General Synod Election Candidates 2026

My church experience includes:

e Serving on PCCs

e Leading the buildings team
e Leading Alpha courses

e Sunday School leader

e Youth Group leader

e Being a ‘clergy-husband’.

Outside of church:

e|’m a father of four — my children are in
their teens to late twenties

e|’m an IT Manager for Dorset, Devon &
Cornwall Police

e |’ve served as a detached (street-based)
youth worker

e | enjoy Park Run, kayaking, snorkelling,
and walking our dog in beautiful Dorset,
Hants, and Wilts.

Alison Duyvestyn
Deanary Synod Lay-Chair, Wimborne

Daphne Hayward
Deanary Synod Member, Wimborne

Jason Wyles

2026 General Synod

A Church open to all:

"want the Church to meet each person with the same
unconditional love that Christ has shown to me.”

Why | am standing?

To help shape a Church that is younger, inclusive,
and more outward-looking - one that places our
local communities at the heart of its life.

My Priorities - | believe in a church that:

Is inclusive welcoming, affirming, and valuing
everyone.

Shows the love of God to our communities in all
that we do.

Invests in children and young people recognising
that they are not only the Church of tomorrow but
the Church of today.

Affirms women in all ordained roles and
leadership positions.

Uses its church buildings for and with the wider
community.

| kindly ask for your high-preference vote to
help build a forward-looking, compassionate
Church.

| can be contacted by emailing: [email protected]

About me

Having been part of the Church of England for

almost forty years (where did that time go?) as a

parishioner, youth worker, PCC member,
buildings lead, and as the husband of a
minister, | have grown a deep love for our
Church and a commitment to helping it
flourish.

My Christian journey began at age 10 when |
asked to be taken to my local church as a

birthday treat! | made a commitment to follow
Christ a few years later when Christian friends
gently and patiently explained the gospel to me.

| wondered why no one had told me sooner.

| live in Wimborne, Dorset, with my wife, Kate,
who was an incumbent and now serves as an

NHS Hospital Chaplain. Walking alongside her

through parish ministry and chaplaincy has

given me deep insight into the demanding and

deeply rewarding life of clergy.

We have family members who are members of

the LGBTQIA+ community - this has
strengthened my conviction that the Church
must be a place where everyone is fully
welcomed, included and valued.

What approach will | take?

At the heart of my approach is a desire to widen

our welcome - especially for those who have
not always felt accepted or included.

Coming from a working-class background, |
often feel that the voice of ‘ordinary’ people is

overlooked in church governance. A church that

is accessible to everyone is important to me.

What | hope to achieve

Ultimately, | hope to encourage a Synod
that asks in all its decisions and debates:
‘What would Jesus do?’ - and then acts
with the compassion, courage and
generosity that this question calls for.

| want to work for a CofE that:

Widens its welcome ensuring everyone is
fully included regardless of gender,
sexuality, neurodiversity, ethnicity, wealth,
background or any other difference. My own
family experience strengthens my
conviction that the Church must be a place
where all can flourish.

Keeps mission at the centre of its life,
looks outward — serving its wider
community and listening to the needs of
those outside of our places of worship.

Invests in children and young people.
Drawing on my years as a youth worker and
as a father, | want to champion renewed
commitment to youth ministry,
discipleship, and safe, nurturing spaces for
young people to explore faith.

Affirms women’s ministry in every
ordained and lay leadership role.

Enables churches to maintain and
develop their buildings in practical,
cost-effective ways, while honouring the
heritage entrusted to us. Governance of our
buildings often feels painfully complex. We
need less red-tape.

Above all, | hope to help build a Synod
that reflects the breadth of Christ’s love:
a Church that welcomes as Christ
welcomes, reaches people on the
margins, and lives out the gospel with
integrity and grace.

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