General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election Address 2026

Rt Rev Dr Rob Munro
(Bishop of Ebbsfleet – Provincial Episcopal Visitor)

Standing for Election to the House of Bishops
as a Southern Suffragan Bishop

Proposer:
Rt Rev Ruth Bushyager (Bishop of Horsham)
Seconder: Rt Rev Alastair Cutting (Bishop of Woolwich)

BACKGROUND – Who am I?
• Having been a rugby-playing rock-
band-drumming atheist in my teens,
I came to faith through a local parish
church youth group; and I retain a
passion for working more creatively to
share the faith with those outside
usual church circles.
• I’m married to Sarah, a retired primary
school achievement mentor, formerly
in the clothing trade. We have three
adult children – a youth & families
worker, a physiotherapist and a
personal trainer – the latter has not
rubbed off on me yet!
• I used to be a Maths & PE teacher at
a secondary school, so have an
active passion to be involved with
young people & schools – with a skill in
Bible-story telling via live painting.
• Before consecration, I served 30 years
of priestly ministry in Chester Diocese,
possibly more than any other current
bishop, and remain enthusiastic for
enabling great parish ministry.
• I did still enjoying relaxing by playing
guitar or drums, until in 2023 my wood-
carving hobby left me with 3 near-
severed fingers (saved by God’s grace,
though no longer fully functional).
Otherwise I love reading (Tolkien is my
all-time favourite), computing (both
programming and online games with family),
and hiking (mainly in Derbyshire, but I did
make it up Snowden with the family last year!).
•
In case you’re bored already……… My
best joke...? What do you call a camel
at the North Pole? Lost!

WHY ELECT ME?
My hope is that stereotypes of my role as a
provincial episcopal visitor for evangelical
complementarians do not define me. Ironically
I don’t really believe in sector bishops, even
though called to serve the church in this way.
While I am able now to speak in the House of
Bishops, that has not enabled an evangelical
complementarian episcopal voice to be heard
in the wider General Synod. I think that lack has
meant a significant part of our Church has felt
under-represented, and perhaps more inclined
to creating problems. By serving 169 resolution
churches across England, however ‘unsustainable’
that ministry is (as assessed by the Independent Reviewer),
it means I can share an episcopal voice that I
believe is needed if we are really to remain
genuinely committed to diversity in our Church.
However, my real reason for standing in this
election is my passion for theology, ministry and
mission, rather than politics. While the best
ministry usually grows from the bottom up, the
best encouragement can come from the top
down – that’s what I’d work for our General
Synod to do. I love the Church of England too
much to let our party politics ultimately divide us
or let short-term pragmatism divert us from our
urgent call to bring the gospel to this generation.
In areas of theological controversy, I will be
unashamed to bring a reformed evangelical
and complementarian voice to deliberations,
but always rooted in upholding our One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church against those
who would divide it. I hope my contributions in
the House and College of Bishops have given
evidence of this.

General Synod Election Address 2026

What Matters for this Synod?
Our Church of England is at a watershed.
I believe God is still calling us to renew
the Church of England vision to bring his
blessing to our nation in every community
and draw people to a life-transforming
faith in Him, yet our place in our nation’s
common life is under pressure. So our
urgent need is to strengthen the
foundations of our Ministry and Mission to
the nation, with a General Synod that
more obviously works to enable the
wider Church, and not unnecessarily to
add to its burdens.
Outreach must be a greater priority. With
less than 1.3% of the English population
worshipping with us on a usual Sunday and
only 2.2% in worshipping communities,
the need to pivot from maintenance to
mission is critical – it must be on every
agenda of Synod, House and College.
The crisis for Ministry vocations already
engages most of us. Initiatives to enable
people to overcome obstacles to their
calling are commendable, yet there is a
greater need to promote ways to inspire
and encourage people. Part of that must
be to revisit our support for the whole
range of vocations, lay and ordained, in
effective training, a renewed Diaconate,
developing parish evangelists, and
urgently expanding ministry to young
people. While we all share those desires
and support what we are doing, I would
work to make the sharing and multiplying
of fruitful ministries a greater priority –
more inspiration and not just perspiration!
Other issues still need attention. LLF
focussed on only one of a myriad of
issues relating to sexuality and identity
that confuse and harm our communities
– more wisdom in applying our integrity,
less seeking to change it. The climate
crisis, family breakdowns, mental health
all remain areas where faith can effect
positive change – enabling a culture of
stewardship in these and finances is vital.
Synod needs to become more about
prayer, and less about politics, if we are
to reflect God’s grace to our country! If
you agree, consider giving me your vote!

Relevant Experience
I have considerable experience of fruitful Parish
ministry: of a ‘village’ ministry in Hartford, a ‘turn-
around’ ministry in Davenham and a ‘large
suburban’ church in Cheadle– in each case
enabling them to better serve at the heart of
their communities. I have led Civic Societies, Sure
Start centres and even successfully accessed
over £13 million in grants for local regeneration.
Ensuring the national church never loses sight of
the gift of the mission of local ministry, is
something I will repeatedly advocate for.
Like many of us, I bring considerable knowledge
of Dioceses. In the past I served as Chair of
Clergy (3 terms), on Finance & Scrutiny, HR and
Outreach committees. But in my present role I
serve parishes in 32 of the 42 Dioceses, across
both provinces, and so am uniquely placed to
bring that wider perspective and shared learning
into National Church deliberations.
I already have experience of General Synod
membership, having been elected from 2005-
2023, and in particular by serving on the Diocese
Commission (very briefly as its Vice-Chair) and Statistics
Reference Panel (as good data is an honest aid to mission).
I am committed to excellent theological
education, having lectured for St Mellitus NW,
chaired lay training initiatives like the Manchester
Bible School, South Manchester Keswick
Convention, and through involvement in groups
committed to training and discipleship, as a
vice-president of CPAS, vice-chair of Church
Society and on council of the Latimer Trust.
I have a track record of commitment to creative
evangelism and mission, having, before my
consecration, been one of the organisers of the
ecumenical initiative, Festival Manchester, in
2022, which reached 65,000 people over four
days, and sparked a range of on-going
community outreach ministries.
I also have real connections with the wider
Anglican Communion, having been regularly
invited to GAFCON and Communion Partners
gatherings. It grieves me that the particular
wisdom and passion for mission of the wider
Communion is not better engaged with.
Thanks for reading all this. Remember to vote! Any support grateful received! Yours faithfully ,

anglican communion,catholic,church society,college of bishops,complementarian,cpas,dioceses,discipleship,ecumenical,evangelical,evangelism,finance,finances,gafcon,gospel,house of bishops,llf,mental health,mission,myriad,outreach,prayer,provinces,reformed,sexuality,stewardship,theological education,vocations,young people,youth,youth group