Paying for our Churches
In the Diocese of Chichester the money which parishes give to the Diocese is known as Parish Share.
In the New Testament we hear how members of the earliest churches gave generously, each according to their ability, towards the work of the wider Christian community. In a similar way the Church of England today relies on the generosity of its members to fund its ministry and mission. Individuals give to their local church; the PCC makes a financial contribution to the Diocese; in turn the Diocese pays and houses our parish clergy and provides other services.
Parish share video
Watch this video for a simple explanation of how parish share funds parish mission and ministry.
Parish Share enables the Diocese of Chichester to fund:
- clergy stipends, NI and pension
- clergy housing
- training for clergy, ordinands and lay people
- support services for parishes such as safeguarding services, buildings advice and much more.
In the Church of England we work together as a household of faith to ensure that there is a Christian presence in every community. This means we rely on the generosity of more affluent parishes to help fund ministry in less affluent places.
Approximately 20% of the Diocese's income comes from investment funds, fees and grants. The rest comes from Parish Share. Approximately 80% of the Diocese’s expenditure is spent on the direct costs of resourcing ministry – the same proportion as income from parishes!
How it works in practice
In the Diocese of Chichester Parish Share is negotiated at a deanery level. Each PCC is provided with information about the average cost of providing ministry to a benefice, known as Parish Ministry Costs, and the PCC is asked to make a pledge according to its ability. Many PCCs cannot pay as much as the average, so the system relies on those who can giving a little bit more to support the cost of deploying clergy in less affluent areas.
The dissemination of information to parishes about Parish Ministry Costs and the collation of Parish Share pledges is done through the Deanery Treasurer.
Once pledges have been confirmed then pledges and receipts are handled by the Finance Department at Church House Hove.
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Parish Ministry Costs In order to help parishes understand the cost of providing ministry in the Diocese the total budgeted expenditure is divided across the total number of parish clergy. The costs associated with each member of the clergy are known as Parish Ministry Costs (‘PMC’). In order to allocate costs the type of post (full time, part time, House for Duty etc) is taken into account and the costs are apportioned appropriately. For 2022 the average Parish Ministry Cost for a parish with one full-time stipendiary post is £76,967. |
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Parish Share Parish Share is the amount which a PCC pledges to give to the Diocese as its contribution towards the mission and ministry across the Diocese. It is hoped that parishes will be generous but realistic when deciding their pledge. Any pledges in excess of Parish Ministry Costs enables mutual support to those parishes who are unable to cover their costs, recognising that we are all part of one household of faith. |
Further information about Parish Ministry Costs and Parish Share can be found in this leaflet
More information about Diocesan Finances, including the budget, management accounts (Red Book) and statutory accounts can be found here.
More information about the services provided from Church House can be found here and here.
This video also offers encouragement to Give a Little Bit More and explains why we want to support those who need our help.
How to pay Parish Share
PCCs can pay Parish Share by direct debit, standing order, bank transfers or by cheque.
Direct debit is an efficient and simple way to pay Parish Share and assists the DBF with its own cashflow.If you would like to set up a direct debit then please contact Peter Lovett in the Accounts Department.