General Synod Election Candidates 2026

John Hoyland
Lifelong Learning and
Continuing Ministerial Development Advisor,
Diocese of York
Nominated by: Anika Gardiner
Seconded by: Matt Woodcock
About Me:
Father of two teenagers, owner of
one Labrador, fan of cricket,
miniature painting, railways and far
too many things science fictional and
fantastical to mention here.
Occasional juggler and fire-breather.
Before Ordination:
I spent most of my working life in
customer services and retail
management, including a stint as a
store manager for Games Workshop
in Hull and a period leading the Front
of House team at the Yorkshire
Museum in York.
Since Ordination:
Title post served in a parish in York
which included an LEP, giving me an
insight into ecumenical matters. A
year spent looking after a church in
vacancy, who were going through a
difficult time. Currently working as
part of the training team in the
Discipleship, Mission and Ministry
Team for the Diocese of York.
Dear colleague,
I write to you to ask you to vote for me in the
upcoming elections for General Synod. The Church
of England is very dear to me, and I would cherish
the opportunity to serve the church I love in this way.
I grew up in the Church of England and, over the
years, have worshipped in a variety of the traditions it
encompasses. This has given me a valuable lived
insight into the spectrum of the Church of England.
I spent my early years in a succession of vicarages
across Yorkshire (my father is also an Anglican priest
who spent much of his ministry in theological
education, so the apple hasn’t fallen far from the
tree...). I am therefore familiar with the pressures and
demands (and joys!) that can be placed on vicarage
life from the point of view of both the priest and,
importantly, the priest’s family.
My parents were of broadly evangelical stock, and
my exploration of the faith they nurtured in me has
led me to spend time in evangelical churches, in
charismatic churches and to have found a home in
more recent years in the liberal catholic tradition.
I am drawn, too, to the contemplative. Discovering
the Taizé community was one of the most formative
times in the development of my faith. Pilgrimage,
too, is important to me, and it delights me that both
the Church and wider society seems to be
rediscovering the immense spiritual riches
pilgrimage can offer.
What is Church for?
For me, it is vital that the Church understands that our task is to work to bring about God’s kingdom
on earth as it is in heaven. To do this, we are to model to the world a new way of being together, a
new way of doing life together: We are called to form a community as God would have it, and as
demonstrated for us by life lived as Christ lived. This is the heart of the gospel: The kingdom of God
has drawn near, and we are invited to share that kingdom with the world. This works its way out in
many ways, and I will highlight three of them which are particularly priorities for me and which, if
elected to General Synod, I will seek to advocate strongly for.

My Priorities
Inclusion
Creation Care
Whole Church Ministry
I am 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.
In some ways, that’s everything that needs saying, but perhaps it’s worth expanding on a little. It
seems to me that one of the primary things that Christ came to do was to break down barriers, to
remove divides and to welcome in. Christ’s message was clear, and it seemed to captivate St. Paul.
the old divides and barriers are gone; the them-and-us mentality that so often characterises
human societies and communities is not what God wants. All are welcome and all are valued.
This is not easy for us to live out, but it is, I believe, one of the fundamental ways of being in the
world that marks us out as followers of Christ and, whether it is hard work or not, it is work we must
do, for the good of the Church and for the good of the world. If elected to General Synod, I will
advocate as strongly as I am able for greater inclusion within the Church of England.
Each and every follower of Christ is called to ministry in some form or another, and one of the
great joys of my role within the Lifelong Learning team is to encounter people who are either
exploring a call to ministry, or who are currently in formation for ministry. Much of my job role
involves theological education, and it is a constant delight to encounter people from so many
walks of life who have faithfully answered a call to ministry in one form or another, and who are
seeking to deepen their faith and equip themselves for ministry. If elected, I will advocate for rich
theological education, and the continuing development of all those called to ministry in its very
widest sense.
It is important, too, that the Church learns to flourish in its mixed ecology landscape. I am a huge
advocate for the parish system, and believe strongly that it must remain at the heart of who we are
as the Church of England. However, I also see the incredible work being done by fresh expressions
and new worshipping communities, and would seek way for the familiar and the innovative to
flourish together, for the enrichment of the whole people of God.
Humankind bears the image of the creator-God, and bears the responsibility for caring for the
creator-God’s work. This responsibility calls us to think carefully about the way that we live our lives
as individuals, as communities and as a whole Church. Just as the Church should be leading the
way in welcome and inclusion, so the Church should be leading the way in caring for the natural
world. This requires that we think and act carefully and responsibly when it comes to the ways we
invest our money, and the ways we think about how we use our buildings. It also means we have to
think responsibly about the use of technologies such as AI. Our response to the climate crisis must
affect how we think about refugees and asylum seekers, about global conflicts and about politics,
both national and international.
If elected to General Synod, I will advocate wherever I can for both words and actions which look to
safeguard the creation, for we are called to work to bring about God’s kingdom here, on earth, and
in God’s kingdom, all creation flourishes.

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