General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Revd Dr Helen Dawes
Principal of Westcott House, Cambridge
Nominated by the Revd Dr Sean Doherty, Trinity College Bristol,
and the Revd Dr Sam Hole, Durham University

TL;DR
Been on General Synod before
Good at numbers and policy
Inclusive
Works well with others
Loves the Church of England
Please consider giving me your first preference vote
Thank you for reading past the TL;DR! I hope you will consider giving me your first
preference vote in these General Synod elections. I also hope if your first vote is
committed elsewhere, you will nonetheless consider giving me one of your other high
preference votes, as you feel able.
I’m Helen and I have the great joy (and occasional challenge!) of being Principal of
Westcott House. I’ve been ordained since 2002, and before coming to Westcott as
Principal over five years ago I served in parish ministry in the dioceses of Ely, St Albans,
and Salisbury, and as an advisor at Lambeth Palace. I never expected to work in
theological education and formation, but I find I love it. Working with ordinands as
they respond to God’s call on their lives is a delight and a privilege. In addition, I find
it hugely rewarding to share in resourcing local churches, chaplaincies and other
contexts with fabulous clergy who will contribute to God’s work in each place they are
called.
I’m standing for General Synod because I believe it has critical work to do over the
coming quinquennium, and because I have skills that I think would be useful. There are
conversations taking place now about theological education and formation that will
impact the resourcing of local ministry and mission for decades to come, to which I
would bring direct expertise as a TEI Principal with substantial parish experience. Those
conversations will further impact the theological resourcing of our church in the years
ahead, and I am passionate about the need for good theology underpinning the work of
the church at every level. As a representative of the Universities and TEIs constituency, I
would seek to support the theological engagement of Synod, including by drawing on
my theological work as an ethicist with interests including economic life and the
moral anthropology of trust.

Across my ministry, and in the time I worked in business consulting before training for
ordination, I have worked in diverse contexts and developed a range of different skills.
As well as bringing experience from theological education and parish ministry, I would
bring the ability to read financial accounts, and to work through the details to see
what story the numbers tell and what values they reveal. I know how to interrogate a
policy document to see how far it will deliver its intended aims, and how many
unintended consequences could be expected to follow. I already bring these skills to
the TEI Principals’ Steering Group, and to the engagement that the Principals as a group
have with the National Church, it would be a privilege to use them on Synod.
I am proud to be standing as an inclusive candidate for Synod and am firmly
committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles within the church, regardless
of disability, economic power, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, learning disability, mental
health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. I am likewise committed to listening to those who
have other views and working for the good of the whole church across areas of
disagreement.
Sean Doherty and I might have surprised you by cross-nominating each other despite
significant differences of view on some subjects, not least human sexuality. But we
know we work well together for the benefit of theological education and of the Church
that we serve in the Principals’ group, despite those differences, and we would expect to
work well together for the whole church if we were both elected to General Synod.
Sean and I nominating each other is a sign of our commitment to work across
difference, and is indicative of how I would want to work with people I disagree with on
Synod. I will always be clear about my position, and will vote as I am called by
conscience, reason, and prayerful discernment. I will also always listen carefully to
others and seek the good of the whole church.
I am very grateful to Sam Hole for nominating me as well. Sam is a trustee of Westcott
House, as well as one of our alumni, and knows me in that capacity.
Thank you for reading this far. If there is anything you would like to ask me, you are
welcome to call me on 01223 272964 or to email me at [email protected]
I hope you will feel able to vote for me, we are a small constituency and just one or two
votes can make a difference to who represents us on Synod.
With every good wish,
Helen

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