General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Andrew Yates

STANDING FOR THE HOUSE OF CLERGY
OF GENERAL SYNOD

Nominated by

the Revd Mark Wade,

Vicar of Liskeard and St Keyne,
and

the Revd Canon Sue Wallace,
Precentor of Truro Cathedral

Please would you consider voting for me in
this important election to General Synod.
Having represented the Diocese of Truro on
General Synod since 2015 | would value the
opportunity to continue bringing to Synod
the concerns, hopes and experience of the
Church here in Cornwall.

| have served in Truro Diocese for 23 years: as
a parish priest on the Roseland and then in
the Penlee Cluster of Penzance, Newlyn and
Paul. | now live in Truro and continue in min-
istry with Permission to Officiate.

For 20 years | was privileged to serve as Dioc-
esan Social Responsibility Officer, supporting

churches in their engagement with their com-

munities. | still chair the Cornwall Independ-
ent Poverty Forum and remain very aware of
the poverty and social exclusion with which
too many people across Cornwall struggle.

Before coming to Cornwall, my ministry took
me to the Black Country, rural Suffolk and in-
ner-city Sheffield. Alongside parish ministry, |
served as a chaplain to a shopping centre and
a steelworks. These experiences have shaped
my conviction that the Church is at its best
when it is deeply rooted in its community:
listening to people, serving alongside them
and discovering where God is already at work.

Throughout my ministry, some things have
become particularly important to me:

• making Christian faith accessible and wel-

coming to as wide a range of people as
possible;

being open to encountering Christ in the
stranger and in people whose experiences
differ from our own;

nurturing children and young people as
ambassadors and leaders;

supporting parish churches as places of
worship, belonging, service and hope;
listening to voices which can too easily go
unheard.

More than 40 years after ordination, | still
have the same energy and passion for shar-
ing the good news of Jesus with people of all
ages - demonstrated, perhaps unexpectedly,
by my willingness to undertake bouncy-castle
duty at this year’s Mothers’ Union Cathedral
Summer Family Fun Day!

In this new season of ministry, | worship

at Truro Cathedral, as our parish church,
helping on the worship rota;

with the Another Way Community, accom-
panying younger people exploring Christian
faith through contemporary Celtic spirituality;
and at New Street Church, where our family
are part of the worshipping community.

Together with my wife Sian, | also lead Heart-
Edge — a national network supporting
churches seeking to be outward-looking, in-
clusive and engaged with their communities.

HeartEdge provides weekly lectionary-based
reflections, supporting churches without a
priest or licensed lay minister available to
lead worship; practical resources helping
rural and urban churches engage creative-
ly with their communities; and mentoring,
training days and national events.

Through more than 40 years of ministry in
very different places, | have remained commit-
ted to the vision of a living, faithful and grow-
ing Church, rooted in local communities and
serving God through mission and ministry.

| am particularly committed to the parish
system and to sustaining a priestly presence
within our communities. If re-elected, | will
support measures that strengthen parish
ministry while also encouraging new and

creative forms of Christian community. | be-
lieve we need both: cherishing what has
served us faithfully while remaining open to
where the Spirit may be leading us next.

Above all, General Synod needs to remain
connected with our local churches and com-
munities here in Cornwall. | will seek to listen
carefully, represent the breadth of our expe-
rience and concerns, and communicate clear-
ly about the work of Synod.

The gifts | would bring as your representative
are:

Prayerfulness « Listening Openness Com-
passion * Experience » Collaboration

The election is conducted by Single Trans-
ferable Vote, so | would be very grateful if
you would consider giving me your first or
a high preference vote.

General Synod

WHATI HOPE TO BRING TO
GENERAL SYNOD

During my ten years as a member of Gener-
al Synod, | have engaged with a broad range
of issues facing the Church of England. If
re-elected, there are five areas in particular
where | would hope to continue contributing.

CLERGY WELLBEING
The wellbeing of clergy matters deeply to me.

| am a member of CEECA (Church of England
Employee and Clergy Advocates) and coor-
dinate the Truro Diocese group. As a trained
Faith Workers Branch Representative, | have
supported clergy in several dioceses, includ-
ing those negotiating settlement agreements
and those experiencing bullying or difficult
relationships, whether within parishes or, at
times, with senior clergy.

This work has given me a much deeper under-
standing of the pressures under which many
clergy exercise their ministry. It has also
strengthened my conviction that clergy need
processes which are fair, compassionate and
transparent, together with access to good
pastoral and professional support.

Two recent developments are paticularly
important.

The replacement of the Clergy Discipline
Measure with the new Clergy Conduct
Measure

The CDM process placed an enormous burden
on many clergy and could be isolating and
unbalanced. | hope the new Clergy Conduct
Measure, with its triage approach, will help
distinguish legitimate concerns from vexa-
tious or inappropriate complaints. Its imple-
mentation will, however, need careful scruti-
ny, particularly to ensure that clergy receive
appropriate support throughout the process.

Clergy pensions

| warmly welcome the restoration of the ba-
sic clergy pension rate to two-thirds of the
National Minimum Stipend and the com-
mitment to address the effects of the earli-
er reduction. The arrangements are under-
standably complex, but it is important that
implementation is not unnecessarily delayed.

My links with the wider CEECA network, to-
gether with my own experience as a retired
cleric receiving a Church of England pension,
mean that | am well placed to continue tak-
ing a close interest in these important as-
pects of clergy wellbeing.

ENVIRONMENT AND CARE FOR CREATION

The Diocese of Truro has been one of the
leading dioceses in responding to climate
change, and | have been pleased to champion
that work on General Synod.

n February 2019, | was a joint proposer of a
successful composite Truro-London diocesan
motion on the environment. This became one
of the building blocks for the Church of Eng-
and’s subsequent work on climate change.

n 2024, | proposed the amendment which
brought the Church Commissioners’ assets
within the scope of the Land and Nature mo-
tion. This is due to be reviewed in 2027.

As part of the group encouraging the Church
Commissioners to engage fully with interna-
tional commitments on nature restoration, |
would like to continue this work, monitoring
progress and asking challenging questions
where necessary.

For me, care for creation is not an optional
extra. Itis part of our Christian responsibility to
our neighbours, Future generations and the
whole created world.

AN INCLUSIVE CHURCH FOR EVERYONE

We are all made in the image of God, and if

we rejoice in God’s love for all, our churches
should be places where people genuinely ex-
perience welcome and belonging.

While | was Priest-in-Charge of Paul, we be-
came the first Anglican church in Cornwall to
join the Inclusive Church network.

On Synod | have supported greater inclu-
sion across a range of areas, including work-
ing-class vocations, neurodiversity and racial
justice.

| am also conscious of the pain felt by LGBTQ+
people who do not yet experience them-
selves as Fully welcomed within the life of our
Church. | remain committed to seeking a way
forward towards fuller inclusion.

At the same time, | recognise and respect
clergy who, as a matter of conscience, cannot
use the Prayers of Love and Faith. | hope that
the Church can find a generous and sustaina-
ble way forward which enables us to live with
profound differences without allowing them
to tear us apart.

Our disagreements are real, but our belong-
ing to one another in Christ is deeper.

A BETTER DEAL FOR THE LOCAL CHURCH

| believe we need a better balance between
national Church structures and the needs of
our parishes and local communities.

Significant resources are held and distribut-
ed nationally, and | believe we need great-

er transparency and meaningful consultation
about how those resources are used.

The new approach to the Funding Review pre-
sents an important opportunity to secure a
fairer distribution of resources, particularly
for rural dioceses such as Truro, where small
congregations often sustain church buildings,
ministry and community life across large geo-
graphical areas.

This work will need to beginin earnest
when the new Synod meets.

| want to continue making the case for re-
sources to reach the local church - supporting
parishes, clergy and lay ministry, and helping
Christian communities remain present and
active in the places they serve.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Church must also continue to speak
about the realities facing the communities in
which we minister.

At the most recent York meeting of General
Synod, | organised a fringe event on church-
es responding to rural poverty entitled “You
Can't Eat the View.” This showcased our own
Diocese of Truro Pretty Poverty report and
helped bring the often-hidden reality of rural
poverty to wider attention.

As an active member of the Cornwall Inde-
pendent Poverty Forum, | continue to hear
about the challenges faced by individuals
and families across Cornwall: low incomes,
insecure employment, housing pressures,
transport difficulties and the additional
costs that can accompany rural life.

These are not simply political or economic
questions. They are about human dignity,
justice and the kind of society we want to
become.

| hope General Synod will continue to use its
national platform to bring a Christian voice
to the challenges Facing our country and our
wider world - speaking particularly for those
whose voices are too easily overlooked.

IF RE-ELECTED

IF you elect me to serve again, | will seek to
bring to General Synod the experience of
more than 40 years of parish and community
ministry, alongside what | have learnt during
ten years on Synod.

| will continue to work for:

• the wellbeing and fair treatment of clergy;

a Church committed to caring for creation;

• greater inclusion and belonging;

• stronger support and resources for our

parishes and local churches;

• and a courageous Christian voice for so-

cial justice.

| will also continue to listen to you and the
churches you lead. General Synod representa-
tives are there not simply to express their own
views, but to hear the experiences, concerns
and hopes of the people they represent.

Thank you for taking the time to read my
election statement. If there is an issue you
would like to discuss further, | would be very
pleased to hear from you.

Andrew Yates
[email protected]

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