General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Rev Dr Dan Brown - Candidate for House of Clergy

e. [email protected]
t. 07723009488
Please do contact me if you have any questions

Proposer: Revd Canon Harry Steele
Seconder: Revd Beki Otieno

I am offering myself to serve on General Synod. I love Jesus and His church, and I am committed to
doing all that I can to see the church flourish and thrive.
I believe that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone and it’s our privilege as His church to share it
with as many people as we can and to make sure that our churches are welcoming communities
where people can find Him. I believe that a growing, flourishing local church is the best way for us to
see as many people as possible impacted by God’s love and it is important that anybody can walk into
their local church and find a safe, welcoming and spirit filled community that they can belong to.

About me…
I am married to Sarah and we have 3 children: Esme who is 15, Noah who is 13 and Aidan who is 11. I
enjoy playing & watching football, gardening, reading and eating! I am a proper Sheffielder, attending
Westways and King Edwards VII schools and I have a season ticket at Bramall Lane. If elected I am
committed to representing our whole diocese well and championing issues that affect us in Sheffield
Diocese.
I have been a Christian for about 30 years, I gave my life to Jesus when I was a teenager and haven’t
looked back. God is the centre of my life. He is my hope, my purpose and I love living for Him.
As a young adult I managed pubs for a while before working full time in youth ministry which was a
very rewarding season of life. I then trained for ordained ministry through the YMC based at Mirfield
Community of the Resurrection. I have been vicar of Wadsley Parish Church for over 10 years and I
love my role there.
Over the last few years at Wadsley Church we have been able to support some of our neighbouring
parishes as a resource church. In 2022 we sent a graft team to St Polycarps Malin Bridge to help the
church recover after Covid. We are currently supporting St Nicholas Bradfield and are in the process
of sending some people from Wadsley to join them as part of a revitalisation project. Although I am
most at home in a charismatic evangelical style of worship I meet God in all styles, and it has been a
joy to spend more time in choral BCP worship as part of this relationship.
I have spent the last 7 years completing a research doctorate in Theology at the University of Durham
which I graduated from earlier this year. Although the title of the research is concerned with an
Anglican theology of leadership, I have learnt much more through this research. My primary learning
has been how easy it is for Christians to become divided and to misunderstand each other. I have

learnt how misunderstanding others’ faith can lead to suspicion and cliques and it has been a joy to
facilitate conversations between brothers and sisters that had previously been in different ‘camps’
and hadn’t related well.
I have been a member of Diocesan Synod for the last three years, from which I have learnt much about
the processes and systems of the Church of England which, if elected, will help me to serve better on
General Synod. I have also been the Area Dean of Hallam for the last 18 months, a role which I relish.
Hallam is a broad and diverse Deanery, and a highlight of this role has been seeing so many clergy
come together to pray, worship, eat and laugh at Deanery Chapter. Historically our deanery has not
always related well across churches that hold different theologies and we have had much to navigate
recently. As someone who holds a traditional view of marriage it has been a genuine joy to learn how
to understand others better, to communicate well about differences and to make sure that all of our
churches are places where everybody can be included and loved well.
The Church of England…
I love the Church of England and I believe that the parish church can be the greatest tool for worship,
discipleship and mission in the UK. As a parish priest I love my church and my parish, I love the
diversity and variety of people that I get to encounter and work with.
I believe I have much to offer on behalf of the clergy in our diocese as synod debates and decides on
important issues. I am happy to ask questions, to be honest, and to be sensitive and aware of wider
dynamics.

I will champion reaching those on the edge of our society with the Good News of Jesus; the
young, the poor and vulnerable, and those who feel excluded. I will aim to look at how the
Church’s time and resources might be allocated to those who need them the most.

I believe that growing churches and growing leaders should be priorities for all of us, this
includes releasing lay leaders and young leaders; I will look for opportunities to celebrate and
encourage the release of more leaders.

I am aware of how many clergy find ministry difficult, and I love the ‘Released’ element of our
diocesan vision. I would like to explore how clergy can be better supported in areas of clergy
wellbeing, better governance with less bureaucracy, and see resources allocated in a
supportive way.

Investing in the next generation is a lifelong calling for me: I believe that children and young
people are the leaders of today, not just of tomorrow, and the whole church is called to reach
and disciple them.

I also find that too much of our church is defined by our divisions at the moment. I hope to use
the learnings from my role as Area Dean and my research doctorate to facilitate greater
understandings of each other and to grow as Christians in unity and love. “How good and
pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head”
If elected, I want to assure you that I would seek to represent all the clergy of Sheffield Diocese as
faithfully as I can. If you would like to explore this further with me before supporting me with your vote,
please do get in touch as I would love to chat.

Please vote for Dan Brown for the General Synod House of Clergy.

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