THE Clergy Support Trust has received a grant of £2 million from the Archbishops’ Council for its work to assist the serving clergy with their finances, health, and well-being, it was announced on Friday.
The Trust is a national charity independent of the Church of England. This is the first time that it has received a grant from the Council.
Last year, the Trust provided more than 6300 grants, worth a total of £5.6 million, to 2300 households of stipendiary C of E clergy and self-supporting ministers (not including retired clergy who have permission to officiate).
The Trust’s chief executive, the Revd Ben Cahill-Nicholls, said: “Ministry is a joy, but comes with significant challenges; for too many clergy, those challenges are financial. Today’s announcement is a very positive step forward, as the Church continues to acknowledge that more must be done, and it has been good to work together on longer-term, sustainable solutions, including improvements to the stipend.”
The Trust provided financial aid to 22 per cent of the serving clergy last year, it reports, including grants for items to support ministry, such as laptops, as well as car repairs, school uniforms, and domestic appliances.
Mr Cahill-Nicholls continued: “Clergy well-being is not a peripheral issue, but essential to the mission and ministry of the Church. This funding will contribute positively to the broad programme of grants and services which CST is privileged to offer, as we seek to serve those extraordinary women and men who spend their lives serving others.”
The Diocesan Finances Review Group is currently reviewing the value of clergy stipends and pensions as part of a wider review of church finances. The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Mark Tanner, who chairs the Ministry Development Board, said: “This award recognises the financial pressures facing our dedicated and hard-working clergy across the country, who do so much to serve their communities.
“I am very grateful to the Archbishops’ Council for making this money available to Clergy Support Trust’s grants programme this year.”
The Clergy Support Trust is the successor to six Anglican clergy-support organisations, of which the oldest was the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy, founded in 1655.