisbury we have worshipped at St Paul’s Church, Salisbury.
• Over the years we have led many Christian groups including Alpha course groups. In
London we had the great privilege of leading a weekly group of 40-50, several of whom
were ex-offenders who had come to faith whilst in prison, plus the friends they brought
along. Their love of worship and hunger for God’s Word are with me still. Now we lead a
weekly fellowship group of people in our neighbourhood who attend different churches,
many of whom are now playing in the second half of life.
• I am also a volunteer with Rise 61, a Christian charity which serves those on Bemerton
Heath, one of the most socially and economically deprived estates in Wiltshire. Rise 61 is
committed to supporting the young people on the estate and their families in the ups and
downs of life, through weekly clubs, mentoring, public events and community projects. It
has been both a privilege and humbling to be part of something that is, by the grace of
God, making a real difference.
• Outside church my interests include dinghy sailing, cricket and, with Susie, walking the SW
Coast Path—and, recently, learning to play the piano.

WHY AM I STANDING FOR RE-ELECTION?

We are living in unstable times. Absolute truth is doubted, trust is low at all levels of society, social
media feeds social division and individual anxiety, and secular ideologies threaten to take the
place of objective reality and religious belief. And yet report after report speak of a growing
spiritual awakening in the nation, particularly among the young. More and more people crave a

sense of belonging, authenticity, and moral clarity. The young need hope above all and many are
put off by the shallowness of modern secular culture.

I believe the Church of England, with its 12,500 parishes, is uniquely placed to meet this
widespread spiritual hunger by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ afresh throughout the
nation. Changes need to take place within the Church, however, if this is to become a reality and
that is why I am standing for re-election to General Synod.
Changes are needed-
• to reverse the decline in the numbers of full-time stipendiary positions in parishes.
• to halt the amalgamation of parishes into mega-teams and benefices.
• to ensure that ordinands are mission-oriented: well-trained and equipped to preach the
Gospel of Christ in today’s world and to provide young people with opportunities to get to
know Jesus personally, for themselves.
• to reduce the number of central and diocesan staff.
• to redirect more of the income of the Church Commissioners’ very substantial endowment
towards parish ministry, especially in socially deprived areas.
In summary, I believe that if we are to proclaim the unchanging Gospel to the changing world in
which we now live, the Church, in its core outlook, needs to become much more focused on parish
ministry, lay as well as clergy, and less diocese-centric.
Finally, let me state where I stand on two of the main contentious issues of the last 5 years at
General Synod:

Sexuality

Our churches should be places where all are welcomed and cherished and everyone is given the
opportunity to come to know God’s life-giving love and purpose for them in Jesus. The Church of
England’s doctrine on marriage and sexuality is grounded in God’s life-giving Word and His loving
purposes for everyone. Therefore, like many, I hope that doctrine is retained.

Project Spire

The £100m reparation fund was well-intentioned but in my view it is misguided. The historical
justification for the fund is very dubious, nor does it do justice to the heroic endeavours of
Anglican abolitionists. Jesus tells His disciples to “be at peace with each other” (Mark 9:50) and
Project Spire has not assisted in that.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you have. My contact details are given
above.

I would be honoured to represent Salisbury diocese again. I understand from experience the
responsibilities of being on General Synod and I have the time and energy for it. If elected I will
continue to make myself available to all members of the Diocese to receive your input and answer
your questions.

I hope I can secure your vote, ideally your first preference vote.