General Synod Election Address, November 2012
Simon
Taylor
Proposed
by Geraldine Pond
Seconded by Michael Mitton
Dear
friends,
I
am the Continuing Ministerial Development Officer and Canon Chancellor of Derby
Cathedral. I’m standing for General
Synod because I believe I can offer a clear and articulate voice in complex
times.
I
was brought up in a middle-of-the-road parish church. A school Christian Union infused my faith
with energy and personal commitment. Working
with a United Reform Church in the city centre of Birmingham widened my vision
ecumenically and gave me a keen sense of social justice. As a student I explored Catholic approaches
to worship, and at theological college spent a semester in the English College
in Rome. A regular Greenbelter, I have
been very involved in alternative worship.
I am, therefore, something of a spiritual mongrel. Formed by such a variety of church
traditions, I firmly believe the Church of England needs them all.
I
am married with two children, and until recently was a parish priest in Bristol. Ministry there involved growing the numbers
of children and young families, outreach to an area of depravation, supporting a
large church school & a local authority children’s centre and resolving
issues of governance in the church.
I
offer this vision of the church which would shape how I would work on your
behalf, if I were elected:
A Missionary Church
Far
and away the most important issue facing the Church of England is engaging in
the mission of God to the world. I
believe that the Parish is the key place of missionary encounter. I also have experience of setting up a Fresh
Expression and offering oversight to it as it grew. The General Synod cannot do mission, but it
can act in ways that enable or hinder mission.
Sometimes the effects on mission are unintended, but no less real. If elected, I would work to enable the Church
of England to be a church that is focussed on mission in every aspect of its
being, not least in the way it spends its money.
An Equal Church
I
am grieved by the failure of the Women Bishops Measure. I strongly believe that we need bishops of
both genders. If elected, I would work
to support legislation that would enable the church to have bishops of both
genders. There should be provision for
those who dissent, but not at the price of undermining the ecclesiology of the
Church of England, or the authority of the diocesan bishop.
A Broad Church
A
privilege of my role is to travel around the Diocese, from Glossop to
Swadlincote, from Killamarsh to Ashbourne.
It is a joy to work with such an immensely varied group of clergy: Non-Stipendiary,
Ministers in Secular Employment, Ordained Local Ministers, Incumbents of
parishes and Curates. If elected, I
would work for a church that values & fosters diversity and listens to the
voices and experiences of different expressions of ministry in the church.
A Local Church
An
organisation that feels threatened has a tendency to centralise. We have seen this in the way that the
structure of parochial fees has changed recently and I come across it regularly
in relation to the training of curates and other ministers. I strongly believe that Bill Hybels is right
to say that “the local church is the hope of the world.” If elected, I would work to support the work
of the church in the parish and at the local level. Where the national church can support this,
great. At times it will need to get out
of the way.
A Fair Church
My
father, a retired priest in another diocese, died this summer. He had in good
faith and in trust entered a co-ownership arrangement with the Pensions Board
for a house in retirement. In dealing
with his affairs we uncovered huge costs and unfair (and at times idiotic)
management. I do not believe this is how
the church should treat its clergy in retirement. If elected, I would seek to introduce a
Private Members Motion to examine the provision for retired clergy and make it
fairer and more cost effective.
Thank
you for your consideration. I would be
privileged if you would vote for me.
Please make me your first or second choice in this election.
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