General Synod Election Candidates 2026

In support of our church faithfully telling the good news of Jesus

Rev Edward KEENE
Vicar, Stevenage (St Nicholas) & Graveley with Chesfield [Hertford Archdeaconry]
Nominator: Rev Helen Neville, Vicar, Bricket Wood [St Albans Archdeaconry]
Nominator: Rev James Isaacs, Vicar, Riseley & Bletsoe [Bedford Archdeaconry]

Dear colleagues,
Between the 2001 and 2021 censuses the
proportion
of
the
English
population
identifying as Christian dropped from 72% to
46%. This is deeply concerning.
Of the roughly 25 million remaining who
profess Christian faith only one million
regularly attend the services of our national
church, with at least double that number
attending other communions (2024 Statistics
for Mission report).
I care deeply about the vocation of our church
to be catholic, to truly be ‘of England’ as a
whole. This ministry will only be maintained if
we adhere to the ‘mere Christianity’ of our
formularies. As a member of General Synod, I
would do the utmost to pursue that vision.
I should be grateful for your first or high
preference vote.
Yours faithfully,
Edward

About me:

Grew up in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire

General Synod Representative 2008-11

Worked in law prior to ordination training

Admitted as a Lay Reader in 2015

‘Turned my scarf around’ and ordained in
2020, with title post in Ely Diocese

Serving as vicar in Stevenage since 2023

Diocesan Board of Patronage member

Married to Hannah

Priorities:

1. Supporting the Parish – local church

teams are often thinly stretched and need
better, tailored support, especially with
specialist issues around HR, fabric, legal
matters, churchyards, food and fire
safety, insurance, and risk management.

• A practical step I support: extending
the provision of bookable one-on-one
consultations
for
parishes
with
specialists in the fields listed above.

1. Reducing Bureaucracy – there are

too many synods and committees in the
church, with too many seats on them,
distracting from mission & ministry.

• A practical step I support: reducing the
mandated minimum membership of
diocesan synods from 100 to 50.

1. Children’s & Youth Work – the age of

relying on schools to provide Christian
instruction is long gone. Enhancing
faithful local U-18s ministry in the
parishes (Sunday schools, holiday clubs,
youth camps, outreach, etc) is essential.

• A practical step I support: focus the
criteria of mission grants on parish
work with children and youth.

1. Clergy Wellbeing – proper investment

in clergy support and housing is essential
for long-term sustainability as well as
recruitment of future leaders.

• A practical step I support: making the
‘Green Guide’ mandatory rather than
advisory for dioceses.

1. The Church’s Image in Media –

does the national church have something
prophetic and distinctive to say to the
nation? Too often we seem to follow a
national conversation rather than lead it.

• A practical step I support: placing
Genuine Occupational Requirements
(GORs) to be a practicing Christian on
posts with influence over media
output
in
the
National
Church
Institutions and Diocesan offices.

1. Minimising Parish Share – common

fund contributions loom large over parish
finances. General Synod should do all it
can to keep increments to a minimum.
• A practical step I support: Restricting
the headcount of full-time equivalent
(FTE) staff in all diocesan offices to
one quarter the number of their FTE
stipendiary clergy.

Significant subjects:

1. Relationships, Sexuality, and Gender

groups – I fully support the decision of the
House
of
Bishops
not
to
pursue
standalone PLF blessing services outside
the process of Canon B2 and also agree
with the Faith & Order Commission
(FAOC) that such services would fall short
of our teaching on marriage.

1. Safeguarding – I support the aims of the

current Safeguarding Structures Reform
Programme to strengthen safeguarding in
the church and to rebuild trust.

1. Women in Ordained Ministry – I fully

support the settlement embodied by the
Five Guiding Principles
agreed by the House of
Bishops in 2013.

Trusteeships: PCCs of St
Nicholas Stevenage and
St Mary Graveley, Friends
of St Nicholas, Hawkes
Will Trust, Bury Mead
Trust, Church Society,
Save Our Parsonages,
Brookside
Trust,
St
Mary’s Episcopal Chapel
Reading.

catholic,church society,clergy wellbeing,diocesan board,dioceses,finances,formularies,good news,guiding principles,house of bishops,housing,marriage,mission,ordination,outreach,parish share,pccs,plf,safeguarding,sexuality,stipendiary,youth,youth work