General Synod Election Candidates 2026

General Synod Election Address – Alastair Barron, Diocese of Winchester
We all live out our faith in many ways, each of us seeking to contribute to bringing about the Kingdom here on earth, here in our Diocese of Winchester. We live in the strength of that faith and the hope we are assured of in scripture. Jeremiah wrote :
‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’
With that in mind at the heart of our faith, General Synod, the assembly of our Church, our national Church, exists to help create the culture and organisation within which we can exercise that faith, legislating, developing liturgy, debating the issues of the day and managing the Church’s finances. This is clearly important work – leading, considering, deciding.
The challenges for our Church in recent years have been considerable - leadership, openness and accountability, finance, safeguarding, marriage, sexuality, slavery … the list is long. General Synod’s role in dealing with all these challenges has self-evidently been extremely difficult requiring much prayer, open hearts and minds to work with others inside and outside the Church, an acknowledgement of tradition and also a desire for relevance in our time.
It is in this context that I offer myself for election as a Lay Representative to General Synod for our Diocese and I believe I have the right qualities, experience and commitment to support this.
I have a strong and active faith. I came to faith at the age of 36, quite late in life. Since that late start, though, I have grown in my love of God, in my awareness of Him and of his son Jesus Christ, my knowledge of scripture through active engagement within the Church. I have sought to engage with several aspects of the life of our Church – as someone once said to me, ‘Have trust in Jesus and then do something about it’.
My experience of the broader Church and of our Diocese is fairly wide. I am privileged to be in my second term as the Chair of the House of Laity of our Diocesan Synod. I sit on the Bishop’s Council, the Finance Committee and the Joint Diocesan Board of Education where I am the Vice Chair. Engagement with and contribution to, the life of our diocese in these ways, does give me a good knowledge and perspective of the issues that affect us as a Diocese and a chance to contribute to developing solutions to those issues.
Important, though, that my ministry at Diocesan level is, my work at Benefice and parish level is equally important as I seek to help bring the Kingdom to our Diocese. I have completed the Bishop’s Commission for Mission and the Bishop’s Permission to Preach programmes and am now an active member of our Benefice Ministry Team, taking services in our parish churches, taking Holy Communion to parishioners in their homes when needed and to residents of our care homes and developing a fledgling funeral/end of life ministry. I remain a member of our PCC and its representative to our Deanery Synod. Consequently, I believe I have a real and current knowledge of life at parish level, its realities, its challenges and its joys and would bring that knowledge and experience of things at ground level to General Synod.
I also believe I have the right attitude to engagement and would always seek to do business in a positive, gracious, considered and open way. The last few years within our Church have been characterised by several very difficult issues, issues that have been polarising and divisive. How Synod does business must be critical to its ability to be successful in its efforts.
Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica “Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing” advocating strong and positive leadership to create a culture where people are engaged, where they want to contribute to the Kingdom here on earth. I would contribute positively and sensibly to all aspects of Synod’s work.
Whilst I would contribute to all the areas of work that Synod engages with, I have a particular interest in making our Church and our faith accessible within our society broadly, diversity in spreading the good news is critical to our mission as disciples. As you might expect, I am also extremely supportive of lay ministry and developing that in support of our ordained colleagues and to allow individual ministries within the laity to grow and flourish.
I have lived in Hampshire for 29 years and am active in my community being a trustee of a charity that provides support to the homeless in Winchester and chairing our village community shop committee. I am married to Caroline and have three adult children and 2 young grandsons …. just super cute !
In summary, I offer myself for election as a Lay Representative at General Synod for the Diocese of Winchester and seek your vote. Drawing on a strong and active faith, I believe I have the experience, aptitude and approach to working that would contribute positively to Synod as it fulfils its role as the assembly of our national church and I hope for your support.

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