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General Synod Election Address 2026
House of Laity

JOHN SILLS
Email:

07702684273
Nominated by:
Mave Clarke (Watford Deanery)

Alison Bond (Watford Deanery)

I want to give thanks for the Church of England! We make mistakes; sometimes we need to be our
own harshest critics. But God, in His grace, is sustaining us and using us, through the parish
structure, to care about and pray for every home in this country.
In today’s culture of outrage and division, our message - that there is a personal God, who loves
each one of us, and who longs to walk alongside us in life - needs to be heard!
Who I am
• My name is John. I’ve attended church since the age of 10, but it was 9 years later, at University
that I started appreciating how God was leading me into a personal, growing and saving faith.
• I have been married to Melanie for 40 years and we have lived in Watford for most of that time.
We have two grown-up children – who now live at opposite ends of the country!
• We are members of St Luke’s Church, where I am currently involved with children and youth
work; door-to-door parish visiting; a Life Group and some PCC roles.
• I’ve worked mostly in Finance Director roles in the retail, telco and charity sectors – based in
Watford, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and central London. I helped create Freeserve, the UK’s
first mass-market internet company, which became part of the FTSE100 within 20 months.
• I have recently finished 8 years as Governor and Chair of Audit at an FE college in Broxbourne
and Ware. Since retiring, I have also been a Trustee for a Pension Fund.
• As part of Good News for Everyone (formerly Gideons UK), I have the privilege of visiting RE
classes in local secondary schools to speak and answer questions about the Bible and my faith.
Why I am standing for General Synod
I’ve worked on a lot of boards and sub-committees. I am naturally curious and know that, if elected,
the Holy Spirit will nudge me about new issues. But these are some of the areas where I am already
eager to make a contribution:
• The work of local churches and parishes is really important. Where possible, resources are
needed to increase that front-line missionary work - and to reduce anything that distracts
parishes from it. We need to be better at praying for our neighbouring parishes. But each parish
is different; and it is for the local church to discern where and how the Holy Spirit is leading.

• Their parents may not have faith, but amongst young people, there seems to be a growing
spiritual hunger. When visiting schools, I find an openness to talk about faith and to question the
difference it makes to lives. Many are looking for stability – truth which stands firm in an ever-
changing, anxious world, where no person is ever respected for long. We need to welcome the
young; listen to them and learn from them; change and grow with them. They are the church.
• The words mission and evangelism sound quite scary. Yet, as we show interest in non-Christians,
when we listen to them and speak with them, they often show real goodwill towards the church.
How do we encourage one another in this? Rather than teaching a technique, Jesus chose to
apprentice his disciples.
• Working in internet, telco and further education, the idea of ‘preparing the people of today for
the world of tomorrow’ has been a recurring theme. The world changes faster, and we need to
teach people how to go on learning. God doesn’t change – but we must allow the Holy Spirit to
illuminate the Bible and show us what He is saying about today and about tomorrow.
• Perhaps I should apologise for adding governance to this list! It has been a large part of my
career. But it must never mean imposing bureaucratic burdens on our front-line teams. Good
governance is about making clear, open, operating decisions now - so that we don’t have to
waste time considering that decision again, when things are urgent.
In summary
My prayer is that God will enable our new General Synod to wait on Him - and to go on waiting and
discerning His will. Listening is a key skill. Adapting John Stott’s words, we need to listen:
• to the word of God - as revealed in the whole of Scripture and in the life of Jesus;
• to the world of God - the hopes, fears and concerns of each person; and
• to the body of Christ - to one other.
We mustn’t listen to any one of them, to the exclusion of the others.
We must listen to each completely – not just where perceptions overlap.
We must listen so that we understand - not just to disagree!
Time and again, in the gospels, we see Jesus seeking out the most oppressed people, the most
excluded. He meets them where they are. He listens. He reveals God’s love. And then he leads them
back to the Father. May the Holy Spirit do the same through us.
My promise to you
Thank you for reading this statement. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Would you please consider giving me your first preference vote (or your highest available
preference vote)?
With God’s help, I will commit to being prayerful as I serve; to upholding the truth of Scripture in
what I say and do; to being open to the experience and insight of others; and to listen.
May Almighty God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – grant us wisdom to know Him better, as we walk
together in faith and love and hope.
Yours in Christ

John Sills