As Chelmsford diocese looks to embark on ‘drastic’ reductions as it looks to lose some sixty stipendiary posts over the coming eighteen months; something on the drawing board but now accelerated as a result of the impact on finances that is Covid-19.
Chelmsford diocesan synod’s finance committee briefing papers (20th June 2020 - see next post) outline how plans to reduce to a ‘minimum sustainable number of two hundred and fifteen posts (from two hundred and seventy-five) by 2025’ has been accelerated for completion by 2021 (a period of eighteen months) - and Chelmsford’s diocesan synod are in favour of this and so, subject to formal agreement in November, this is the emerging reality in Chelmsford and quite likely in a diocese near you before too long and this will result in posts being classified by means of a ‘traffic light’ system:
Green: To be retained or filled if vacant,
Amber: Desirable and should be retained if finances permit,
Red: Unlikely to be filled with full-time stipendiary incumbent - other options for
enabling ministry should be considered.
Chelmsford’s upper limit for GREEN Zone posts is set to 150. This is 25% below the affordable number determined in 2019 as a reasonable worse-case scenario for long-term affordability – and, if achieved and maintained will preclude the need for the establishment to re-examined in the ‘foreseeable future’.
The next phase of the process will be to assess and rank the AMBER zone posts, which will be retained (if affordable). Chelmsford, “Expect a significant number of ‘amber’ posts to be retained at the end of 2021.”
Then final phase will be to consider the RED zone posts. Benefices unable to cover the cost of a full-time stipendiary priest (Chelmsford assesses the average cost as £80,180) will be invited to discuss alternatives, such as interim ministry, a self-supporting priest-in-charge, or a licensed lay minister (The post after next)).
There are obviously implications for posts available to newly ordained priests. In Chelmsford stipendiary curacy posts have increased from twelve to sixteen (thanks to the national vocation drive) but only two of the additional four posts are being funded by the Church Commissioners. The briefing paper explains:
“The time is now right to reconsider the number of stipendiary curates we will need to maintain incumbent numbers as well as the length of curacies and the possibility of placing curates towards the end of their training to support vacant parishes. We do not plan to furlough stipendiary curates in order that training and formation continues. And we recognise that many of our curates have been in the forefront of applying technology for ‘church at home’.”
Plans for reduction of stipendiary posts in Chelmsford have been in place since 2011 when almost half the stipendiary clergy were due to have retired within ten years of that date bring ‘natural reductions. The situation has been made more urgent by the loss of a subsidy from the Church Commissioners which results in a budgetary deficit which is hampered by lower parish share income. Interestingly, over half of the shortfall was attributable to 21 parishes (so guess which colour they might be?).
Three-months of Covid-19 closure has further exacerbated the financial situation as parish share receipts (everywhere) have dipped bringing about a real challenge for diocese finance teams seeking to meet ministerial and other costs in their patches. Chelmsford has, at the time of writing, forty-eight vacancies but, thankfully, it has been decided that ‘freezing’ them is not the way forward – but the reality (as I see it) is that they won’t be that speedy thanks to a combination of the Covid-19 and financial situations.
OUR TASK
I offer this document to you as something to be reflected upon for ourselves and the churches under our care. Far too often clergy are taken up with the situation of the churches around them as they seek to make cuts and changes elsewhere that will effectively leave them relatively unscathed.
Some will continually plead special circumstances (claiming to be a poor church perhaps?) and others will bemoan the reductions in clergy numbers where they are and the pressures these realities have brought about in their patch. Some will point to all the good work which they, or their congregation and the people working in it do (why? It’s what we are supposed to be doing isn’t it?) as a reason to be subsidised and supported.
One of the Archdeacons I have worked with repeatedly used this mantra:
“If you can’t pay, then you can’t have!”
This, it seems is the reality before us – our task is to ensure that our diocesan resources are sufficient to meet the demands placed on it.
This is not a something that is, “All about money” (something some parochial clergy could do with learning) but is concerned with the establishment and maintenance of prayerful, effective, intelligent, collegial, missional and pastorally-engaged ministry.
I would commend to you the words of the Archbishop of York in the second appendix as something to take to heart and make your own.
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