General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Rt Revd Jane Steen, Bishop of Lynn
Thank you for reading this election address. I would bring parish,
cathedral, archidiaconal and episcopal ministry experience to
General Synod. I’m not a single-issue candidate; I want to see the
whole church flourish. I hope you will vote for me.
Rural and Urban
I am a firm supporter of parish ministry and would argue for
bishops being able further to support their parishes and benefices. I
rejoice in the opportunities given through DIP but would challenge some of its
assumptions and argue for future modifications for
diocesan and parochial sustainability. Ministering for eight years as Archdeacon of
Southwark and five as Bishop of Lynn, I understand the pressures on smaller churches
and their potential. I argue for an end to ever-larger multi-parish benefices and to work
with others (church, state, heritage bodies) to improve funding streams for listed
buildings. In the light of the deprivation, wealth disparity and access deficiency in both
urban and rural areas, I would advocate for support for parishes engaging in social
action and fulfilling the fourth mark of mission. I am a member of Norwich diocese’s
Racial Justice Action Group and chair of Together Norfolk.
Safeguarding
I have a track record of responding well to survivors and believe in the centrality of
survivors’ voices to future safeguarding practice. I embed culture through regular
discussion on theology and safeguarding and related issues e.g., the place of power in
church culture and its impact on safeguarding. Our safeguarding posture in the Church
of England must at every level imitate and repeat Jesus’ behaviour towards children and
those who are vulnerable as we enable safe churches for everyone.
National Ministry
I am a member of the Faith and Order Commission and involved in early-stage work on
safeguarding and theology. I am also part of a sub-group on the theology of episcopacy.
I have been resourced by the Commission’s officers’ work on patriotism and national
socialism on which I have theological reflection planned with rural deans. I was part of
the Commission during its work on Living in Love and Faith.
I am the (quite new) deputy lead bishop for church buildings and would be able to
advocate within and beyond Synod for simpler and increasingly collaborative
approaches to care for parish churches. These are often the only public spaces in small
or deprived communities. We need easier ways for church buildings to have community
value, sacred centres for the worship of God and Christian service to their people.
Legislative business
I am not a lawyer, but I hold an LLM in Canon Law. I chaired the steering committee for
the 2020 revision of the Church Representation Rules (2015-2021 Group of Sessions).
General Synod needs members who can scrutinise draft legislation and the increasing

prevalence of codes and guidance. Where the law can be simple and its processes
transparent, codes and guidance multiply and can pass unnoticed, confuse or even
undermine established and legal practice. I have an eye for detail and a clear mind to
detect and address this. I believe that it is important to do so.
Theology I understand the ministry of Jesus as radically inclusive and, if elected, would
bring an inclusive voice to the table. I support those who wish to use the Prayers of Love
and Faith. I ensure, and would continue to ensure, that those who cannot use the
Prayers can minister safely and with my backing, including with ‘proportionate and
pastoral provision and reassurance’ going forward (GS Misc 1461, July 2026).
I would not, however, support arrangements similar to those made for women’s
ordination. Some elements of these adversely affect episcopal ministry and
relationships within dioceses. Formal division impoverishes the whole church, painful
though it is to live with difference, and it is a mark of the divine society that we do not
fragment over our disagreements. We are the body of Christ, and I firmly believe that
nothing over which we disagree is stronger than our union in Jesus, nor should we allow
it to become so. Rather, we speak well of one another and work for the flourishing of
others even when we are not always in agreement. I do not commend the exclusion of
those who think differently from me, and I have demonstrated that I work well with those
with whom I disagree, including over women’s ordination.
Local Ministry
I work with colleagues to ensure that Norwich’s strategic work and DIP bid will enable
our benefices to reach and serve everyone in their communities. I have previously
elsewhere been responsible for IME2 and CME and am acutely aware of the need to
resource and support clergy who are often isolated and feel underequipped. I see
mission and ministry as inherently inseparable and would be glad to support national
work to encourage and enable clergy vocations and the education to support them.
General
The Church of England is for everyone. I resist the amplification of views which over-ride
the convictions of those who seek a middle way and for whom the life of prayer, pastoral
and sacramental care and the love of God and neighbour is a priority. Across the church
currently, I find anxiety about numerical decline, diocesan and parochial financial
insecurity, the cost of buildings and, in some areas, Living in Love and Faith. As a non-
anxious person, I resist this anxiety, not in denial of its causes but because I do not
believe that anxiety is a good motivator for us to do what God is asking of us. We are
here to enable the whole church to be the people of God in the place in which they are
set and for the coming of God’s kingdom in that place in faith and love. That is what I
would wish to see the processes of General Synod enable and support.
I hope I can count on your vote.

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