General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Diocese of York
2026 General Synod Election Address
House of Laity

Page 1

Dr Neill Burgess

Headlines

A committed Anglican for 45 years

With my wife Tina, I worship and serve at Stokesley Parish
Church (just south of Middlesbrough)

I have valuable experience of urban, coastal & rural ministry,
gained in part from the years I supported my wife’s ministry as
a curate and vicar in different parishes in our diocese

A member of General Synod for last 5 years, serving also on
Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee, the Diocesan Finance
Review team and the Living in Love and Faith Working Groups

I am an experienced member of PCCs, Deanery Synods,
Diocesan Synod, York Archbishop’s Council, the York Diocesan
Board of Finance and the York Diocesan Finance Sub-Committee


I am committed to the CofE being the church for every corner of our nation and want to see Jesus
worshipped and preached across our land. If re-elected to General Synod, I will strive to encourage
greater focus on – and support for - parish life and mission.

Dear Elector
It has been a tremendous privilege to represent our wonderful diocese at General Synod for the last five years,
and I now seek your support to be re-elected to serve for another five years.
Having retired from a career in industry, I have sought to use my professional experience at General Synod by
serving in additional ways, including on the Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee and the major Diocesan
Finance Review team (see overleaf for more details, including thoughts on some key issues for the next General
Synod).
If elected, I re-commit myself to being a prayerful & faithful member of Synod, devoting time and effort to
understanding the issues and seeking the Lord’s guidance on how to contribute and how to vote. I will make
myself available to all members of the Diocese to answer your questions and to receive your inputs.
Finally, thank you for reading this election address. If you decide to vote for me, I would very much appreciate
the highest preference vote that you feel able to give me.
Yours in Christ,
Neill

I am grateful to the following for proposing and seconding me. I have served alongside them both for a number
of years.
Proposer: Mr Rodney Barton, All Hallows Walkington, Hull Deanery & Chair of York Diocesan Board of Finance

Seconder: Mrs Ali Ward, St Barnabas Middlesbrough, Secretary Middlesbrough Deanery

Diocese of York
2026 General Synod Election Address
House of Laity

Page 2

Contact Details
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Email: [email protected]
Home: Dunelm Lodge, Faceby, Middlesbrough, TS9 7DA
Personal Background
I am 64 years old and am married to Tina, a former primary
school teacher and retired vicar. We have three adult children.
Before retirement, I spent most of my career working in
strategic planning and financial forecasting for major
manufacturing firms on Teesside and in the Netherlands.
I have a Certificate in Theology, Ministry & Mission and am
particularly passionate about worship and outreach to families.
I play guitar at our church’s monthly family services, and I write
contemporary worship songs and hymns, which I share online
through the threeleggedmusic.com website. My other major
pastime is hill-walking, and I am well on the way towards
climbing all the major hills in the Lake District.
Serving on the next General Synod: Some Key Issues
Mission and Finance (the two go together!): In my time on Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee and
the major Diocesan Finance Review team, we significantly increased funding to maintain the witness of
churches in poor areas, and increased support for missional projects to reach people who do not yet know
Jesus (the majority of these projects are parish-based). We also improved support for those training for the
ministry and introduced a fairer system by which dioceses contribute to pay for ministerial training. While I
support the Church’s duty to care for the environment and its opposition to racism, I have opposed certain
associated constraints and expenditures, such as the restrictions on churches replacing gas/oil boilers on a
like-for-like basis and the proposals for what is effectively a £100m slavery reparation fund. Going forward, I
will continue to argue that the Church prioritise its financial resources towards ministry and mission in every
corner of our nation. I I was a member of the first group of churches in York Diocese to engage in the
“Revitalise” initiative, and I think other dioceses could benefit from such an approach that encourages and
equips parishes to be more outward looking. Equally, there will be things other dioceses are doing that we
can learn from. These are the sort of things General Synod should be focusing on.
Marriage and Sexuality: This is the subject of an important but potentially divisive ongoing debate as we
seek the best ways to welcome everyone into our church families to discover the saving love of Jesus.
Personally, I support the Church of England’s official doctrinal position that marriage is intended for one
man and one woman. In the last Synod, I served as a member of the Living in Love and Faith Working Groups
alongside people who see things differently, and I support the recommendation that came out of these
groups that we try to keep as many people in the Church as possible by exploring ways of providing secure
provision for a wider range of views.
Safeguarding: We must do all we can to prevent the abuses of the past from reoccurring. General Synod
debated different ways of achieving this, and I voted to support what I and a majority of others thought was
the most effective solution, namely that oversight should be independent, but that operation should be kept
“in-house” by people who understand how churches and dioceses work. This approach is being adopted, but
too slowly. We need to press on to deliver the agreed improvements.
Speaking at the February 2026 General
Synod to successfully oppose an amendment
that would have hit many parishes by
significantly eroding parochial fees.

archbishop,archbishops,archbishops' council,diocesan board,diocesan finance,dioceses,doctrinal,environment,finance,living in love and faith,marriage,mission,missional,outreach,pccs,racism,retirement,safeguarding,sexuality,witness