OUR Bishop’s Council has recommended an increase in total parish share of less than one per cent – after consultation with parishes.

Worshippers talk in small groups at one of the Archdeaconry meetings - at St George's, Waterlooville

More than 400 worshippers from across the diocese gathered to hear future plans at three meetings, one in each Archdeaconry. Bishop Christopher led the sessions, at which our Ministry for Mission framework was outlined and exciting mission plans unveiled.

Parishes were invited to have their say on the draft diocesan budget for 2013. It proposed a 1.6 per cent rise in parish share – the voluntary contribution given by parishes towards our diocese’s shared spending on clergy, mission and ministry.

A total of 83 out of 140 parishes responded, suggesting where savings could be made or where greater expenditure might be needed. Those responses were carefully considered by our Diocesan Finance Committee. 

It recommended trimming the budget by around £34,000, by assuming eight clergy posts will be vacant at any time in 2013 rather than seven – as this would not need parish vacancies to be any longer than they currently are. 

Our Bishop’s Council saw and discussed all the comments from parishes and noted that 73 per cent supported the budget proposed in the consultation. They decided to recommend the budget as proposed, but adopted the change suggested by the Finance Committee. 

As a result, if the 2013 budget is approved by our Diocesan Synod this month, the total amount our parishes will be asked to contribute will rise by just 0.85 per cent.

The proposed budget retains the same suggested amounts to be spent on our Ministry for Mission development, vital repairs to our vicarages and the grants available for mission projects via our Mission Opportunities Fund. All of these received strong support in most parish responses.

The bishop introduced September’s Archdeaconry evenings by explaining this was a different style of consultation process, in which our diocesan finances would be set in the context of our mission.

“Every day we pray ‘Thy Kingdom Come’,” he said. “We don’t want our churches to flourish in order to pay the bills or keep the fabric in order. We want to be financially strong and maintain our buildings to help bring in the kingdom as we worship, engage with our community and cherish our inheritance.

“Ministry for Mission isn’t a strategy. It’s a reminder of why we are who we are, a way of living and a way of loving. It’s not a set of rules or regulations or a strategic plan, but it gives us a framework to focus our witness.”

Canon Bob White compared Ministry for Mission to a trellis, which would help to encourage new growth. In time, that growth and the fruit would cause that trellis to disappear. And there were presentations from diocesan staff on existing and new areas of work, including the Discovery initiative to encourage young leaders to discover their vocation; new training for lay ministers; and the resourcing of local mission by our Mission Development Officer, the Rev Charlie Peer.

For more details, including the original calculations that produced a diocesan budget for 2013 with a 1.6 per cent total increase in parish share, click here.