General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Paul Thomas
Bishop of Oswestry

Proposed by: the Bishop of Fulham
Seconded by: the Bishop of Richborough

My dear sisters and brothers,
I am grateful for you taking the time to read my address. I ask that you
consider voting for me in this election on the basis of the text below.

1. Breadth of witness You will be aware that although my episcopal role

is largely based within the catholic constituency, I have a deep love for
the Church of England as a whole. I am on the celebrants’ rota for
Lichfield Cathedral, I share in the diversity of diocesan life, and along
with the Bishops of St Albans and Lynn, I am Ecclesiastical Patron of
the Prayer Book Society. I was recently appointed the Lead Bishop for
Funerals. I cherish Anglicanism and I always want the best for it in all its
expressions.

1. Mutual flourishing I have a deep appreciation for the rich variety of

Anglican traditions, and I would like to see them all flourish. Where
there are significant differences on contentious issues such as human
sexuality, we should seek to disagree well and find generous ways to
honour one another’s views. It is important that we are mindful of the
approach adopted by other major worldwide Churches on such issues.

1. Mission We need to be bold and confident in mission. From my own

tradition, I find there is much to commend sacramental evangelisation.
The sacramental life, shared with the Universal Church, has a depth and
significance which can win many people for Christ. We should cherish
the Anglican pastoral approach, lived out in our parishes, and proclaim
its benefits, particularly the close bond between priest and people.

1. Vocations The slump in vocations is a great concern to us all. For the

sake of the Church’s future, we must be bold in tackling the underlying
causes of this downturn, whether they relate to finance, structures,
communications, our own outlook, or whatever it might be. We should
welcome suggestions from pressure groups such as Save the Parish.

1. Ecumenism. The dominical prayer in St John’s Gospel calls us to be one

Church. I very much hope that the Church of England will continue to
play its part in working with other major worldwide Churches to bring
this prayer to concrete expression. For my own part, I have developed
close links with the Orthodox, whose representatives kindly supplied a
fraternal message from the Ecumenical Patriarch to be read out at my
episcopal ordination.

What I would offer
All suffragan bishops have much to offer and so I would not claim any
special status for myself. The particular experiences and attributes which I
would seek to bring to General Synod are:
a) Experience of many different dioceses In the three and a half years
since my episcopal ordination I have operated extensively in 13 dioceses
in the western half of the Southern Province. This gives me an insight
into the working of those dioceses and the issues commonly faced by
their clergy and people. Others will be better placed to comment than I
am, but I trust that I have maintained good relations at all times with
the hierarchies of those dioceses, even when testing issues arise.
b) Extensive parochial experience I have over twenty years’ experience
working in parishes, first as a curate and then as an incumbent. This
provides me with the necessary grounding to comment at General
Synod on the particular challenges which our parishes face and how we
might meet those challenges.
c) Strong convictions as to the Church’s calling I firmly believe that the
Church of England is capable of achieving much more. We seem to be
trapped in a cycle of bureaucracy and decline. I do not claim to have all
the answers, but others will surely follow if we give the time and support
to model lives of prophetic and apostolic holiness to which we are all
summoned by the Lord of the Church. We need to create that sort of
culture in the Church of England.
Please contact me with any questions: [email protected] I offer
my prayers for all candidates standing for election to General Synod.

In Christ, Paul

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