House for Duty posts and the Parish Share
The Six Pilgrims in rural Somerset is a little benefice of 750 souls and six churches; one CofE school, no shops and now just one pub. For the last 30 years we have run very successfully with several house for duty priests who have largely enjoyed their time with us, focusing on priestly duties whilst the PCCs do the fund raising and much of the admin. We have dutifully maintained our medieval churches and until now paid our parish share of £20k a year.
Two and a half years ago our last and dearly missed incumbent sadly had to resign due to long covid and since then we have been battling with the diocese for permission to fill the post. We have become embroiled in the diocesan drive to cut stipendiary clergy numbers. Devolved down to deanery level they are tasked with reducing from 8.5 to 7 stipendiary priests. We have been dragged into this because, in the attempt to match clergy to benefices big enough to fund a stipendiary, it would be helpful to merge us with a large neighbouring benefice. Our post was abruptly dissolved (without consultation) and now as the reorganisation and merger plans are pushed through we will lose our identity and adequate clergy provision will be lost. Our neighbouring parish has one vicar for two churches and a rapidly expending population but, as we will be providing 2/5 of the combined parish share, we would expect to take a similar amount of her time away from the big town population; which seems unfair to them.
House for duty posts are a very cost effective way of providing clergy in rural parishes and the posts are often very attractive to older stipendiary priests who don’t want to hang up their dog collar but do desperately need to step back into a less stressed role.
We are self funding; our parish share of £20k more than covers the average cost of clergy housing (currently quoted at £13,254 by our diocese). We have a clergy house (owned by the diocese) in the benefice. We have clergy who would be interested in applying for the post (if it existed!) and a house for duty priest would ease the burden on the overstretched local stipendiaries. All we lack is permission from the diocese. Why?
Instead the diocese/deanery appear determined that the only solution is to cut clergy numbers; surely a policy doomed to spiral downwards to further cuts and ultimately failure. The whole CofE is built upon the parish priest system. This it’s strength, its glory and its USP. Allow this to wither and the whole edifice will crumble.
Should we pay our parish share and accept things or go our own way?
