General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Revd Canon Rick Stordy
Candidate for General Synod

Who am I?

I am married to Gail and we have an adult
daughter, Rebecca. Prior to ordination I was a
barrister in private practice, specialising in
family and child care law. I enjoy curries,
running, walking, Bradfield Brewery ales and
any thriller by John Grisham (though not
necessarily in that order!).

I am an Oversight Minister, vicar of St. John’s
Chapeltown for 24 years, and now priest-in-
charge of St Saviour’s High Green since 2022,
after a curacy in inner-city Bradford.

A bit of background…

In our Deanery, I have been both Assistant Area
Dean and Area Dean of Ecclesfield.

In our Diocese, I have served as
• Leading Well mentor
• on Senior Staff, as assistant to the Acting
Archdeacon of Doncaster
• missioner with the ‘One Life’ Archbishop’s
Mission to Southwell & Nottingham Diocese
• honorary Canon of Sheffield Cathedral
• chair of the ‘Encouraging Evangelicals’
network

Nationally, I have served
• as a Bishop’s Reviewer of Theological
Educational Institutions (TEIs)
• on the Church of England Evangelical
Council (2014-18)
• on the Council of Reference for the mission
agency, CPAS
• General Synod clergy representative for our
Diocese since 2021; member of the House
of Clergy Standing Committee (York
Province)

What’s needed? Challenges ahead

The Church of England faces a number of
challenges as we look into the 2030s:

1. Declining numbers: particularly among

children, young people and young adults –
who are simply not hearing about Christ or
seeing his life in action.

1. Public suspicion: our safeguarding failures

at every level and in every tradition
demand both humble honesty and clear
action to build a church that is seen to be
safer, transparent and trusted once again.

1. Structural overload: we maintain structures

from a very different era in terms of both
clergy numbers and congregation sizes.

1. Leadership: in a complex, changing world,

both laity and clergy need deeper roots and
better care from their earliest ministry all
the way into retirement.

1. Identity & Sexuality: how we all welcome,

love and disciple those with a variety of
understandings and life experience, many
of whom in different ways feel bruised and
rejected by the church of Christ.

Why me? Passions and priorities

So why vote for me? I am not a cradle Anglican;
I started following Jesus in my early teens, and
came to a deep affection for the C of E, not least
by being wonderfully nurtured by the Church
of England in my youth. That left me with an
enduring gratitude and love for this strange yet
glorious part of Christ’s body. I rejoice in our
commitment to mission and service, and our
rootedness as a church that is both Reformed
and Catholic.

I aim to support and represent the clergy of the
whole Diocese, men and women, across the
range of our traditions, as I did in my time as
Area Dean and in these last 5 years on General
Synod. I have been thrilled to work as part of
our Diocesan team.

I hope to bring a number of strengths and
passions should I serve you once more. My
prayer and longing is to see a church that is

1. Lively and growing: where families,

friends and neighbours encounter the living
Jesus, as we share him winsomely and
creatively with all. In Chapeltown, we’ve
seen this in a multi-generational
congregation: treasuring older, established
members whilst consciously seeking to
grow younger with a committed team of
both lay volunteers and paid youth staff.

1. Engaged and serving: so the watching

world sees us as friends and partners in an
increasingly divided society. 2 issues are
close to my heart:

• Race: how we have appallingly failed –
both in church and society – to show
love, mercy and justice to those of all
races, classes and backgrounds. In
2019-20 I was part of a national team
which reported on lessons to be learned
from growing Black-Majority churches.
This convinced me of the need to start
by listening; and then working together,
in multi-racial teams and churches.

• Poverty: no less of a challenge is our
commitment to our poorest
communities. In Chapeltown and High
Green, we have seen our Foodbank grow
to become a social supermarket, and
fostered stronger relationships with our
community hub, releasing resources and
building trust in the wider community.

1. Open and changing: Our church needs to

retain the best of the parish system, whilst
discovering new ways of making Jesus
known in our culture; and all this whilst our
finances remain challenging.

Having served in the same area for over two
decades, I remain absolutely convinced of
the centrality of local ministry for the future
mission of God in our nation.

At the same time, in Chapeltown we have
joyful experience of change through the loss
of our church building 26 years ago. Despite
– even because of – that, the church’s
mission has continued and flourished in
new places, not least the community hall
that’s our home each Sunday.

1. Gifted and caring: Seeing Christians grow

through gifted leadership has long been a
focus for me: both inside the church and
out. As Area Dean, I prioritised mission and
equipping of lay Christians to thrive and be
a blessing in their daily vocations.

Within the church, I’ve nurtured a number
of vocations to ordained ministry; trained 5
curates; mentored new clergy, and
maintained an interest in clergy education
and wellbeing, not least as a reviewer of
TEIs. In my time on General Synod I have
focused on working for better provision for
clergy, particularly improved pensions and
retirement housing.

1. Generous and listening: while taking a

traditional understanding myself, I am
strongly committed to finding a way
forward in our discussions about sexuality.
I long to see the maximum degree of charity
and unity alongside an honest recognition
of the need for wise pastoral provision
where divisions remain.

Questions? Contact me

I’d love to hear from you with any questions or
comments you may have.

The Vicarage, 23, Housley Park, Chapeltown,
Sheffield S35 2UE [email protected]
07345 579079

Nominated by:
Revd. Keith Ryder-West, Vicar, St. Leonard’s
Norwood, St. Bernard & St. Cecilia Parson Cross

Seconded by:
Revd. Helen Terry, Priest-in-Charge, St Leonard's,
Thrybergh & St Francis, Bramley Oversight
Minister, Silverwood Mission Area

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