General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Liz Hassall —Archdeacon of York | would welcome your first
: preference vote.

ae Sy x Who am I?

Since | was ordained in 2009, | have served in the diocese of
York, working in multi-parish ministry in coastal, rural, urban
contexts, first as curate and then incumbent. My social media
profile (Bluesky) describes me as “C of E Priest, knitter, cat-
person”. | am also a mother of teenagers and, from the
beginning of 2026, the Archdeacon of York.

lam a lifelong
Christian. In following Jesus, | have drawn inspiration Nominated by
from both the evangelical and catholic wings of the

The Revd Nick Morgan, Area Dean
of New Ainsty

Church of England, as well as from the wider Church.
The evangelicals taught me to value scripture, the
catholics taught me to find joy and peace in The Revd Jackie Doyle Brett, Area
sacramental worship. | would not be without either of Dean of Derwent

those, so | find myself as an Anglican somewhere in
the middle, still drawing inspiration from different sources of faith and seeking to serve the
whole Church. My spiritual home is probably Taizé, ideally with a choir singing works from the
Anglican choral tradition as well.

My faith is grounded in the love of God for all people,

lam committed to equality for . ; . ;
and the radical work of inclusion and restoration seen in
everyone, at all levels and roles .

woe the death and resurrection of Jesus. My response to
within the church, regardless of ; ; ;
. ae . grasping something of this love has been to look to
disability, economic power, ; ;

. . . share the gospel, especially with those who feel that
ethnicity, sex, gender identity, ;
. . . they are excluded or don’t belong in some way. In recent
learning disability, mental health, ;
years, | have been led especially to work for greater

inclusion within the life of the Church of England for
those in the LGBTQIA+ communities.

neurodiversity, or sexuality.

Previous experience

e Member of General Synod from 2021-2026. Over the course of five years | have spoken in
debates about funding for lay training, diocesan finances and confirmation statistics. | was a
member of the reference group for the liturgical work establishing the Festival of Creation in
Christ and | have recently been appointed to the reference group for the National Funding for
Diocesan Ministry Review. | have regularly fed-back to York Diocesan Synod on the business
of General Synod, often being asked to give a perspective from the progressive point of view
but always striving to be balanced and courteous to all.

e Previous and current membership of York Diocesan Synod and Archbishop’s Council. This
gives me a solid understanding of what York Diocese needs from the national Church.

e Extensive experience of ministry in small parishes. Too often, the Church agenda seems to
be dominated by large churches. Having spent 16 years ministering in multi-parish ministry

with congregations ranging from less than 10 to 120, | am passionate about the value of
worshipping in local parishes, serving local communities.

e Work with asylum-seekers. In responding to a group of people from Iran who came looking
for a Church, | developed a greater understanding of intercultural ministry and the challenges
faced by those who have left everything behind for the sake of their faith.

Why stand for General Synod (again)?

| love the Church of England but | remain frustrated by many aspects of the life of the Church. My
approach to an institution which is not working well is to dig in, get involved and work from
within. This is why | stood for General Synod 5 years ago. Now, | know a great deal more about
how the national Church operates and how it is possible to get involved and work for change. |
would like to continue to do this.

Many of the dioceses of the Church of England, including York, are struggling with financial
deficits. In response to this, | have begun to serve on the reference group for National Funding for
Diocesan Ministry review. | hope this will result in more sustainable funding for dioceses. | will
continue this work if re-elected.

The connections | have made with others seeking to work for LGBTQIA+ inclusion have opened
my eyes to the other dimensions of exclusion which exist both within the Church and beyond. As
a result, | have learned and will continue to learn about aspects of exclusion such as racism,
ableism and neurodiversity and seek to make the Church of England a place where every
person is valued for the individual and diverse gifts which they bring to the people of God.

Clergy wellbeing is an increasingly important issue to me in my work as archdeacon. Being on
General Synod gives the opportunity to influence policy and to ease some of the pressures of
ministry for all.

If re-elected to General Synod | will

e Pray with and for all those involved in the life of the Do you have more questions?

Synod

e Commit to listening to those who disagree with me Contact me:
and learning other points of view. Email [email protected]

e Give the highest priority to strengthening safeguarding
in the Church of England

e Continue to seek out ways that | can contribute to the

Post: The Diocese of York,
Amy Johnson Way,

Clifton Moor,
York YO30 4XT

work that goes on between sessions.
e Listen to and engage with those | represent

Thank you very much for reading this election statement. | would be very grateful for your first-
preference vote, or the highest preference you are able to give.

archbishop,asylum,catholic,clergy wellbeing,confirmation,dioceses,disability,equality,evangelical,finances,gender identity,gospel,lgbtqia,liturgical,mental health,neurodiversity,progressive,racism,sacramental,safeguarding,scripture,sexuality,teenagers,tradition