finances
In my role as Archdeacon I recognise many of the challenges that clergy face today, which include parish finances, an ever increasing administrative burden and concerns around their own health and well-being.
Finances.
It is vital that Synod, and our ordinands, are properly resourced theologically, including in our finances – this is not a distraction from ‘real issues’, but vital in ensuring that our discussions and decisions are rooted in Scripture and Christian tradition.
• A church graft to Kidbrooke sending people and finances to revitalise the parish and provide
I would hope to encourage greater transparency in how the Church’s finances are managed and how decisions affecting parishes are made.
The climate crisis, family breakdowns, mental health all remain areas where faith can effect positive change – enabling a culture of stewardship in these and finances is vital.
• Finances scrutinised: the financial pressures facing our churches are acute — not merely in maintaining historic buildings, but in
The finances of the Church of England are top heavy, with millions of pounds from the Church Commissioners being spent on questionable projects.
Aims & hopes for this Synod Finances: There are significant decisions to be made about how the money of the Church of England will be allocated and stewarded in the future.
In synod’s last quinquennium, the redistribution or redirecting of key assets and Church Commissioners’ finances was raised on numerous occasions.
When I was at Lambeth, parish finances were raised as a primary concern and a fruitful discussion was had with ++Sarah about reviewing how the Church of England is financed nationally.
Since then I have applied myself to every (Church) challenge set before me, at one time being the church Gift Aid Officer to try to sort out our finances after Covid-19.
The Church of England faces enormous challenges – of trust, finances, sustainability – but is also an enormous force for good.
Church finances and safeguarding, ensuring sustainable financial provision for mission.
Our diocesan finances, like many dioceses, are not in great shape, and we need to continue to
I have a particular concern for clergy well-being when it comes to finances.
Church finances: The Church Commissioners contribute nearly £400m each year to help finance the Church of England.
We also know the pressures: fewer clergy, fewer volunteers, fragile finances and buildings, and increasing demands on those who remain.
I would want Synod to continue to press for the right use of our resources, including land and finances, for the preservation and renewal of God’s creation.
Getting finances right means committing to parish ministry, enabling redress to those who have suffered church abuse, letting Project Spire do its work and so much more.
A flourishing Church needs properly resourced parishes, sustainable stipendiary ministry, well- supported clergy, valued lay volunteers, and finances directed clearly towards mission and the cure of souls.
If elected, I will work for a General Synod that listens to ordinary parish churches that takes seriously the pressures they face: stretched clergy, increasing benefices, anxious churchwardens, fragile finances, building responsibilities, and exhausted volunteers.
Parish System: While preserving its benefits, how should we evolve the organisational structure of the church, in order to respond to the pressures many parishes face in terms of their finances, membership, regulatory requirements, upkeep of buildings and fabric, sustainability etc.?
These valuable volunteers are the backbones of many congregations especially as Clergy and finances are often stretched.
I want to determine how we can make best use of national church finances and resources to grasp the opportunities God has given us.
** GS 2380, Diocesan Finances Review: Update 2 (February 2025), presented to General Synod.
https://www.savetheparish.com/diocesan-finances-review-update-2025/
With the greater strain on our finances and the gradual reduction in the availability of number of ordained ministers in our parishes (and rural parishes in particular), I believe that we need to reimagine parish ministry in ways which will enable members of our laity to participate more fully and share the load.
A crisis of identity and a crisis in finances is likely to overwhelm parishes in our own diocese and throughout the country.
is a constant drain on finances, on time and effort that could otherwise go to mission.
finances and the challenges they face.
e The lack of transparency around Chutch finances.
For example, of the annual £653 million income from Queen Anne's Bounty, established to support parish finances, only £85 million actually goes to parishes.
Over the next five years, Synod will discuss many important matters, such as safeguarding reform, diocesan finances, vocations and clergy wellbeing and reports from the groups which emerged from the Living in Love and Faith process.
retain the best of the parish system, whilst discovering new ways of making Jesus known in our culture; and all this whilst our finances remain challenging.
There are so many challenges for the Church of England around sexuality, safeguarding, finances and demographics.
fund contributions loom large over parish finances.
Our finances inevitably say something about our priorities, and I want to understand more about how national decisions enable mission to flourish locally.
The parish as the catalyst But of course, as clergy that’s not all we have to do and I’m very conscious of the burden of management of buildings, finances, and organisational life, and not least the cultural and internal pressures to succeed that take up so much time.
decisions need to deal with the challenges parish clergy increasingly face: heavy administration, ageing buildings, stretched finances, fewer volunteers, and complex pastoral demands.
The discussion around finances and how they are distributed is also a key area of interest, helping to advocate for good stewardship and the delivery of resources where most required, for our ministry across the nation to be supported.
The Church has a crucial missional opportunity to be prophetic in how we care for God’s creation through our discipleship, our finances and our buildings and land.
That doesn’t mean that ‘good internal workings’ are not important (they most certainly are!), but our key objective must be to be a Transforming Church, Transforming Lives. Best use of resources: this covers not just our finances, buildings and other material resources, but also our ‘people’.
The Parish Share: Many Churches simply cannot afford to pay the money they are asked to provide, and vital finances take money away from mission work, and PCCs worry about spending anything beyond the very basics.
at a point where finances could really make a difference to a living church.
Finances
The decisions made in this next quinquennium - be it stewarding our resources and finances well, ensuring greater clergy welfare and growing an increased number of ordinands, improving our safeguarding, or simplifying our structures - will have significant impact on the future of our beloved Church of England, as we seek to turn the tide and see our churches full of life and hope for all.
Though some years ago now, I’m particularly proud of my work in helping to turn round the finances of our struggling Parish when our family lived in another Diocese.
I have repeatedly used Synod's formal Questions process to hold national Church bodies to account on matters ranging from Church finances and parish ministry to clergy formation and the place of the Thirty- Nine Articles in ordinand training.
I am most comfortable with data and finances and would be able to contribute to discussions on how best use might be made of the Church’s limited resources, to enable more people to come to know Jesus.
The parishes are the heartlands, which I hope we can watch over, with finances funnelled in the right way, so that Christian inclusivity, compassion and generosity for our neighbours can flourish.
As an experienced member of Guildford’s DAC and a parish priest, I know the practical diffiuculties in hitting these targets with listed buildings and limited finances.
Lots of us worry about our personal finances.
I am passionate about the local parish, and want our national structures, finances and priorities to enable rather than frustrate its mission.
Jeremiah wrote : ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ With that in mind at the heart of our faith, General Synod, the assembly of our Church, our national Church, exists to help create the culture and organisation within which we can exercise that faith, legislating, developing liturgy, debating the issues of the day and managing the Church’s finances.
Despite much city-dwelling, I am part of a Sussex farming family, and those who live in the more isolated patches of England, and their churches, will not be forgotten; Stewardship of Church of England finances.
At previous churches I have also looked after finances and wages and served as a trustee, so I am comfortable with some of the more practical and organisational sides of church life too.
It’s critical that the Church of England responds to the climate emergency by modelling impactful action through our finances, buildings and land use, while offering compelling teaching that care for God’s creation is integral to Christian discipleship.
Why I am standing for General Synod I want to see young people’s voices heard in Church of England structures I am passionate about the future of the Church of England, which has a wonderful opportunity, as a Christian Presence in Every Community, to share the Good News of Jesus with my generation. I care deeply about the future of the planet (it’s the one God has given us to look after), and want to encourage the Church of England to support policies which will protect the environment, and help people effected the most by climate change. I want to foster better relationships with other churches – encouraged by the multi- denominational youth group in which I grew up. I am concerned with diocesan finances, and want to work for a better funding settlement from the Church Commissioners. I play an active role in my local Parish Church, and the importance of the CofE in every community in England cannot be underestimated.
Decisions, finances and responsibility should be transparent at every level.
I believe that the voices of younger Christians need not simply to be heard when we discuss youth ministry, but to be part of the conversation about the Church's worship, mission, finances, structures and future as a whole.
Recent debates about clergy health and wellbeing, diocesan finances and the future shape of ministry all point to the same reality: the Church cannot sustain its national ambitions while exhausting its clergy and hollowing out its parishes.
It’s easy to look around and see issues with finances, logistics and practicalities within the church.
Reforming Church Finances: Funding Frontline Mission
Finances
Finances
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.
With finances difficult for many dioceses and congregations, I will seek solutions that empower parishes, whilst not avoiding difficult decisions.
Central and diocesan church finances need to be directed towards
This will require financial investment in mission and ministry, but ultimately a growing church will also improve the church’s finances.
that threaten to tear it apart: Safeguarding following the Makin Review; Living in Love &Faith (LLF); Vicars becoming an “endangered species” amid recruiting crisis; falling congregational numbers; lack of sufficient numbers of volunteers; Finances; care of creation; wars and conflicts; Contested Heritage and Reparation; Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI); assisted dying, abortion etc.
Since joining STP I have worked on financial matters including consolidating the finances of the 42 dioceses which the central church had not done.
church’s finances and been called on a number of occasions to speak on admin, governance and financial matters.
In the last few years I have been appalled by the devastation to parish finances, membership and unity resulting mainly from diocesan exploitation of the supposedly voluntary parish share system.
Synod decisions ultimately have to work in the real world — in churches seeking to reach their neighbourhoods, supporting families, discipling young people, caring for those in need, appointing leaders, managing buildings and finances, and proclaiming the gospel week by week.
To resource the local church – so that the focus and finances of the church are directed to
As Warden I had particular focus on governance, finances and safeguarding.
e Governance and finances.
Conscious of the dire state of the diocesan finances, I have not claimed any travel, meals or accommodation expenses from Diocesan funds whilst serving on GS; that makes me a cheap date!
Over the course of five years I have spoken in debates about funding for lay training, diocesan finances and confirmation statistics.
Beyond these three priorities, I will give serious attention to safeguarding, including the Redress Scheme for survivors, and to the finances that shape what our parishes can do.
I have served as a Northern Suffragan on General Synod in the last quinquennium, and been called to speak on the environment, finances, LLF & prayer.
Church Finances and Stewardship: The Church Commissioners have a duty to ensure resources reach the parishes where assistance is most required.
In Southwark, we face cuts to our level of stipendiary priests, and I want to fight for finances from the national church institutions to minimise the need for further cuts, and ensure that lay voices are a part of any cuts process.
My other governance experience includes 18 years service as ex-officio governor at our church school where I use my engineering and project management background to oversee finances and the school estate and my lived experience of neurodivergence to inform my work as Link Governor for SEND provision.
The Church has a crucial missional opportunity to be prophetic in how we care for God’s creation through our discipleship, our finances and our buildings and land.
Our parishes are places of worship, fellowship, pastoral care and mission, but they must also manage very practical realities: safeguarding, finances, buildings, volunteers, governance, changing communities and the challenge of reaching new generations while continuing to serve existing congregations.
• Diocesan Finances,
I have a good understanding of the need for safety within the Church, for prioritising the wellbeing of clergy and office- holders, for being good stewards of both our finances and of our buildings, and of being a Christian presence in every community.
Finances are an immediate concern, but so of course is the environment.
Clergy carry multiple responsibilities, from finances to safeguarding, from buildings to mission.
Finances and culture
If we are to improve trust, we must improve the visibility of how decisions are made, by whom, and on what authority. |am committed to supporting moves to recentre the church - and specifically its finances towards those most in need rather than who are most ‘successful’.
Good governance is important to me; I want to make sure that our church remains ambitious and our work effective, without overstretching our finances, staff or volunteers.
Votes must be in by Tuesday 13th October A better deal for the local church The Finances of the CofE are top heavy, with millions of pounds from the Church Commissioners being spent on questionable projects.
I chair the Revision Committee for the new draft Mission and Pastoral Measure and Regulations (arguably the most extensive piece of Church legislation in over a decade), and have previously served on revision committees covering diocesan finances and governance.
While finances across the whole church are increasingly constrained, I am keen to find creative ways to ensure that traditional links between parishes and their churches are not eroded.
I also contribute to decisions about buildings, finances and long-term planning.
I would bring four particular priorities to Synod: ● Mission and growth: helping the Church reach communities that are often overlooked and become more confident in sharing the gospel. ● Formation for ministry: ensuring that clergy and lay ministers are trained flexibly and effectively for the realities of ministry today. ● Faithful stewardship: making wise decisions about buildings, finances and other resources so that they serve the Church’s mission. ● A representative Church: encouraging vocations and supporting a clergy whose ethnic diversity more closely reflects the communities we serve.
with work on Net Zero Carbon, Racial Justice, Estates Ministry and Diocesan Finances – all of which I will support, along with submitting Questions and participating in debates.
experience in non-profit organisations, to help the Church steward its resources and finances effectively
Parish well-being: Parish finances and clergy are stretched more than ever.
I realise that falling numbers of church goers has a detrimental effect on local church finances, but if we lose our Parish church, we stand to lose the very heart of the community.
Peter is a member of the Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Advisory Committee on Church Buildings and sits on the Bishop’s Council so is well aware of the issues facing the finances of parishes and deaneries.
True fidelity to Christ calls us to protect freedom of conscience across our diverse traditions, to act with radical accountability toward those we have failed, and to ensure our national structures and finances exist solely to serve the mission of local parishes on the ground.
In General Synod I will work to: strengthen the parish as the primary focus of mission and ministry ensure local churches are trusted with the resources they need to flourish reduce unnecessary bureaucracy that distracts clergy and lay leaders from ministry encourage greater transparency in how Church finances are managed and how decisions affecting parishes are made support mission that grows from and strengthens parish life rather than competing with it I also recognise that our volunteers are the backbone of parish life.
I have also spoken about the challenges facing our ministry in the current climate and the pressures being placed on clergy, our well being, volunteer engagement and the impact of church finances.
Many parishes in our diocese face stark challenges – finances are tight and clergy are overstretched.
If re-elected, I will be a representative who will fight our corner in debates about finances and resources.
Parish-based ministry I don’t believe any of us can shy away from the challenge of falling attendance which the church faces, and the impact this has on our finances.
The Future: making church work for all I want us to face the future trusting God and displaying the love of Christ: ● There are still big issues to face in our church: the most critical is falling numbers in congregations and vocations, but we also need to tackle our finances, safeguarding, trust and trustworthiness, and the replacement for the LLF process.
Over the last five years I have contributed to debates on parish finances, clergy conduct, safeguarding, support for ministry in deprived communities, and the use of the Church's resources.
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.
Church Finances
I have a particular interest in Clergy Wellbeing (including pensions and remuneration) and would seek to support creative and courageous thinking around how best to address the current challenges of clergy workloads, finances, and deployment.