General Synod Election Candidates 2026

WHO WANTS TO BE AN ANGLICAN TODAY?
AND WHY SHOULD GENERAL SYNOD CARE?

This is surely a question we – as the Church of England – should be asking ourselves. We should
be looking for who is actively seeking to be involved, and who already gives generously of their
time to the building up of the Kingdom of God through this church. Not in spite of it, and not
under duress; not despite the ever-increasing list of complaints, but in the joy of the Holy Spirit –
in the joy that flows from the grace of their vocation – in whatever shape or form that comes.

Yes – we have a lot to answer for; a lot to fix and to work on over the next five years, and in the
years to come. After all, we are a human institution, too, full of strife, and not immune to sin.
But I strongly believe that if we commit ourselves to prayer – if we entrust ourselves collectively
to God, using our talents to discern well and do our best for this church – God will not leave our
call unanswered, ever.

Jesus said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that
will last” (John 15:16). That is why we need to be paying attention to who wants to be an Anglican
today. Not as a second-best option available, not because it offers a nice pension to clergy, not
because we are still relatively wealthy – but rather as a response to the Living Lord, Jesus Christ,
whom they have encountered in the Church of England. The Holy Spirit guides and renews, and
each person who gives themselves, and of themselves, is a blessing and a sign of God’s abundant
love for the People of God in England. That is why we are here in the first place – to be the chaplain
to the nation – and that is the call we are responding to as an established church. May we be worthy
of that call as the church of this land.

This question also asks each of us – who are we? And surely that is important, too. The Abrahamic
generosity of the via media is a gift we must not lose sight of – it is fundamentally born of the
wisdom that true Christian unity can only grow out of diversity. There are a number of questions
we will have to answer as a synodal church – and we will have to answer them together. We must
not be a millstone around the neck of those whom God has called – our siblings, gathered with us
around the Lord’s table. Instead, we must look for ways to help, encourage, and show love to one
another (John 13:35) – and pay no heed to those who want ideological purity over our collective
and individual flourishing as a beloved community, with each of us already called by name, and each
of us with a seat at His Table.

Piotr T. Baczyk-Bell
I am a young adult immigrant, and I am part of a diverse Southwark parish.
I work for the National Trust, where I care for heritage and the natural
world, and I bring a background in finance and strategy. I am queer and
married to my wonderful husband.

I am training towards ordained ministry, and under the Church’s present
regulation on sexuality and marriage I cannot be ordained – I am an
Anglican because it flows from the response to the vocation to serve in
this church.

I am committed to racial justice, intersectional equity and inclusion,
and I resist the discrimination against people on grounds of disability,
economic power, ethnicity, gender identity, learning disability, mental
health, neurodiversity, sexuality, and age. I stand for human dignity.
PETER, HE/HIM/HIS | LAITY

PRIORITY BUSINESS

WHY VOTE FOR ME?
On Synod, I would press for a reform of our
resourcing model so that it funds parish and diocesan
mission, building up God’s beloved communities in every
corner of England. This includes funding for the
stewardship of creation & conservation of our heritage.
My background in strategy and finance means I will ask
hard questions – including those of our spending, and of
whether we live, as an institution, the virtue we preach.
I will work to make that a tangible reality – delivering on
the promise the synod made to the church.

HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT • VOTE FOR THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND • VOTING CLOSES ON 13 OCTOBER 2026
And I will work for a church that welcomes and serves everyone in the name of Jesus, and discriminates
against no one. Today and always, all Christians should be able to grasp how wide and long and high and
deep the love of Christ is for us. The role of the synod is to do all we can to enable that institutionally.
In early 2026, General Synod voted to recommit to ending poverty. This quinquennium is when we must
build the structures that will make it real: a Faith in the City for our own day, working to the maximum the
gifts we have as an established church, with our presence in every neighbourhood, our voice, our buildings
and our wealth – putting them to work against the systemic injustice of poverty and homelessness.

1. PASTORAL CARE, FAITH & ORDER

• Pastoral guidance for clergy
I will press for a clear and fair guidance that
clergy can rely on in their ministry.
• Ordination and licensing
I will work for the bar on ordaining and licensing
people in same-sex marriages to be lifted
immediately
• Same-sex/same-gender marriage
Standalone
blessing
services
still
require
authorisation. The time is ripe for the church to
commence work on the sacrament of marriage.
• Women’s ministry as the norm
Women are a majority of those entering
training, and under a third of our incumbents.
The 2014 Declaration itself anticipated that
adjustments might be necessary. We now have
the experience to return to the table. I will
support an honest review of the Five Guiding
Principles – conducted with the good faith owed
to all those who accepted them.

1. MISSIONAL FINANCE

• Resourcing model that is fit for purpose
Current model was built for a Church we no
longer are. Many of dioceses are budgeting
deficits. Finance should be an enabler, not a
bottleneck - and not a leash!
• Concrete commitment for this Synod
to receive a proposal for a new resourcing
model - not a direction of travel, not an update.
It should set out how national money reaches
parishes
with
fewer
hoops
and
more
transparency; how funds are shared equitably
between and within dioceses, deaneries and
churches; how allocations and evaluations are
published in full; and what Synod’s formal role in
the funding framework is going to be.

1. SAFEGUARDING & GOVERNANCE

Our priority should be to regain public trust,
which has been eroding exponentially. We have
two main levers to accomplish this turnaround:
• Implementing a national governance that
shares power & does not concentrate it.
• Operationalising an independent and effective
safeguarding for a safer church.

1. TRANSVERSAL AUDITS & PLANS

3 questions I want the Synod to pose & answer:
• What is the state of religious & spiritual
life of the Church of England?
A church that runs on exhausted people is not
sustainable. It is being fed by the hungry.
• How are we proclaiming the gospel?
1/3 of churches had no children at all in an avg.
week. We should plan for the England we have.
• What is the state of our formation and
theological education more broadly?
How are both lay and ordained sustained and
resourced in their ministries?

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