finance
I would carefully scrutinise the legislation before the Synod and seek to ensure that, in matters of safeguarding, finance and national structures, the local parish church is supported and enabled in its ministry.
Nominators: Sir Hector Sants (Chair: Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance, Wycombe Deanery) John Sykes (Chair: Oxford Diocese House of Laity, Windsor and Maidenhead Deanery)
Finance Committee 2016 - 2026
for the last five years I have been Vice-Chair of Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance, working with Sir Hector Sants and John Sykes, who are supporting my nomination to stand for re- election to General Synod.
Disability, class, gender, vocation, sexuality, governance, safe-guarding, finance, ministry are not separate issues.
I speak up I’ve spoken in debates, asked questions and proposed amendments on a issues including Living in Love and Faith (LLF), working-class vocations, estates ministry, women's ministry, finance and neurodiversity.
I worship at St Mary's Church, Peterborough, where I serve as PCC Secretary, keeping me involved with governance, finance, buildings, safeguarding, mission, volunteers and community engagement.
I am the Area Dean of the Chorley Deanery, a member of the Bishop’s Council, I am a Diocesan Board of Finance Director, and a member of the Imagine this… the world knowing Jesus!
There are big questions for us around inclusion, finance, clergy numbers, safeguarding, lay ministers and around what we believe and practice as a Church.
Despite the riches of our parishes, congregations, and theological education sector, attentive listening to the voices of those we are called to serve requires honesty about the sense of anxiety, pressures on resources both in terms of time and finance, the crisis in clergy wellbeing, the hurt felt by both GMH and LGBTQIA+ people, and uncertainty for TEIs about their viability and future.
Three major concerns remain for us as a Church and Diocese – safeguarding, sexuality, and finance (with the linked concerns over projected clergy numbers).
On finance, we have to recognise the pressures on parishes and dioceses.
I am a trustee of St John’s College with Cranmer Hall in Durham University, as well as serving as trustee on the St Nicholas Durham PCC, the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance, the Archbishops’ Council, and Safe Spaces England and Wales.
I was Ordained in Chester in 2007 after a career in Industry and Local Government, working in Finance and Management.
General Synod necessarily deals with structures, legislation, finance and policy.
standing for election to the House of Laity, General Synod elections 2026 Proposed by: Simon Harper, Corbridge Deanery and Chair of Diocesan Finance Committee Seconded by: Carol Griffiths, Secretary of Bamburgh & Glendale Deanery Why am I standing?
Decline in attendance and finance, use of historic assets, our parish base, role of laity
I’ve served on PCCs, Deanery Synods and Diocesan Synod, and I’ve served on Bishop's Council and Finance Group since 2012.
In the past I served as Chair of Clergy (3 terms), on Finance & Scrutiny, HR and Outreach committees.
I chose the Coal Board and worked in the finance department.
other large public organisations by creating combining the back-office functions of several diocese into single units e.g estates, HR, finance and safeguarding.
Finance & Governance
Acre Holt, One Tree Hill Road, Guildford, GU4 8PJ T: 07747613342 E: [email protected] Proposer: Graham Everness (St Paul’s, Dorking): Licensed Lay Minister; Registrar of LLMs; Lay Chair of Dorking Deanery Synod; Diocesan Synod; Vice-Chair of Diocesan Board of Finance; member of Bishop’s Council.
Seconder: Lizzy Klintworth (St Michael and All Angels, Pirbright): Church Warden; member of Deanery and Diocesan Synods; member of Bishop’s Council; member of the Diocesan Board of Finance.
With most of our representatives coming from the Bristol end of the Diocese, I would help ensure that the eastern end is represented on General Synod, and that the experience of clergy and parishes here is part of national conversations about mission, ministry, finance and clergy wellbeing.
The future shape and mission of the Church of England, the pressures facing parish ministry, questions of finance and sustainability, the ongoing work around safeguarding and redress, clergy wellbeing and conditions of service, the challenges of church growth, and the wider question of how we become a Church that is confident in proclaiming the Gospel while engaging honestly with the society around us, are all issues which require careful and mature discussion.
My experience on Synod, including past service on the Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee and on occasion the Crown Nominations Commission, has given me insight into the workings, demands and challenges of the national church and there are some key issues to be faced during this coming Synod.
Broader engagement across the wider Church, including past membership of the Finance
Parish Finance: A key challenge
One of the biggest challenges facing the Church of England in the North is how we finance parish ministry.
Finance is one of my main priorities as a candidate and must be addressed in the next five years of Synod so that good, missional, grass roots ministry can be found across the whole of the Diocese and beyond.
I took this opportunity to raise issues around ordinand finance and ensuring that candidates from social housing, both young and old are afforded the same opportunities as those who have finance from previous careers or inherited wealth.
I’m a member of St Helens Deanery Synod, a Director of the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance, a member of its audit committee and of Bishop’s Council.
two Churches, Lay Co Lead in East Lindsey Deanery Mission Partnership, Director of Lincoln Diocesan Board of Education, Trustee and Chair of Lincoln Diocesan Trust and Board of Finance (Chair of Investments and Finance Committees), Charity Trustee on various Grant Giving Bodies, School Governor for over 20 years – Chair at three C of E Primary Schools and a Grammar School with responsibilities to support other schools with Governance.
My Life experience has seen me working in the Finance industry for 35 years, latterly as a Bank Manager leading a team of 35 across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
Since that time I have also been appointed as Chair of the Lincoln Diocesan Trust and Board of Finance and believe that offers me a greater insight into the operation of the Church of England as a whole, but also, as a Synod member, I can bring a lot back to the Diocese in my Role as Chair.
• Finance experience and a clear understand of Financial Accounts
Over the years my dedication and hard work brought promotions to eventually be part of the management team in the finance office for the Pension Service.
Our church faces real pressure around volunteers, finance, buildings and changing communities.
Whether we are debating safeguarding, finance, ministry, or legislation, I ask one simple question: how will this help the local church share the love of Christ in its community?
FINANCE
▪ 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.
Parishes and Finance
Diocesan Board of Finance, alongside Bishop’s
Following the latter role, I held the post of Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance, including through the troubled times of the pandemic and its aftermath.
Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee, the Diocesan Finance
Board of Finance and the York Diocesan Finance Sub-Committee
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).
Proposer: Mr Rodney Barton, All Hallows Walkington, Hull Deanery & Chair of York Diocesan Board of Finance
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).
and Ledbury deaneries, and I am vice-chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance, chair of the Diocesan Property Team, and a member of Bishop’s Council.
I was elected from General Synod to the Archbishops’ Council Finance Committee (ACFC), which oversees some £250m of annual expenditure.
Since 2012 I have served St Peter’s, Colchester through significant renewal alongside the ordinary realities of evangelism, pastoral ministry, safeguarding, finance, volunteers, governance and the care of a historic church building.
My hope is to be re-elected in order to be able to contribute to that crucial finance debate and rebalance central spending priorities.
I am now the PCC lay vice-chair and chair its safeguarding and finance working groups.
Currently I am the Stepney Area Council lay vice chair, and a member of the Area Finance Group.
I serve on the Diocesan Bishop’s Council, and the Diocesan Finance Committee.
Church finances: The Church Commissioners contribute nearly £400m each year to help finance the Church of England.
I would bring to Synod long experience of parish ministry, diocesan strategy, finance and change; particular expertise in pastoral reorganisation and ecclesiastical structures; and experience of national governance and legislation.
Finance.
• 2018 to present – Director of Oxbury Bank which provides finance to farmers in
Parish & Diocesan Finance
Extensive experience of finance and accountancy, including as an auditor of a Diocesan Board of Finance, with experience of pensions and investments.
“Simon has become a respected voice at General Synod having made significant contributions in debates on Living in Love & Faith, Safeguarding, Housing and Finance during his two terms.
Additionally, with over 40 years of international experience in corporate finance, wealth management, and strategic governance—including senior executive roles across global institutions, serving as Executive Partner at Orchard Way Capital Partners, and holding the chairmanship of a privately held bond brokerage company — I bring a strong set of analytical, governance, and scrutiny skills to attach to synodical matters:
Having spent fifteen years leading in local churches, I know that true sustainability will not be achieved through administrative cuts or clever finance, but through spiritual renewal, intentional discipleship, and local church growth.
(Chair, Diocesan Board of Finance)
As a governor of a large Church of England School where I was safeguarding governor (and also on the finance committee) I had extensive training in safeguarding.
I am not afraid to ask questions and challenge where necessary - whether on finance, education, safeguarding, or how we navigate cultural change but still be faithful to the Gospel.
as a director of Winchester Diocese Board of Finance from 2022-2024.
I joined the Bishop’s Council Finance sub-committee at a crucial time.
Morgan; on baptism left finance for disaster relief with Medair; policy work on unemployment in Whitehall; trained at Cuddesdon; curacy at St Leonard's Streatham; Bishop's Chaplain; now Vicar of Holy Trinity Roehampton, the most economically deprived, and by far the most interesting parish in the borough; Hon Canon of Southwark, Area Dean, Chair of the Bishop’s Advisory Group on Liturgy, Associate Tutor at St Augustine's College of Theology.
Finance, housing and practical responsibility: I have more than 30 years’ experience helping small charities and church-related bodies use money carefully and well.
This has included 30 years as director and treasurer of a small housing association, trustee of St Bernard’s charity supporting women in financial difficulty because of ill-health, and Finance Officer for Off The Fence, seeking an end to social and spiritual poverty in Brighton and Hove.
Why I am asking for your vote I offer long experience of governance, finance, education, housing, homelessness services and parish life, together with a deep knowledge of the diocese and its deaneries.
More recently as a member of North West Leeds Deanery Synod, Leeds Diocesan Synod, the Leeds EA Mission and Pastoral Committee, the Trustee Board of the Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance and of Bishop Arun’s Leeds EA Leadership Team I readily appreciate the wider impacts and the amount of time, effort and resource which is consumed.
Having been blessed with investment by the church in both finance and people I can give first-hand account of the impact of positive work by both the diocese and national church institutions.
• I have worked in Accountancy ever since I left school, and have a degree in accounting and finance.
• Trustee of Blackburn DBF, and on the Finance and Mission & Pastoral Committees
• Elected member of the Archbishops Council Finance Committee.
• Through General Synod I was elected to serve on the Archbishops Council Finance Committee,
I believe this will be useful for debates involving matters of finance and could be useful for relevant working groups for Synod.
Alongside this, I would seek to use the professional skills I have developed in finance and investment management, particularly as the Church considers its long-term financial sustainability.
Prior to ordination, I spent 20 years in banking and finance.
serve on the deanery synod where I am also a member of the finance committee and a member of the PCC
I served on the Crown Nominations Commission which nominated Bishop Rick, and what I learn nationally informs my contribution to Diocesan Synod and Finance Group, while parish and diocesan realities shape the questions I take to General Synod.
Keeping the main thing the main thing Synod necessarily deals with legislation, safeguarding, finance and difficult questions.
lam also committed to inclusion across the range of protected characteristics and other areas of inequality, like finance, employment and housing status.
Currently I am the Trustee responsible for finance at Beyond the Streets, a Christian charity that works to see women energised by their future and not defined by their past.
I am also the finance trustee of a grant giving medical charity called the Dorset Health Trust and give practical help to the local branch of Riding for the Disabled which includes looking after one of their ponies for them.
If my skills in finance, people and business management are of use to the Church, I would gladly offer them up.
Finance: A sustainable, central funding settlement for our parishes through our dioceses.
Finance: The financial situation is stark.
As a long time PCC Treasurer, I have been our Deanery Finance Chairman, a member of my Deanery and Diocesan Synods and of our Diocesan Finance Committee.
I evolved through various interesting technical jobs into being the Finance and Managing Director of a £50M (in today’s money) management buy-out that I led and successfully turned around.
I’ve been a Deanery lay chair for 9 years (just ended), Diocesan Synod representative for 8 years, am currently a member of the Diocesan Audit, Finance and Risk Committee and am a former member of Bishop’s Council.
Finance
Whilst Oxford is not yet in that position, the Diocesan Board of Finance has warned us that we could be next.
When we discuss attendance, growth, finance and resources, small churches can sometimes appear insignificant.
These issues of finance, however, have only added to the pressure clergy face and the stress many of us suffer from.
I subsequently worked for a global venture-capital finance company, working internationally, before eventually establishing my own Management and Leadership business, which I successfully ran for 20 years before retiring early at 62.
My experience spans leadership, education, mission and developing people, alongside the practical realities of leading a growing church: safeguarding, finance, staffing, governance, pastoral care and mission.
As we face challenges around finance, ministry, buildings and governance, we need the courage to ask what could be simpler and what might need to change.
I understand the practical realities of parish life, governance and finance, and I am used to working through difficult issues carefully, practically and with attention to the values behind the decisions.
My work covers governance, finance, risk, compliance, HR, systems and organisational leadership.
My career began in engineering, then law and finance, but for the last 20 years I have worked as a storyteller building a Company producing and distributing short films globally.
Education: Astronautical engineer; US law degree, Finance Masters Exec program.
US Senator in Washington, DC as legislative director -8 yrs on Capitol Hill. o Wrote & assisted to pass key US k NATO expansion legislation ▪ Awarded highest non-military defence award by Poland for this o Investment banking advising finance ministers and companies o Film Producer - founded UK company focused on “Shorts” – short films. o Voting member - BAFTA’s film branch &
The ‘third age’ I went part-time at the age of 55, allowing me to take up a number of new roles, including becoming increasingly involved in a variety of Deanery and Diocesan matters: Training for and being admitted as a Licensed Lay Minister (LLM), and subsequently becoming responsible for co-ordinating the ministry of all LLMs in the Diocese by acting as the ‘Registrar of LLMs’; Taking on the role of Lay Chair of Dorking Deanery Synod; Assisting with the management of a Foodbank being newly set-up by the ecumenical group Churches Together in Dorking; Being elected to Bishop’s Council (where I currently serve on sub-committees covering Finance, Risk Management, Safeguarding and Remuneration); Recently, becoming Vice-Chair of the Guildford Diocesan Board of Finance; and Continuing my involvement in the world of pensions (after I had formally retired from actuarial work) by becoming a member-nominated trustee of four schemes for employees of the insurance company Aviva.
Serving fifteen parishes also makes me very aware of the weight of governance, buildings, administration and finance.
I was called to ministry following a career in finance and teaching.
• I am the Chair of the Houses Sub-Committee and a member of the Finance Committee within
Council, Finance and Resources
That means properly supporting parish clergy and lay leaders, taking seriously the pressures under which they serve, and ensuring that decisions about finance, deployment and strategy recognise that local ministry is not merely one programme amongst many.
We need to ask difficult questions about structures, finance, vocations, ministry and mission.
General Synod must address difficult questions about doctrine, worship, finance, governance and the future of the Church.
The importance of the parish and finance I see the parish as the foundation of all ministry in the Diocese and the Church of England.
There is a pressing need for finance & legislation to ease this.
Clergy and lay leaders are asked to manage buildings, finance, safeguarding, governance and administration while also sustaining worship, pastoral care, mission and their own lives of prayer.
As a member of Bishop's Council and the Diocesan Board of Finance, I scrutinise proposals closely and challenge where there are questions of governance, authority, funding or their effect on our parishes.
At the most recent sessions in York, I asked a Synod question on how the Church can build stronger partnerships with governments, finance and civil society to turn its commitment to creation care into practical action, and was encouraged by the positive response from the bishop leading on climate justice.
I work for the National Trust, where I care for heritage and the natural world, and I bring a background in finance and strategy.
My background in strategy and finance means I will ask hard questions – including those of our spending, and of whether we live, as an institution, the virtue we preach.
MISSIONAL FINANCE
Finance should be an enabler, not a bottleneck - and not a leash!
Seconded by Julie Dziegiel, Vice-Chair, Oxford Board of Finance and General Synod member Why am I standing?
General Synod makes decisions about doctrine, legislation, finance and the ordering of our common life which impact the local church.
• Former member of FIPS (Finance,
Finance: For most of our married life, I have managed our household budget.
Proposer: Jacquie Driver Chair of Diocesan Finance
My overriding priority is to enable the Church throughout England to have evangelism and discipleship at the top of its agenda, to allocate finance in support of that, and to remove all impediments to effective mission.
Finance Committee, Willesden Area Council, and (ex officio) Harrow Deanery Synod Standing Committee
So, I already have some of the understanding of finance and organisational issues which will need to be addressed by Synod Other issues:
Above all, hope The Church of England faces real challenges: mission and growth, finance, buildings, ministry, safeguarding, governance, clergy wellbeing and the future shape of the Church.
e In StAlbans I served on Diocesan Synod, Finance Committee and Budget Scrutiny committee
I believe my experience in both youth work and finance will enable me to contribute to and offer ideas towards tackling two of the biggest areas that our church faces.
At present I am serving on the PCC at Christ Church Coalville as Finance Lead, which has recently been placed into Vacancy and am a member of the Denary Synod
Secretary to the Diocesan Board of Finance
These roles have given me practical experience of leadership, governance, finance, communication, youth ministry, decision-making and working collaboratively across different parts of the Church.
The challenges for our Church in recent years have been considerable - leadership, openness and accountability, finance, safeguarding, marriage, sexuality, slavery … the list is long.
I sit on the Bishop’s Council, the Finance Committee and the Joint Diocesan Board of Education where I am the Vice Chair.
Mum to teenagers, a bookkeeper running a small business and juggling multiple part-time finance jobs for charities/a CIC, and the wife of a rector in Chichester.
During that time I have contributed to a number of discussion at the House on issues of finance and funding, racial justice, safeguarding, trust and accountability amongst other discussions.
I understand finance, business and organisation, all of which would benefit the discussions in Synod in how the church is run.
I transferred to the world of finance as a Stockbroking Investment Analyst for
Later, at the height of my finance career and married to a Professor of Egyptology at Cambridge, I found myself asking deeper questions about purpose as the world’s challenges pressed in.
My last project was the delivery of the five Private Finance High Schools in Exeter.
• I am a member of the Finance Committee for the diocese, and of Bishop’s Council,
I have also spoken on finance issues, the fair sharing of Diocesan resources, education and young people, Living in Love and Faith, and valuing those with Down Syndrome.
I have volunteered to serve on the Diocese Finance committee for several years.
The chair of the Archbishops’ Council’s Finance Committee, Carl Hughes, told General Synod: “Establishing the review has taken longer than the Council hoped and intended, and I am sorry for that.
After my gap year I worked in Human Resources (briefly), Information Technology (mainly) and Finance until my retirement.
• I am a director and trustee of Blackburn Diocesan Board of Finance Limited (“The DBF”)
and a member of the DBF Finance Committee.
of the Cathedral’s Finance, Audit & Risk Committee and the acting-Chair of the Cathedral Nominations Committee.
Parish Finance Task Force
I hope to bring that practical experience, alongside my PCC and finance experience, to General Synod.
Pathways, Not Roadblocks: I will challenge Synod to look honestly at how training, housing, finance, and institutional culture block working-class candidates.
Running my own companies since 2005 has taught me much about governance, operations, responsibility, risk taking under pressure, finance, regulation, stakeholder relations, the law and even government relations.
Acknowledgement of the audience of one. – Practical experience of governance / risk taking / finance / safeguarding / teaching / youth and children’s work.
Board of Finance
was overwhelmingly carried, to request General Synod members to represent the views of our Synod on finance and I will do that.
In the midst of concerns about finance, structure and organisation we mustn’t forget what we are here for: to bring God’s Kingdom to everyone.
We must grow more disciples, lay and ordained, properly finance their training and equip our leaders to Grow the Kingdom.
I bring understanding of parish and diocesan finance to the Synod to get this right. “Clergy Accountability” is coming down the tracks.
Wellbeing, safeguarding, CMD, finance, retirements outstripping ordinations, changes to clergy discipline, all impinge on clergy terms of service.
I can bring my experience as Prolocutor and knowledge of legal and synodical process, my understanding of finance and my established working relationships to what may be the defining matter of this quinquennium.
I am a member of Cathedral Chapter and Chair of the Finance Committee and gain enormous fulfilment from my involvement with the wider team that deliver the ministry to the Parish, City of Portsmouth and support the Diocese.
Finance It irks me, as a born and bred Scouser, to see our Diocese in such financial hardship, as many of our parishes seek to serve some of the country’s most deprived communities.
I have also been a trustee of the Diocesan Board of Finance and Diocesan Lay Chair for 6 years.
Finance
Other current part-time roles ● Trustee, Tree of Life, Carlisle - a new charity reaching out to those in need in Carlisle with the love of Christ through Food, Lifeskills, Shelter, Healthcare and Relief branches. ● Finance Director, Selden College, in Oxford, a Christian Higher Education college offering undergraduate-level liberal arts education. ● Company Secretary, Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers (Bible School and Holidays at Capernwray Hall, N Lancs). ● Business Manager and Clerk, Burton Morewood Church of England Primary School Academy & Nursery - finance, HR and governance roles.
Proposed by: Ian Walker, All Saints Ecclesall & Diocesan Synod, Chair Sheffield Diocesan Board of Finance.
Having been elected to General Synod in 2010, and re-elected in 2015 and 2021, I have tried to be conscientious in participating in the Sessions, have asked questions, spoken in a number of debates (particularly on the role of lay members; issues related to health care and the end of life; finance and mission).
My main role in the diocese is the same: to support leaders, and to be accountable for securing the best for everyone as Chair of the Chester Diocesan Board of Finance.
His time in the House e Member of General Synod (Co-opted from 2022 to 2026) of Laity means he understands how e = Chair of Trustees, Chester Diocesan Board of Finance (Since 2025) Synod works and can hit the ground e Chair, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (2021-2022) running.
Currently, as chair of the Chester Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF), I have been entrusted with a scrutiny role to challenge and support those who spend our central budget.
• Member of the Diocese of London’s Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Finance Committee
I’m a chartered accountant and lead the finance function for a professional membership organisation whose members are largely NHS employees.
In volunteer roles, I’ve been a governor of a small independent school and chaired its Finance and General Purposes committee.
Plainly too those finance issues loom large - but with an investment pot of over £11BILLION administered by the Church commissioners, shouldn’t General Synod be making a difference?
• Member of the Diocesan Board of Finance Audit Risk and Governance Committee Jan
Today, many must pay for CCLI licences—sometimes several in multi-parish benefices—along with livestreaming services, bank account fees, finance software, church management systems, Microsoft or Google packages, live translation tools, Sunday school materials, media and presentation software, and more.
I have served as a member of Bishop’s Council in the Diocese of Manchester for eight years and was elected as the Diocesan Chair of the House of Laity in 2024, prior to that I served as the Vice-Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance.
During this time, I was an active participant and spoke on issues including healthcare, youth work, finance, and Synod organisation.
Finally, during the last quinquennium, I asked a total of twenty-one written questions at General Synod ( the equivalent of Parliamentary Questions ) on the following subjects: The folly of closing the churches at the beginning of lockdown; the imbalance of power and resources between diocese and parish when a church is threatened with closure under the existing and proposed Mission and Pastoral Measure ( in parallel, I sat on the Reference Group for the revised Mission and Pastoral Measure ); the eye-wateringly high staffing and refurbishment costs of Lambeth Palace; the paucity of spending on training of new ordinands; the amount of time wasted by bishops in the House of Lords; the ruinous cost and lunacy of trying to achieve net zero by 2030 and the burden, which this places on parishes; the fact that so few dioceses use Total Return Accounting ( thereby increasing the financial burden on parishes of parish share ); the non-validity of the Church’s Vision and Strategy ( it was never voted for by General Synod and yet it is depriving principally rural parishes of vicars and stipendiary boots on the ground ); what percentage of the Church Commissioners’ total assets come from parochial endowments, which were seized in 1976 ( for the first time, the written answer to this question established that it is 19% ); concerns about increasing centralisation of Church governance and control of funding; how significant amounts of money are being diverted away from the parish in order to finance episcopal vanity projects; and seven questions about Project Spire and slavery reparations.
Aged sixty-six, brought up in a naval family on the west coast of Scotland, with an MA in History from Cambridge and an MBA from Insead, I spent nine years in investment banking before running my own firms in finance for the last thirty-five years.
I am the clergy representative on the Finance, Audit and Personnel Committee where I have advocated for the clergy of the Diocese (both female and male) when it comes to difficult financial situations concerning remuneration, housing, terms and conditions of service, hardship and clergy well-being.
I live in a small village in north Buckinghamshire near Winslow and am a retired charity Finance Director and elected member of Buckinghamshire Council.
After returning to the UK I was a Trustee of USPG and member of the USPG Finance Committee for 6 years.
Finance, Resources and Safeguarding
• Finance, especially as it affects small churches and congregations, in
I spent 30 years as an investment banker in London and New York, learning about finance, governance, difficult decisions and institutional responsibility.
We have a new Archbishop, a new and more sympathetic Chairman of the Archbishop’s Finance Committee and most importantly, we are now beginning to see positive change.
Resourcing parishes and deaneries, particularly around finance, parish share and vacancies.
I am described by friends as full of energy, enthusiasm and humour, which I bring into everything that I do, whether my focus is mission, buildings or finance.
I will support meaningful consultation and communication with clergy, laity, and our wider communities, especially when decisions affect pastoral reorganisation, finance, buildings or land.
I currently work on publishing planning application statistics for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, having previously worked on local government finance and homelessness/rough sleeping statistics.
Chair of Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
My experience as an archdeacon has given me a strong understanding of governance, safeguarding, finance, pastoral reorganisation, ministry
Governance, Finance and Resourcing – recognising that the church’s stewardship of its resources, including its money and its people, are fundamental to the thriving of the church.
I will use my finance skills to press the Church Commissioners to strengthen frontline ministry.
Using my experience in these areas I would look to contribute to the ongoing National Church Governance Programme, so that governance and finance enable the mission of the church, including local church growth and safeguarding.
Married to Sarah—an HR/Finance professional and licensed children’s and families missioner—we have two adult children and two dogs.
I want to see more robust, practical parish support for buildings, personnel, and finance so our churches are free to focus on pastoral care and outward mission.
I've asked 30 questions on matters from safeguarding to racial justice, finance, governance and ministry. I've offered 14 speeches in debates on: assisted suicide, codes of conduct for lay officers, disability, funding priorities, governance, LLF, national care service, neurodiversity, poverty, racial justice, representation, safeguarding, and the value of work. I was elected by Synod to the Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf & Disabled People (CMDDP), a sub-group of the Archbishops' Council.
I hope this experience would enable me to contribute practically to Synod, in the areas of strategy, finance, governance and implementation, while keeping sight of the people and communities affected by national decisions.
I have contributed to the House of Bishops on a wide variety of topics, including clergy terms and conditions, young people, church planting, finance.
I have also served as a trustee of SPCK and Veritas Educational Trust, and on the Diocese of London's Bishop's Council and Finance Committee during Bishop Sarah Mullally's leadership.
That has given me practical experience of charity law, governance and church finance.
Now focus is moving to future finance and funding for our mission and ministry.
Having studied for a Theology degree at Durham University I explored ordination and worked as a church intern for a year at St Oswald’s, Walkergate (Newcastle upon Tyne) before turning to a 30 year career in finance.
Over the last few years I have been exploring a sense of calling away from my career in finance to invest my time and experience with Christian charities, Gospel focused businesses and the church.
Members will also bring different convictions to difficult questions facing the Church, including mission, sexuality and relationships, safeguarding reform, clergy deployment, parish finance, racial justice, environmental responsibility, assisted dying, science and technology, and the relationship between national structures and local autonomy.
Safeguarding, fundraising, human resources, mission and growth, buildings, finance and governance sit alongside all the ordinary and extraordinary tasks of Christian ministry for which we believe we were primarily called and ordained.
I was dismayed, for example, that no plan was put in place to finance the nationally agreed increase in clergy stipends, despite concerns being raised on the floor of General Synod, and I am absolutely committed to ensuring that neither parishes nor clergy carry the can for poor central decision making or bad and unaccountable funding decisions.
I am clear sighted about many of our church’s failings at every level and most of my day to day work engages with these failings: finance, vacancies, safeguarding, racial justice, clergy and lay misconduct, yet still the work of Jesus continues resolutely in our congregations, great and small, and their work and voices need to be represented.
I am a member of Bishop's Council and Diocesan Synod, a trustee and director of the Diocesan Board of Finance, and a member of the Conditions of Service Group.
Safeguarding… Finance… Human Identity and Sexuality… these (and more) are also pressing and sensitive topics demanding General Synod’s attention.
my skills in finance and governance
Exeter Diocesan Board of Finance
Church Finance – Local churches rely heavily on congregational contributions to fund frontline ministry, but sliding attendance has squeezed these funds.
There are many topics that will come up in the next quinquennium such as finance, safeguarding, Living in Love and Faith along with others.
I was on Chapter and a member of the Finance committee.
I understand how the Diocesan Board of Finance works, and I understand the governance of the Church of England as Chair of the Archbishops’ Council and Vice Chair of the House of Laity.
PCCs and Standing and Finance Committees for over 30.
I hope to use my experience in the finance sector and in racing to advocate for structural change within the church, concentrating its effort, time and money on reaching those it was set up to serve: people up and down our country.
I want to bring my practical parish experience to those decisions: experience of growth and challenge, buildings and finance, collaboration and change.
On General Synod I have served on the national Finance Committee, on Appointments Committee and am a Deputy Prolocutor (Vice chair) of the Northern House of Clergy.
Finance.
I spent time on the national Finance Committee and the way we invest our money is a crucial issue.
My pre-ordination working life was spent in organisational change and strategy; more recently I’ve served on the Diocesan Board of Finance and Bishop’s Council.
I spent three years on the Diocesan Board of Finance and Bishop's Council.
Finance, Bishop’s Council 2021-
This lack of trust stems from failings in a number of areas, including governance, safeguarding, and the way debates concerning LLF and finance have been conducted.
General Synod faces significant questions about mission, governance, ministry, finance, church growth and public witness.
governance, finance, HR, communications & oversight of £6m church building project
Diocesan Board of Finance, Bishop’s Council)
This has given me practical experience of leadership, governance, finance, strategy and working with trustees and other stakeholders.
Member of St Albans Diocesan Board of Finance (since 2024)
I also bring experience of the wider diocese as Rural Dean and elected member of both Diocesan Synod and Diocesan Board of Finance.
As a member of Diocesan Synod and the Board of Finance, I have not been afraid to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and work constructively for the benefit of clergy and parishes in our diocese.
Finance and parish ministry The parish system gives the Church of England a Christian presence and responsibility in every community.
Professionally, I have extensive experience in leadership, governance, finance, and organisational change.
I sit on the Business Committee and have also served in the diocese as a vocations adviser, Chair of the Grants Committee, and supported diocesan teams with communications, governance and finance.
I currently chair the finance and fabric committee.
sake of the Church’s future, we must be bold in tackling the underlying causes of this downturn, whether they relate to finance, structures, communications, our own outlook, or whatever it might be.
I understand the finances of the C of E having served as an elected member of the Finance Committee of the Archbishop’s Council for six years.
General Synod faces important decisions about safeguarding, mission, governance, finance and the future shape of the Church.
Having served on the London Diocesan Synod, Diocesan Bishop’s Council, and Diocesan Finance Committee (2018–2020), I understand how diocesan structures operate—and how General Synod must be directed to better resource and serve grassroots ministry.
Member of the Bishop’s Advisory Group for the appointment of the current Area Bishop of Stafford Served the Diocese on the Crown Nominations Commission for the appointment of the retiring Bishop of Lichfield Former chairman of Governors to two Primary Schools Served on Bishop’s Council and of the Diocesan Finance and Asset Management Committee until appointed to Archbishop’s Council Past member of Stafford Area Mission and Pastoral Committee Past member of the Diocesan Advisory Committee
These include, but are not limited to, clergy pay and recruitment; finance from central church and government - primarily in relation to building maintenance and improvement; local implications of the wealth and management of land held by Church Commissioners; the Safeguarding record of central church; and the impact of Church Representation Rules, Safeguarding and other legislation.
With ongoing challenges over finance and membership I will be supporting initiatives and looking for new ways that the Church can navigate these challenges over the coming years and decades.
• I’ve worked mostly in Finance Director roles in the retail, telco and charity sectors – based in
and St Edmund’s, Warkton Peterborough Diocese for 16 years Member of General Synod since 2015 Member of Appointments Committee (2015-2021) Member of Diocesan Board of Finance 2012-2025 Member of the Bishop’s Council 2013-2025 Ordained in 1994 in Chelmsford Diocese 1998-2010 served in Chichester Diocese Four married children and nine grandchildren.
Having worked in warehousing for almost 25 years, 4 years ago I changed jobs and now work as the Bishop of Chester’s Finance and Administrative Clerk.
Each of these experiences demonstrate my rich understanding of church-based organisational leadership across the varied lenses: mission, motions, stratergy, and finance.