General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Rebecca (Bex) Chapman
Phone: 07855529804 Email: [email protected]
About me
I came to faith as a teenager at an Anglican church in Bristol, then studied
theology at university. I came to the Diocese of Southwark in 2006 when my
husband, Mark, and I joined St Mark’s, Kennington where I was on PCC &
deanery synod for 12 years. We were also blessed to be part of the church
family at St John the Divine, Kennington for a number of years, where our
three sons grew up singing in the choir & took first communion from Fr Mark.
I’ve been more involved in the life of our diocese since 2010 when I joined
Lambeth North Deanery Synod. In 2018 I was elected to Diocesan Synod,
then to the Diocesan Council of Trustees. I spent several years as Lambeth
North deanery lay chair, and since 2024 I have had the privilege of serving as
Chair of the House of Laity of our Diocesan Synod. I’m deeply committed to
listening to and speaking up for laity, especially volunteers.
Last year my family moved south to Croydon, and we have been getting to
know our new deanery and new parish. We live in the parish of Emmanuel,
Croydon where our sons have joined various youth groups, and my youngest
son has just joined the choir of Croydon Minster. Attending and supporting
our local parish church is important to us, and we enjoy a range of worship
styles, and friendships across church styles and theologies.
In addition to running our home, I work part time in communications, for the
Ecclesiastical Law Society, and write about culture and theology for various
print and online publications. I volunteer as a trustee at four charities
including as Vice-Chair of Christians in Media, so I have experience in
governance and scrutiny.
What do I bring to Synod?
I attended many General Synods as a staff member from 2008-2018, and have
been grateful for the privilege of representing Southwark as a member over
the last 7 years. I understand how the national church, the diocese and our
parishes can work together, how Synod itself works and how we can achieve
change through it. I’m keen to help all our elected Southwark reps work for
change together on issues we agree on.
My theology degree and previous experience working for two Archbishops
means I can engage with Synod debates fluently, and I’m willing and able to
speak truth to those in power at any level. My counselling training and
practice provided me with invaluable skills in listening, and pastoral care. My
time as a speechwriter in the civil service is useful training, but also helps me
support others on synod. I’m always keen to contribute to debates where I’ve
something relevant to say, but not speaking for the sake of it.
As a communications professional with a passion for
our diocese and General Synod, I’ll strive to ensure
that Synod’s work is communicated clearly and
simply, providing updates to deanery and diocesan
synods and continuing to share live from Synod on
social media. I’m keen to ensure the voices of our
young people are heard at every level in our church
governance, including in our Southwark synods, and
to advocate for them wherever I can. They are the
church of today, not just tomorrow.
Mum with school-age sons,
working part time in
communications
20 years in the
Diocese of Southwark
16 years serving on
Deanery Synods and PCC
Member of
Diocesan Synod since 2018
Seven years
General Synod experience
3 years working
for a parish church
Worked for two Archbishops
of Canterbury
Theology graduate &
Trained counsellor

I’m passionate about:

•
resourcing our parishes in
Southwark and supporting
the parish system

•
increasing our resourcing
for churches supporting
adult and child mental
health & inclusion for
disabilities (visible and
invisible) & youth ministry

•
improving General Synod
and our church governance

•
teamwork and supporting
other Southwark Synod
members

My Synod priorities
I’ve diligently attended every General Synod meeting in person since my election 5 years ago. I’ve spoken in a range
of debates and served on a number of national Committees behind the scenes. This has included being on the
Synod’s Appointments Committee, and the Mission and Public Affairs Council as well as contributing to several
legislative Revision Committee meetings, seeking to share ideas, learn, and highlight what works for us in Southwark.
For my family, church has sometimes been challenging as a result of our son’s autism; inclusion is very important to
me. In 2021 I promised to encourage our churches to welcome and support those with visible and invisible
disabilities – since then I’ve been a part of the national Neurodiversity Working Group, and we brought a successful
motion on neurodiversity to Synod this July. My sons watched from the Synod public gallery, which was emotional.
Supporting those who provide care for others in all sorts of capacities is important to me. I’ve successfully amended
a motion on mental health, to include support for children and young people who live with those with mental health
challenges. My (very personal) short speech can be watched here. I also long for our church to resource ministry to
younger people - only 1% of 18-24 year olds identify as part of our churches so more must be done to fulfil the Great
Commission, as well as helping our young people develop their values & their confidence, so needed at present.
Justice is important to me. I’ve amended a synod motion on work to encourage all
Church of England organisations to implement the living wage (speech here). I’ve also
been part of a core group bringing a synod motion calling for the restoration of clergy
pensions to previous levels, which brought about a review into clergy pensions.
I want to continue to work within Synod to improve how it functions and allow a more diverse range of people –
ages, genders, ethnicities, those with disabilities – to take part in synodical governance & legislation. I will
encourage mentoring & peer support for new members of Synod, & I’d like to help provide support for all our new
Southwark reps, so we can work to the best of our abilities as a team, despite our differences.
What do I think about some of the upcoming Synod agenda?
The last five years have been full of debates about governance, many of which I’ve contributed to. Now focus is
moving to future finance and funding for our mission and ministry. I’m currently part of the Synod Reference Group
on National Funding for Diocesan Ministry. I’d love to be re-elected to continue this work, speaking up for
transparency, accountability and good governance in the distribution of national church funds. In Southwark, we
face cuts to our level of stipendiary priests, and I want to fight for finances from the national church institutions to
minimise the need for further cuts, and ensure that lay voices are a part of any cuts process.
Safeguarding will continue to be an important for Synod– including holding leaders accountable for promised
changes. I will continue to listen to the voices of survivors, and read widely and prayerfully on the subject.
I believe that our parish system is the centre of our common life and should be strengthened and supported so it
serves modern needs without losing our valued traditions. I want to support valuing and caring for clergy, including
the Save the Parish proposal of a Charter of Care. I want priority given to funding stipendiary parish ministry
wherever possible, and more funding to be released for this from the National Church Institutions. At a time when
clergy numbers are falling, I want to encourage theological education which is ordinand-centred. As a trustee of a
theological college, I can see how important this training is for our church’s future.
Most importantly, I want to support our work as a diocese. Our Southwark Vision is clear that we want growing
churches, prayerful and informed Christians, justice and peace built up, violence challenged, and a church for all
which reflects our diverse community in membership and leadership. I want to continue to share with the wider
church the great things happening in Southwark - and to help us learn from other dioceses and the national church.
Please get in touch with me if you’d like to learn more or ask questions - by phone, email or to arrange a coffee. We
all have different interests & passions and I’d love to hear more about yours so I can best represent you if re-elected.
Thank you for serving as a deanery synod member, and for reading this election address.
Please re-elect me as one of your representatives, by putting me as your first preference, or as high up as you can.

Do use your vote in this election, whatever your views – I think it’s vital that we all have a say in our governance.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 07855529804 Twitter: @bexchapman3boys

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