General Synod Election Candidates 2026

"I am pleased to propose Anne-Marie as a candidate for General Synod. Bringing unique wisdom,
understanding and experience alongside deep faith and empathy, she will be a strong and passionate voice,
which will be a great asset to Synod, as well as a breath of fresh air."
The Reverend Canon Dr Tim Bull, Proposer
ANNE-MARIE KRAMER
ANNE-MARIE KRAMER
FOR GENERAL SYNOD
FOR GENERAL SYNOD
Seconder The Reverend Canon Simon Cutmore
Proposer The Reverend Canon Dr Tim Bull
I am writing to ask you to vote for me as your first preference in this important General Synod election.
I bring a fresh voice and lens on church governance, alongside a unique skillset. I am LGBTQ+ and
second-generation Polish, a former sociology and social policy academic, a Modern Church Trustee and
Council Member, and I currently serve in a rural Benefice in Bedfordshire, across the parishes of Cople,
Moggerhanger and Willington. I am newly ordained, now in my second year as a curate, and I am a long-
term union member with UCU and Unite.
Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read my election statement.
Dear Clergy Colleague
A Quick Biography
2 Year Curate in rural multi-parish Benefice
nd
Trained at Ripon College Cuddesdon 2023-2025
Ordinands Association Representative
Former volunteer chaplain at Luton and Dunstable
Hospital
Member of Hope for Rural Churches Network
Member of Society of Catholic Priests
Pre-Ordination
Pre-Ordination
University Lecturer in sociology and social policy
specialising in religion, the family, nationalism,
identity and intersectional inequality
University of Nottingham, University of Warwick and
The Open University 2003-2024
Personal History
Personal History
Cradle Anglican
Orphaned at 11, brought up in informal family care
Mother to two adult daughters, five cats and a dog
Keen choral singer, pianist and gardener
I am LGBTQ+ and a child of a refugee. My lived experience combined with my academic expertise,
means I bring a fully-grounded, inclusive, intersectional and justice-focussed lens to the issue of
inequalities. I will advocate for those on the edge of Church and society, so that we are more effective in
enabling everyone to live out their calling in the body of Christ. As a sociologist and Modern Church
Trustee, I will use my deep understanding of both the big picture and people's everyday lives to think
strategically as Synod makes decisions about how we, as a Church, best witness, evangelise and minister
in contemporary society. While my vocation was nurtured in a single urban parish, I now minister in a
three-parish rural Benefice and am a member of the Hope for Rural Churches network; in General
Synod I will speak up for rural parish ministry, a perspective that is too often absent. Being recently
ordained, I will offer a fresh and often overlooked perspective on church governance, and as a long-
term union member I will advocate for clergy wellbeing.
What will I bring to Synod?

We are all one body: Modelling grace through inclusion
I want all the world to share in loving relationships with God and each other, made
whole through Jesus’ ministry and act of sacrifice. It is the task of the Church to model
that unconditional redemptive love through inclusive words and behaviour so all are
confident in God’s grace, knowing they are loved beyond measure by the God who sees
them. How can Synod move from understanding inclusion as an issue, to
understanding inclusion as a perspective on the world and our mission in it?
Open doors are surely key to the church’s future growth.
My priorities on General Synod...
Raising up the marginalised
As a sociologist I am keenly aware of deepening inequalities and it is painful to see God’s
world so broken, and Jesus’ teaching to raise up the marginalised so often sidestepped.
Following Jesus commits us to work collectively and individually towards social justice.
How will Synod work strategically to resource and support missional activity that is
responsive to those deepening inequalities?
Restoring the prophetic voice
When multiple simultaneous crises cause people to feel so hopeless and disenfranchised
that they begin to turn on each other, how can we as a Church effectively share the sure
and certain hope we have in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour while resisting the co-
option of our faith by loud and angry voices outside the Church?
Speaking up for small rural churches
Nationally there are over 10,000 churches in rural areas and 40% of those who attend
church go to rural churches. And yet how much strategic thinking is devoted to
mission, growth, discipleship, and ministry in the rural context? And how might the
experience of small rural churches, where scarcity encourages creativity, where
fellowship and community are deeply rooted in place, have something to teach the rest
of the church?
Thank you for reading my electoral statement.
I would welcome your first preference vote.
If you have any questions, I’ll be very happy to hear from you at [email protected]
Thank you for reading my electoral statement.
I would welcome your first preference vote.
If you have any questions, I’ll be very happy to hear from you at [email protected]
"Anne-Marie Kramer brings a rare and deeply valuable combination of lived faith, unique life experience, and profound
empathy to her candidacy for General Synod. She lives a grounded faith that is both tested and active—one that listens
deeply to the marginalized and seeks to bridge divides with compassion. In a Synod that is navigating complex pastoral,
theological, and societal challenges, Anne-Marie's is a grounded, insightful, and authentic voice that needs to be heard."
The Reverend Canon Simon Cutmore, Seconder
ANNE-MARIE KRAMER
ANNE-MARIE KRAMER
FOR GENERAL SYNOD
FOR GENERAL SYNOD
Seconder The Reverend Canon Simon Cutmore
Proposer The Reverend Canon Dr Tim Bull

benefice,catholic,clergy wellbeing,discipleship,evangelise,inclusive,inequality,justice,lgbtq,mission,missional,modern church,ordinands,ordination,social justice,witness