General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Revd Dr Sara Batts-Neale
Vicar of Sawbridgeworth
Nominator: The Revd Canon Simon Cutmore
All Saints’ Church, Hertford
Nominator: The Revd Canon Will Gibbs
Canon for Mission & Pastoral Care, St Albans Cathedral
Simon says, “Sara has an inquiring mind and a great sense of
humour. She is passionate about ministry and the flourishing of the
local church and communities. I encourage you to vote for her.”
Who am I?
I’m the Vicar of Sawbridgeworth, in the Hertford Archdeaconry. I’m an ADDO, a trained spiritual
director, an ATC chaplain, school governor and a member of Diocesan Synod. I was ordained
deacon in 2016 and priest in 2017. I’ve happily been married to Tim for seven years. I enjoy
rowing, running, sewing and printmaking.
Two reasons to vote for me:

1. You’ll elect an experienced, inclusive General Synod member to represent you.
2. You’ll be electing a priest whose ministry is rooted in the joys and challenges of parish life,

has also encompassed chaplaincy in higher education & building a new inclusive community
And a few more…
Prior experience: Whilst an elected member (2021-25), I presented a Diocesan motion calling
for codes of conduct for PCCs. I now serve on the working group developing measures to tackle
poor conduct & bullying from lay officers. I spoke in debates on young people’s voices; PLF, the
support for ordinands and the future of work in an increasingly technology-driven society. I
have also asked questions on topics including the role of the National Society, and the CofE’s
public commemorative prayers.
I have a strong sense of calling to work in and around our representative structures. I’ve been
an elected Diocesan synod member for almost all of my ordained life, joining St Albans’
Diocesan Synod within 6 months of arrival in Sawbridgeworth.
I know what is required in terms of time and energy needed to scrutinise legislation and
policy, and I am committed to participation in all aspects of Synod’s work. Pre-ordination life as
a specialist law librarian was a brilliant preparation for understanding the legislative processes
in General Synod.
Ministry as a spiritual director shaped my ability to listen to a high level, hearing not just words
but noticing the movement of the Spirit. I am ready to listen to your concerns.
Potted ministry history:
2020-2025:
Anglican Chaplain to the University of Essex,

Associate Priest in Wivenhoe & Colchester parishes.

• Served on Chelmsford’s DBE.

• Established Colchester’s Open Table Network community.

• Leader in community organising (Colchester Citizens).

2016-2020
Title posts in Chingford, E London & Coggeshall, Essex
2018-2020:
University of Nottingham, MA Systematic Theology
2014-2016:
Westcott House, BTh

These are the key questions I believe we need to answer.
What should the Body of Christ look like?
Inclusivity matters. A formative moment in ministry was making someone cry by merely
affirming that God really does love them and Psalm 139 is as much their scripture as it is
mine. Inclusivity is not just about sexuality or gender, but about disabilities, income, mental
health, ethnicity and neurodiversity. We cannot claim to be the whole body of Christ if we
are excluding some from taking their full place in our community. It is vital that all the
decisions of General Synod promote inclusion – not just about marriage, but all aspects of
ministry and belonging.
How do we behave towards each other?
We know that that clergy are harassed and bullied. The Lay Conduct proposals I’m currently
working on aim to provide robust methods for reducing the harms caused to clergy.
More widely, the rise of a vocal far right presents a challenge as a church. I want to see the
church continue to speak out against prejudice and racism; offering an invitation and a
challenge to those who would claim Christ as their guide but whose policies seek to foment
division and fear.
How can the parish flourish?
The parish system is fundamental to the life of the Church of England and I would work to
strengthen our call to be present in every community. Day-to-day ministry and presence is
often unquantifiable but it is priceless and we need to find ways to make this count. Existing
short-term funding models are not solving the problem of reductions in stipendiary clergy
and ever-increasing benefice sizes. As the incumbent of a Grade I listed church I know well
the heavy financial burden that such historic buildings place on our congregations. There is
a pressing need for finance & legislation to ease this. Clergy terms & conditions need to
reflect the demands made on both stipendiary and non-stipendiary priests.
What does independent safeguarding look like?
I championed the need for spiritual abuse to be recognised as a safeguarding issue on the
university campus, which was a difficult task. The past quinquennium has highlighted
where safeguarding has failed at the highest levels and across many Dioceses. I will also
want to continue to push for the CofE’s leadership take victims and survivors seriously as
the move towards full, truly independent safeguarding continues.
Ultimately, none of this will matter if we are not confident in our proclamation of the good
news of Jesus Christ – so perhaps the biggest challenge is to ensure that our attempts to
talk about the love of God, the salvation Jesus offers and the life abundant are not
overshadowed by our internal disagreements.
Do please consider giving me your first preference vote. You don’t have to give
a vote to every candidate standing; just the ones you’d like to see elected.
If you would like to be in touch with me, your emails are welcome to
[email protected]

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