General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election 2026:
Richard Wilson KC
Candidate to become a lay representative in the General
Synod for the Salisbury Diocese

The Challenge
The parish church is not just the bedrock of worship in the
Church of England, but through outreach and engagement it
also plays a vital role in the wider community. Having served
as warden in Mere for a number of years, I have become all
too well acquainted with the many serious challenges that parishes face. Difficulties in recruiting
priests, falling congregation numbers, meeting ever-increasing share contributions and rising
church-running costs are but a few of the challenges that can often seem overwhelming for
churches. In order to avoid terminal decline, action is needed urgently.
A positive vision for the future of the Church
The good news is that with the right action, parish churches can be saved and helped to thrive and
grow and do the vital work of spreading God’s word and serving our wider community. In Mere,
a parish with a difficult recent history, we have managed to come together as a congregation during
a prolonged vacancy and become a vibrant, more financially sustainable church (paying our share
in full) whilst building an increasingly strong presence in our local community. We have recruited
an excellent vicar, undertaken large capital projects, attracted younger members of our
congregation and created and extended vital outreach projects. In short, our church has become a
happy, united and positive environment for worship and a focal point for the wider community..
Mere is just one small example of how with the right approach, parish churches can not only
survive, but thrive. Importantly, the things needed to achieve this are often straightforward: hard
work, determination and common sense. There is a path to renewal and success: we, as a wider
church, simply need to choose it.
A critical part of that has, of course, been the leadership of a motivated and inspiring vicar, leading
regular eucharistic worship and being a visible presence locally – something which all too many
parishes currently lack, often because of reduced clergy numbers and resourcing issues
I am standing for Synod in the hope that, if elected, I can bring these qualities to governance of
the wider Church.

Save The Parish
In order to help renew and rebuild the Church of England as a whole, it
is vital to recognise the critical role of parish churches. They are the
Church’s presence in villages, towns and cities up and down the country,
the places where people celebrate important events in their lives and seek
refuge in turbulent times. They serve their local communities and

through doing so bring God’s word to them. Only
through nurturing and supporting them will the Church
as a whole thrive.
This is why I have chosen to stand as part of the Save
the Parish movement and commit to its mission of a
“thriving, cradle-to-grave parish system with well-trained clergy
providing regular worship, pastoral care and the sacraments, fully
embedded in and serving their local communities”. Their six
commitments
(which
may
be
found
at
www.savetheparish.com ) represent, in my view, the best
way to achieve renewal of the Church.
About Me
I am 51 years old and live in Mere (next to our beautiful church) with my wife and four children
(together with a collection of animals!). Before moving here 9 years ago we spent 10 years in
another nearby village, so have lived in the Diocese for nearly 20 years.
I have been a practising barrister for almost 30 years, based in chambers in Lincoln’s Inn in
London, and took silk in 2016. I specialise in financial disputes, often involving families. I believe
my legal skills and experience as an advocate would be of great assistance if I were to be elected
to Synod.
Having been baptised an Anglican I went to a Presbyterian school in Scotland and was then
confirmed at St Paul’s Wilton Place in London. My own personal journey of faith within the
Church has convinced me of the need for the Church of England to be a ‘broad church’ in which
all traditions and approaches to worship have a place.
The next five years will be a crucial period for the Church as the decisions made will shape its
future for many years. If elected, I will seek to play my part in ensuring that Synod makes the right
decisions for the parishes in our Diocese and the Church as a whole. I hope that you will trust me
with that responsibility.

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