archbishop,church commissioners,mission,save the parish,stipendiary,theological education

Susan Carey
Election Address for General Synod

Contact details:

116 North Road, Hythe, CT21 5DY
Tel 01303 670561
[email protected]
on X as susanjcarey
Member of the congregation at St Peter & St
Paul’s Saltwood including Pedlinge chapel

I am fortunate to have been part of the Church of England all my
life. Even when working overseas I was able to attend Church of
England services and was confirmed as an adult in Bern,
Switzerland. The Church of England is woven into my life not just at
a spiritual level but also as the community in which I live and
socialise. I belong to my church as much as I belong to my family
and I am standing for General Synod to put my time and skills to
use to help the church I love to thrive.

My husband is the treasurer of St Peter & St Paul's at Saltwood, the
church where we have worshipped for nearly 30 years and in
which we married 20 years ago. Through his work as treasurer
at Saltwood, I've become acutely aware of the financial challenge
faced by our parish churches. Income is flat but costs have
risen sharply. There are not enough volunteers and we are in
danger of overloading the ones we have. Our clergy are hard
pressed and increasingly expected to take on more parishes.

This is why I support the Save the Parish campaign to put more
resource into our churches. The essence of this campaign is:

•
Restore Church Commissioners’ funds
to their founding purpose – stipendiary
parish ministry. There’s a clear need for
support to be shifted to the parishes
rather than projects with time limited
grants.
•
A ratio of no more than 1 support
staff for every 8 members of the frontline
parochial clergy by 2031. Clergy based in

and serving the parish must be the top priority for the paid
workforce.
• A clergy Charter of Care. Benefices of a manageable size, a
new way to measure impact, a halt to cuts in stipendiary
posts.
• A renewal in theological education including the option of fully
funded theological colleges.
• A Churchgoers’ Charter to limit the regulatory burden on
volunteers including shorter vacancies in the parishes.
• Reform the Mission and Pastoral Measure which has led to the
closure and amalgamation of so many parishes.

I’m aware of local examples where the requirements of the Church
of England have been far more costly than required by law. If the
Local Planning Authority agrees that modern building materials may
be used to replace lead where it has been stolen or needs
replacement (particularly in places which cannot be seen) the
Church of England should not insist of expensive like-for-like
replacement with lead. If elected I'd like to use my experience of
the Planning System to help in modernising the way the church
regulates such matters.

I commit to regular reports to the Deanery Synods about the
business of the General Synod and to responding to questions
raised.

My qualifications include an MBA with distinction from Ashridge
Management College and a BA (Hons) in English/History from
the University of York.

My career was in international rail after which I served twenty
years as a Kent County Councillor which ran concurrently with
twenty four years as a District Councillor. I bring experience of
committee work, scrutiny and both the production of and
examination of policies, strategies and performance reports.

I retired last year and my only ongoing commitment is as chairman
of The Robert Thompson Charities, where I succeeded my friend
and fellow trustee Sir William Fittal who was secretary-general of
the Archbishop's Council and the General Synod. I confirm that I
am able to attend all the dates for Synod meetings that have been
announced