This web page provides support and information for parishes about Parish Share.
On this page
An introduction by Bishop Guli
Thank you!
I want to start by thanking everyone who contributed towards developing and implementing our new parish share scheme last year. Thank you to those of you who took time to contribute to the major diocesan consultation in 2021 and 2022 that helped us to design the new scheme. Thank you to those in our parishes who do so much to be good stewards of the resources God has given us in Chelmsford Diocese. Thank you to our Area Deans, Deanery Lay Chairs, Deanery Treasurers and many others who played such an important role in bringing people together to enable generosity and mutual support between parishes. In particular I want to thank those who continue to contribute so generously to enable mission and ministry in their own parishes and others across Essex and East London.
-
Continue reading
I know that the transition to the new Parish Share Scheme has not been easy and nor did we expect it to be; particularly given the long term impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic and the current economic climate. Moving towards a more transparent and consistent approach to calculating parish share, taking into account factors such as deprivation and the challenges of rural ministry, has also led to some parishes receiving significantly different share calculations than had previously been the case. I know this continues to cause considerable anxiety for the small proportion of parishes who are asked to contribute significantly more than they did previously, and we remain committed to working closely with them and their deaneries to help them address these challenges and build strong foundations to resource mission and ministry in the future.
We have also continued to consult and encourage feedback throughout this year in order to identify areas where the new Parish Share Scheme can be improved as we move forward. This has resulted in a small number of changes that were approved by Diocesan Synod in June. These changes are explained in our FAQs booklet.
Despite the inevitable challenges of this transitionary period, I am pleased that in most deaneries, there were parishes who chose to make use of the new scheme to generously support their neighbours and I thank them for their generosity. There has also been a consensus, throughout the consultation and since the introduction of the new Parish Share scheme about the principles and values that should underpin our approach to Parish Share and resourcing mission and ministry in this diocese. In particular there has been continued support for a scheme that is transparent and enables mutual support and generous collaboration between parishes and worshipping communities.
Travelling Well Together
These principles and values relate closely to the diocesan direction of travel we began to articulate earlier this year under the title of Travelling Well Together. This is no coincidence, because the parish share consultation took place at the same time as the period of listening and discernment that helped to shape Travelling Well Together and it will certainly help to ensure that our approach to resourcing mission and ministry is aligned with our overall direction of travel.
I want to reiterate that at the heart of both the Parish Share Scheme and Travelling Well Together, is a focus on supporting and enabling local parish ministry. We continue to be committed to making the best use of our assets and investments and attracting grant funding to help support and subsidise the cost of ministry for our parishes. Once again it is the case that for every deanery, the amount they are asked to contribute in parish share will be less than the combined costs of funding ministers in parishes, training future ministers and clergy housing across the deanery. Travelling Well Together is also parish focused. It is not a top down strategy or initiative but an approach that seeks to enable and empower parishes and worshipping communities to discern how they are to be God’s people in their own very different local contexts and as part of one diocesan family. Our move towards empowering parishes to make decisions about parish share contributions within deaneries is reflective of this.
Finally, the focus on local discernment and empowerment will require a change in how parishes are supported and this Autumn we will begin a consultation to help us understand how the ever changing and very different needs of parishes are best served by our Diocesan Office, Area Teams, support networks and through mutual support between the people and parishes that make up Chelmsford Diocese.
The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford
Further guidance and information
Parish Share
- How to read your detailed deanery assessment
- Diocesan Synod Paper, June 2024- 2024 Diocesan Budget and Parish Share Scheme
- Detailed explanations:
Finance and giving resources for your parish
Good practice and materials from deaneries and parishes
In this section we will be sharing materials and ideas that have been used in deaneries to support the implementation of the parish share scheme and in particular to encourage and enable mutual support between parishes. If you have materials or ideas that you would like to share, please email web@chelmsford.anglican.org
Colchester Deanery Materials
Thank you to colleagues in Colchester Deanery for sharing a Powerpoint presentation and leaflet that was used to support their initial deanery meeting about the new parish share scheme in 2023. They are happy for other deaneries to adapt these resources for their own use.
- Deanery Meeting Powerpoint Presentation (including agenda)
- Deanery Meeting Power Point Presentation (including agenda) as PDF. *
- Deanery Parish Share leaflet
*This PDF version of the presentation may be useful for those without Powerpoint or where the Powerpoint presentation isn't displaying as it should.
Parish share leaflets
This leaflet has been produced for parishes to share in their church community. The leaflet briefly explains the parish share scheme, its underpinning values and how essential it is to supporting local parish mission and ministry in our diocese. The leaflet also contains links to the online resources.
If you would like some leaflets for your own parish or worshipping community please click here to email us.
Vacancy Credits
Vacancy Credits were reintroduced into the 2024 share scheme following the 2024 share consultation feedback and Dioesan Synod approval.
During a vacancy it is expected that the parish will continue to pay Parish Share at the same level whilst the recruitment process for the new member of clergy continues.
If the vacancy should exceed 2 years due to circumstances beyond the control of the parish, then a Vacancy Credit will be paid monthly, until the post is filled or the situation changes.
A Vacancy Credit is usually 50% of the agreed Parish Share for a typical parish, however, where a combination of clergy are deployed this may be different and a specific calculation will be made.
The Vacancy Credit will be paid in proportion to the contribution the parish makes; some examples:
- If Parish A has 1 stipendairy clergy post in the Parish Share assessment which has been vacant for more than 2 years and pays monthly 50% of the amount agreed in the Deanery allocation, the Diocese will pay the other 50%, monthly, up to the month that the new appointment starts.
- If Parish B has 1 House for Duty clergy post in the Parish Share assessment which has been vacant for more than 2 years and pays monthly 40% of the amount agreed in the Deanery allocation, the Diocese will match the 40%, monthly, up to the month that the new appointment starts. The remaining 20% will be shown as shortfall in that year.
Stipendiary, House for Duty and Self Supporting Minister in Charge posts are eligibile for Vacancy Credits. For combinations of these or for other more complex deployments, a specific calculation will be needed to determine the amount of Vacancy Credit eligible.
The Diocese will make contact when a parish is eligible for a Vacancy Credit, but for any queries relating to this please click here to email us.
