General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Kevin Peto-Bostick
CANDIDATE FOR THE GENERAL SYNOD
The Parish is the heart of our Church
I came to know Jesus late in life; I was forty-two years old
when I was baptised and confirmed. This would not have
happened had it not been for a Parish priest who was local,
able and willing to provide the pastoral shepherding of a
questioning neighbour.
At some point it became accepted wisdom that to continue
funding in declining parishes was subsidising and delaying an
inevitable failure. This thinking has led to the doom spiral we
are experiencing today. Archbishop Cottrell, addressing
General Synod in 2021 asserted that we “…need to put Jesus
at the centre, and the spiritual, theological and missiological
objectives that flows from that.” And a parish church with a
well-educated and supported Priest is the very best way to
ensure Christ is known.
I have seen first-hand the struggle in our Diocese to support
clergy numbers. We are fortunate as we are not, yet,
insolvent and we do have reserves available. I pray that we
are nearing the bottom of our downward glide slope and will
be able to level off in the next five years. Having been
personally accountable for budgets up to £25 million in my
career, I appreciate the dedication it takes to achieve a budget
in times of tightening resources, and I recognise that the
decisions taken are not easy. Yet I also see income from a
fund intended to provide for “… the Cure of Souls in parishes
where such assistance is most required” sending a desultory
amount to parishes.
At General Synod I will actively stand with Save the Parish to
advocate for the necessary changes needed to restore the
statutory requirement that income from the Church
Commissioners’ endowment must be spent in accordance
with the historic mandate to support ministry in parishes.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21
My family and I worship at St
Peter’s in Hinton St Mary in rural
North Dorset, where I am a
Churchwarden. I serve our
Benefice as a Lay Worship
Leader.
I am privileged to serve my
Parish on the Deanery Synod,
and
our
Deanery
on
the
Diocesan Synod. Within the
Diocesan Synod I am pleased to
be able to serve on the Bishop’s
Council, Finance and Resources
Committee
and
Church
Buildings Committee.
I joined Save the Parish at its
inception as I firmly believe that
the Parish system, if properly
resourced, remains the right way
for the Church to make Jesus
known.

But please don’t mistake my passion on the above issue as rendering me unaware of the
breadth of work this Synod must be ready to address; and each of these issues will have
advocates as passionate as I am about parishes. I look forward to listening, discussing,
researching and praying on these issues because they do matter – to us and to God.
I will be thorough in examining issues and proposals because I like what some refer to as ‘the
boring bits’ of the work of Synod. An example of delving into the boring bits was when, with
a Vacancy approaching, we heard of planning to let our Vicarage for “… the year it will take
to get someone in post.” Some research (going all the way back to the Benefices Measure of

1. revealed that the Patron holds the right of appointment. Fortunately, our Patron was

well known to me, and he informed the Diocese of plans to advertise and appoint forthwith.
I believe this action drove the Diocese to expedite their process. Consequently, we were in
formal Vacancy for under six months. Because someone paid attention to the boring bits.
The issue which will likely attract the most coverage and attention in the next Synod is the
output of the House of Bishops working group to consider the process for the Prayers of
Love and Faith and define what legislative change and work is needed for clergy same-sex
marriage. I expect this to one of the most sensitive questions before Synod, and I won’t
pretend it is simple. What I do believe is that the Church is called to be a place of welcome
— 'there is no longer Jew or Greek... for all of you are one in Christ Jesus' (Galatians 3:28).
The Living in Love and Faith process has done years of careful work, and I want to keep
listening — to Scripture, to LGBTQ+ Christians who've faithfully served this Church, and to
this diocese — to faithfully discern God’s will.
Another topic will be Project Spire, the Church Commissioners initiative to provide a £100
million investment to address the legacy of chattel slavery. Despite the disingenuous
misrepresentation of this proposal by some, I find myself in agreement with the assertion of
Bishop Stephen that the Church cannot ignore its links with a “fundamental historic wrong”
without torpedoing its “moral leadership in the present or the future”.
Thank you for your time in reading my statement, I think you can see where my heart lies;
and I hope it has resonated enough with you for your vote (or high preference if I am not
your first choice). On these and other issues I will listen to the debates and pray as I try to
discern the will of God for our church. I promise that I will represent you diligently with a
strong voice that isn’t afraid to speak up – I will challenge, test and occasionally contest
proposals from the central church so that we can make Jesus known.

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