The Inclusive Synod Election Campaign is supporting a record 276 candidates in this year’s General Synod elections. A joint project of Together for the Church of England and the Inclusive Church network, the campaign has a diverse range of inclusive candidates standing across the country. All candidates have signed up to a broad inclusion statement as a public commitment to openness and transparency. The list has been made publicly available as a resource for voters looking for inclusive candidates who share their values.
Voting opens on 21st September and runs through to 13th October, with elected candidates having their first meeting of the new Synod in November.
In 2021, the inclusive election campaign fielded 221 candidates, with 131 being elected. This was an increase on the 90 elected in 2015. The 2021 intake of inclusive Synod members worked with others on the Synod on a wide range of policies, all with the aim of reinforcing the Church of England’s status as the national church there for all in our communities. Notable progess includes:
- The first ever commended liturgy for use with same sex couples in the Prayers of Love and Faith
- Ending the use of the document Issues in Human Sexuality
- Getting central support for a national strategy supporting people from a working class background in the vocations process and into ministry
- Guaranteed representation of women on the Crown Nominations Commission process for selecting bishops
- Landmark debates on disability, mental health and neurodiversity in the Church
- Support for the Church of England’s Racial Justice unit in implementing recommendations of From Lament to Action
- Support for Project Spire, bringing healing and reconciliation over the historic legacies of transatlantic chattel slavery
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