discernment
During this time, I have been especially passionate about supporting working-class vocations, promoting racial justice and inclusion, and advocating for the Church's discernment through Living in Love and Faith.
I have also served as one of the panel of chairs for General Synod, and I am a Benedictine oblate, experiences which reflect my commitment to prayer, discernment and service across the wider Church.
With nearly two decades of experience in ordained ministry across five diocese and across a range of settings I believe I am well placed to represent our diocese in the conversations, debate and discernment of General Synod.
At a national level, General Synod brings together legislation, debate and discernment on matters affecting the Church, the nation and the wider world.
This commitment to shared discernment matters at every level, from General Synod to PCCs and local congregations.
As the husband of an ordinand, I strongly believe there must be considerably more clarity, accountability, and transparency in the discernment, vocation, and curacy processes which are often opaque and complex to navigate.
I would approach these matters with biblical faithfulness, prayerful discernment and pastoral sensitivity.
And yet, after much discernment, prayer and encouragement, miraculously, that is exactly what happened.
I will work for local Synods that share in the discernment and flourishing of the whole Church, Chapters that sustain clergy and lay ministers, and shared purpose and resourcing as the fruit of that.
We must be wary of jettisoning the mechanisms — hard-won through years of painful discernment — that hold this diverse family together.
I also led on national policy supporting working class people through the discernment and ordination process.
I am 21 years old, resident in the Tsedaqah House community – based on the Hebrew word for our obligation to do justice: completing a year of service, study, and discernment with my placement in Liverpool Cathedral – I know I am called to a life of service, both to enable and enabled by the church, and I am called to serve you on General Synod.
SALT is the hub of our discernment and decision making.
One of the greatest privileges of ministry has been seeing people discover gifts they did not know they had – stepping into preaching, prayer ministry, healing ministry and vocational discernment.
I began to take my faith seriously while living in Oxford, and after a period of discernment trained for the ministry.
Having lived, worked and studied in Italy, Germany, Scotland and the United States, and having begun my discernment journey within the Scottish Episcopal Church, I have experienced different expressions of Anglicanism and different relationships between Church and society.
Following the discernment process and subsequent recommendation for training for ordained ministry, I trained at Trinity College Bristol as a Context Based student for 3 years.
After acting as ADDO for Young Vocations in York, I am now a Bishop’s Adviser assisting in the discernment process for ordained ministry, and it has been a joy to support several ordinands and curates on placement.
I would seek to contribute to a Church where disagreement does not become hostility and where Scripture, tradition, reason, prayer and spiritual discernment remain central to our decisions.
My Commitment to Synod: If elected, I will seek God’s guidance, listen carefully to different perspectives and exercise my vote with integrity and spiritual discernment.
I believe the Holy Spirit can work through that process of listening and discernment.
If elected, I intend to serve independently: considering each matter on its merits, being honest about my convictions, and remaining open to evidence, prayerful discernment and representing the perspectives of others.
Theological and pastoral depth: joined to spiritual direction and vocation discernment.
Structures, vocations, deployment and funding should be considered together and, through honest consultation and local discernment, adapted with care.
Since 2016 I’ve been a Bishop’s Adviser, variously in the BAP, TODP and now Shared Discernment Process.
▪ Knowledge of the current vocations climate as a Bishops’ Advisor in the discernment process. ▪ Knowledge of the stresses and strains facing ordinary clergy as a Diocesan Reviewer for MDR. ▪ Elected to Diocesan Synod in 2024 where I have spoken in debates and asked questions about vocations, Parish Share, and finance in the Diocese. ▪ Ecumenical involvement through the Inclusive Church group in our area. ▪ Nearly a decade as a School Governor in local community schools.
My aim is to serve with grace and prayerfulness, bringing practical experience, discernment, and a commitment to Christ centred service and unity within the church.
I support the use of the Living in Love and Faith prayers for same sex couples by those clergy who wish to use them, and the right of clergy, following their own discernment, to decline to use them.
May the Lord grant us all wisdom and discernment in this election, and may His peace and truth guide our Church in the years ahead.
Being elected a year ago was the culmination of a decade of discernment, prayer, and reflection which had led me to know I was being calling to serve the church at synod.
At national level, I am a Bishops’ Adviser for discernment for those seeking ordination training and have also been involved in national discernment for other programmes.
I’d advocate for the discernment process to become less of a barrier, and for more than sufficient training, so ordinands feel supported and well-equipped when they enter curacy.
Sub Warden of Lay Ministries (for Gateshead, Gateshead West and Jarrow) Former Bishop’s Advisor for the National and Diocesan Shared Ministry Discernment Process (formerly BAP)
Christ centred discernment
If elected I will: e Offer a steady Christ centred voice in national discernment in the belief we are called to love God and love one another e Advocate for healthy governance that supports clergy wellbeing and parish flourishing e Bring live parish experience to conversations that shape national policy e Work collaboratively and listen carefully across all levels of our shared life e Serve with humility and a commitment to the flourishing of clergy parishes and communities across our diocese
I am involved in the Lay Ministry and clergy discernment process, both at Diocesan and at national level as a Bishop’s Advisor.
Both the training and my experience to date have given me a sound knowledge and appreciation of the rigor and professionalism of the discernment process.
This has become evident to me over the last ten years as I have progressed through being in the discernment process, an ordinand, a curate, and now an incumbent in the Diocese of York.
General Synod is a place of ecclesial discernment and a shaper of ministry: gathering the Church in worship and prayer, reading the signs of the times, and shaping the ministry, structures and law by which we all together, lay and ordained, embody life in Christ.
Bishop’s Advisor for the Discernment Process
Prayer is central to my ministry: listening to God, interceding for people and for our world, and seeking wisdom and discernment.
If elected, I would bring a combination of parish experience, pastoral understanding, prayerful discernment, a passion for children and young people, a strong commitment to safeguarding, a love of worship and community, and the lived perspective of a Black African woman priest.
It was a privilege to serve on the CNC; a role that required confidentiality, discernment, and a deep understanding of diocesan needs.
I have spoken in many LLF debates and participated in smaller discernment groups convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
From my perspective, these developments risk reshaping the Church through structural pressure rather than shared discernment.
It had been my intention to continue ministry discernment within the context of the Church of England, but God clearly called me to remain within Aotearoa New Zealand.
What we need is not information alone, but knowledge, wisdom and discernment.
What matters is whether an argument stands up to Scripture, evidence, reason and Christian discernment.
I will always be clear about my position, and will vote as I am called by conscience, reason, and prayerful discernment.
Fostering lay and ordained Vocations, and to nurturing those in discernment.
We need to encourage people from a wide range of ages, professions and backgrounds to explore God’s call to ordained ministry, while making sure our discernment and training processes are rigorous, accessible and no more bureaucratic than they need to be.
I have learned the importance of prayerful listening, discernment, collaboration, and wise and strategic decision- making.
During my discernment process in Bradford, I trained for ordained ministry at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham.
Ordained ministry requires servant- hearted leaders with spiritual discernment and emotional resilience.
This summer alone, we have baptised seven adults and a teenager; two members have been ordained, two more will begin ordination training in September, and three are currently in discernment
I’m passionately committed to the development and appointment of God’s leaders for our church, including the contribution of theological colleges and the historic role of patronage which distils centuries of wisdom whilst seeking the discernment of the Spirit.
Following discernment, I trained at St Mellitus College, Plymouth, serving as an ordinand first with St Matt’s Exeter, and then St Andrew’s Cullompton, before being ordained in 2025.
Should I be elected, I would seek to serve collaboratively, engage respectfully with differing viewpoints, and approach every issue with prayerful discernment, seeking the good of the whole Church.
On Scripture and discernment: I believe that the Holy Scriptures are God's Word and that the Church is called to proclaim that word in all its fulness and to discern how it should be applied to Christian discipleship and to the world.
I am currently in the discernment process for ordination and hope to begin training in September 2027, with a view to serving as an associate priest – God willing, and if the Church of England will have me.
My own journey towards ordination has been a long one, and while I value careful discernment and rigorous formation, I have also experienced how cumbersome the processes can be.
Living in Love and Faith: Space for honest, patient and faithful discernment.
e Constructive and prayerful, willing to listen to others, engage with different perspectives and make difficult decisions with courage, humility and discernment; always leaning on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Daniel 11:32 says, “the people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” I believe that, with courage and by leaning on God’s discernment, God can use us as His Church to do amazing things.
In terms of my own theological position, I believe that the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ extends far beyond the Church, and we need to be braver in our discernment of what God desires for us as Christ’s Church.
However you decide to vote, may God bless your discernment in this important decision.
I believe this has been an important part of my journey and has contributed to my discernment about standing for General Synod.
It was during this time that I was exposed to the depth and breadth of the Church of England, eventually being received into the C of E after marriage and a time of discernment for ordination.
Having held national responsibility for discernment and now vocations, I want to ensure this work is kept in sharp focus: there is still much to do to ensure that the church has the lay and ordained ministers it needs to lead and enable effective mission and ministry.
Having served faithfully in my former parish in Liverpool, I recently moved to Warrington to help establish St Andrew’s CofE Multilingual Church, a vibrant new church plant reaching people across English, Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi language backgrounds. (Further details about this church plant will be available on our church website soon.) I have served within the Church of England for several years and am currently moving through the discernment process.
In the commission for the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury, I was proud to bring a distinct northern voice, ensuring that the realities and needs of our communities were represented at the highest level of discernment.
I also serve as an Assessor for the House of Clergy Standing Committee of the Northern Province, contributing to the governance and discernment of the wider Church.
I appreciate how difficult a task you have as an elector for General Synod, and pray for all of us to know God’s wisdom and discernment as we decide upon our votes.
national work on safeguarding in ordination discernment and spiritual accompaniment, drawing on work developed in Chester and following recommendations from the Makin Review;
National work on clergy terms and wellbeing has informed my work in Chester, while our diocesan experience has contributed to national work on safeguarding and discernment.
The Church of England must be able to hold serious disagreement without allowing organised factions or fixed positions to close down genuine discernment.
Synod should be a place of discernment, not factionalism: somewhere we reason together, resist easy certainties and seek the mind of Christ for the whole Church.
These experiences have taught me to listen carefully to voices that can easily be overlooked and to recognise that the Church is strengthened when the breadth of the Body of Christ contributes to its discernment.
Representation is not simply about who occupies a seat; it is about ensuring that different experiences genuinely shape our discernment and decision-making.
Keeping God and God’s priorities at the heart of decision-making: My ministry as a spiritual director and as DDO convince me of the need for careful discernment as we seek God’s way forward for the Church of England.
As the General Synod considers in its next sessions the right balance between inherited and newer models of church, we will need the patience and discernment of God’s Holy Spirit, as well as courage and boldness.
The Church of England is in many ways uniquely placed for this discernment in these times.
My own prayer life has been influenced by Ignatian Spirituality and its focus on contemplative prayer and discernment.
Whilst getting the structures right for ongoing discernment is essential, this must not delay taking forward actions that prevent the current hurt and confusion from continuing.
I have fully engaged with LLF and will continue to engage positively and pragmatically in the ongoing discussions and discernment processes that lie ahead.
I long to see a Synod that keeps Christ at the centre of our discernment, encourages every Christian to grow in faith, and supports gentle, relational mission that helps people encounter Christ for themselves.
By voting for me, you will gain a representative who is committed to: Supporting vocations through further reforms to the discernment and ordination process, and advocating for greater opportunities for lay vocations beyond self- supporting ministry and youth work.
With my past experience in TEI admissions, I am all too aware of the complexities in discernment and ordination training pathways, which create barriers to individuals with a genuine call to ministry, especially those from working-class, non-white or neurodiverse backgrounds.
Strengthen Vocations: I was fortunate to be encouraged by my church and the diocese as I explored my calling, the changes to the discernment process have been hugely positive – but many people who may be called to ministry feel discouraged from engaging with it and exploring what God might be calling them to do.
Every time the advisers said, “Go and speak to the DDO.” I did, the discernment process followed, the interviews took place, and BAP was successfully completed.
After a few months of discernment, I was offered the role of Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey.
This ranges from first conversations about vocation with students, to creating two internships for those in discernment and supervising placement ordinands, to representing the College as patron in appointments to our 69 livings.
I had become a Christian through a gradual process of conviction in my later teenage years and was confirmed in the Church of Sweden in 2016; my faith has become more and more important to me since then and I entered the discernment process in 2021 while at university.
Having been 21 years old when I entered discernment, I know first-hand the importance of robust programmes to encourage and equip people who feel a call to ministry regardless of age.
Following university and a period of discernment, I moved to Christ Church Chorleywood to train in children’s ministry.
I know our Diocese well, have been involved in almost all senior diocesan appointments, am a Bishop’s Advisor in the discernment process and, as Diocesan Lay Chair, I take time to listen to the concerns of all the laity.
Prayerfulness: Remaining deeply devoted to prayerful discernment in all Synod business and voting.
I have brought to the national church table all my experience across the fields of vocation, discernment, formation, training, parish base, and the ongoing well-being of laity and clergy.
I look forward to bringing my experience to the ongoing process of discernment at General Synod.
Skills and approach I bring an open mind, prayerful discernment, and deep respect for differing views.
To contribute to the governance of the church I love, and to share in the discernment of God’s path for it by serving on General Synod would be a privilege and a responsibility which I would not take lightly.
Having served on both Deanery and Diocesan Synods, I have firsthand experience of how our church structures work — not just on paper, but as spaces for prayerful discernment, listening, and faithful decision-making.
I will be actively engaged in all matters that come to General Synod for debate and discernment, with a particular focus on the current issues of: Mission and ministry Equity and inclusion Custodianship of creation, climate and land use Witnessing marginalised voices and walking alongside people Enabling organisational measures such as finances Ten years ago, I worked with others in my home Parish, to establish a community allotment – a space where we encourage people to ‘Come on in, take a seat, and listen’ – sowing seeds of faith.
in the landmark motion which got Issues in Human Sexuality removed from the discernment process with virtually unanimous support.
Sexuality’ from the discernment process.
Sexuality from the vocational discernment process.
I went through discernment in an evangelical parish, but after training taught at one of the leading liberal catholic theological colleges, Ripon College, Cuddesdon.
Good discernment happens when we listen deeply across our differences, receiving one another's gifts with humility and allowing ourselves to be challenged as well as affirmed.
served as a Bishops’ National Discernment Advisor involved in the discernment of candidates for training for ordination. |am actively involved with the persecuted church in Asia, and I am a Trustee of The Reuben Trust.
Having gone through the discernment process, ordination and curacy with three children, I want to help ensure that women are encouraged in their vocations while they work through what it might look like to to be a Mum and a Priest.
This requires better discernment of vocations and ordination training; and the maximum amount of funding given to dioceses for full-time priestly ministry; and weighted towards poorer, smaller communities.
And to Canon C4.3 to put in protective safeguards for disabled people in the discernment process.
The outcome of the process leading to women in the episcopate and its foundational principles for our life together as a church—based on trust, mutuality, and respect for conscientious difference—are of equal significance for the work around the Living in Love and Faith process which ended in that particular form at the close of the last quinquennium, but of course will remain an ongoing an ongoing matter for discernment and debate in the next.
I will be closely interested in matters related to discernment and theological education.
With the many challenges facing Church and Society, both breadth and depth are fundamental attributes of discernment for Synod to function effectively.
Inspired by these experiences, I began an MA in Christian Spirituality at Sarum College, while simultaneously entering the discernment process for ordained ministry and supporting a parish outreach program for the local homeless population.
I have served as a Bishop’s Advisor for National Discernment Panels, assistant DDO, chair of the Mission Apprentice scheme, a member of the Malawian Task Group (including leading clergy training in Lake Diocese in Malawi), and as a leadership specialist with CPAS.
It has also taught me that listening must lead to relationship, discernment and constructive action.
Since being elected, I have spoken twice in Synod debates on changes to the Crown Nominations Commission, drawing on my experience as member of the committee which considered how the church nominates bishops: in my speeches I highlighted themes of confidentiality, discernment and trust.
I particularly want us to address barriers relating to socio- economic background, disability and neurodiversity within discernment, training and ministry.
It has been an enormous privilege to play a part in the discernment process for the appointment of diocesan bishops since July 2022.
• Recent experience of discernment and ordinand training, including as Senior
discernment and ordinand training (IME 1).
- Removing hidden barriers in vocational discernment processes.
A willingness to engage with technology, AI and the changing culture around us, while keeping human relationship, wisdom and Christian discernment at the centre.
Clergy Health and Wellbeing - I am committed to enhancing the health and wellbeing of all in ministry from the discernment process, training pathways of ordinands and lay leaders, and the support and development of ongoing ministry.
My experience of the Church of England’s discernment process also gave me a greater awareness of the breadth of traditions within the Church.
A Church with godly, accountable leadership, marked by integrity, humility, and prayerful discernment.
My spiritual discernment is based on traditional scripture.
I am standing for General Synod because I offer a younger clergy voice, a commitment to mission among younger generations and practical experience in formation, discernment and church growth.
As a recently ordained curate, I would seek to represent curate and ordinand voices, including continuing to shape the discernment and training pathways.
Curate equipped to speak into current training and discernment pathways.
That varied experience led me into intergenerational mission in Ludlow, the discernment process, and ordination in 2021.
The challenges facing the Church today require prayerful discernment, courageous leadership, and a willingness to work together for the common good.
I am standing because I believe the Church is at its strongest when faithful Christians from local parishes contribute to the discernment and decision- making of the wider Church.
Human sexuality The process known as Living in Love and Faith drew to a close this year, with the Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples commended for use in regular services, and the much-criticised guidelines in Issues in Human Sexuality withdrawn from use in the discernment process.
It is about recognising that the wisdom, experience and gifts of the whole Church are necessary for our common discernment.
I would bring to General Synod a desire to listen carefully, think deeply, and hold together compassion, discernment, and Christian hope.
We need greater discernment and priority in reaching Young People Despite much good work, the Church continues to struggle with the fact that making disciples is something for us all to do and is not just down to our Clergy.
I also support the emerging national strategy to encourage people from working class backgrounds discernment, training and ordination.
• Undertaking the discernment process towards ordained ministry.
assist in the discernment for the new Archbishop of Canterbury – an experience which was one of the most extraordinary and challenging of my life.
I am the Rector of a six-parish benefice in West Dorset, I also sit on the diocesan Discipleship, Vocations and Ministry Committee, and am part of the team of Vocations Advisors that support those at the initial stages of discernment.
Clergy and laity are already seeing increasing demand for pastoral visits, and we battle with the guilt of losing touch with souls entrusted into our care, as our roles as priests and deacons start to look very different to the ordinal that first formed our vocational discernment.