Welcome to the Clergy Support area of the website. It is very much work in progress and so please visit it again to see what has been updated. If you have any query about any of the clergy support contents please contact the relevant page owner. 

If you have a general enquiry or would like us to add anything to this area of the web-site please contact Jackie Croft, Diocesan HR Adviser at jackie.croft@derby.anglican.org or telephone her on 07799 644589.

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” 

The pitfalls of ministry are many and various and when the going gets tough there is almost always a personal cost both to ourselves and those amongst whom our lives are set. 

The Apostle’s frustration is rooted in an honest self-understanding, a recognition that alone we will adopt unhealthy or misconceived ways of living that take us away from the person God yearns for us to be.

Wellbeing is not an add-on. 

Wellbeing is not an optional extra for those who have the time. 

Wellbeing is not a matter for people less busy than us. 

Wellbeing is a Gospel value, for it is about choosing to be the person God intends, indeed yearns for us to be… to have life and life in all its fullness. 

Taking wellbeing seriously is a non-negotiable part of our ministerial lives if we are to flourish as God’s people and for those who have made ordination vows, live them out with integrity.

You will hopefully find resources here to help you do that. 

They are intentionally diverse, as not everything will speak to everyone and they are not the solution to anyone’s problems in themselves, but a starting point offered to help each of us in our different contexts take responsibility for our own wellbeing.

Get in touch

These pages are constantly under review, so that we may all receive assistance and appropriate advice in a quickly changing ministerial environment.

We welcome your feedback. If there is information missing from these pages that you or others may find helpful, please contact and let us know: julie.fowler@derby.anglican.org | 01332 278172.

The Clergy Wellbeing Advisory Team
January 2024

There is a free counselling service available to all clergy and their immediate families in this diocese, which if you are struggling, could be of significant value to you personally. We offer individual and couples counselling and counselling for the children of the clergy.

The service provides a safe and confidential space to unpack any sort of emotional distress, whether it is from relationships inside or outside of the family, or issues related to your working ministry that just aren’t working at all well. Maybe you have experience some losses and bereavement, depression and anxiety, a sense of loss of vocation, or anything else that is getting you down and is draining your energy and good will.

Please contact Judlie Fowler at julie.fowler@derby.anglican.org to start the process of placing you with one of our experienced, qualified and accredited counsellors near to you.  The Diocese of Derby pays in full for eight sessions of professional counselling which is completely confidential.

The Capability Procedure enables the bishop to address, through a fair and transparent process, the problems that arise when clergy fail, for whatever reason, to perform their duties to an acceptable standard. The procedure is designed to be supportive and to give clergy the time, training and resources they need to improve. If in the last resort an officeholder is removed under this procedure, he or she will have the right to bring a claim of unfair dismissal to an independent employment tribunal.

Copies of the Code of Practice and the guidelines can be obtained from https://www.churchofengland.org/search-results?keys=common+tenure

It is important to note that the purpose of the capability procedure is improvement. It is also appropriate to draw your attention to the words in Part I Introductory note of the Code of Practice (Page3) which makes it clear that it is expected that most performance related matters will be identified and addressed informally without engaging the procedure. Nevertheless there will be times when informal steps will not be appropriate and in these instances the procedure will be used.

The Diocese undertakes to train all those who will be involved in capability panels so that they may properly fulfill the requirements of the procedure and the principles that underlie it. Further detail of the Diocesan approach may be found in Section 9 of the Clergy Handbook (Common Tenure)

Please see Initial Ministerial Education page for all Training Priest resources.

IME2 Page

Downloads:

Section 1: Common Tenure explained (Word)

Section 2: Starting and ending an appointment (Word)

Section 3: Stipend, Fees, Expenses, Grants and Pensions (Word)

Section 4: Housing (Word)

Section 5: Personal and Professional Development (Word)

Section 6: Clergy holiday, rest periods, other time off and working time (Word)

Section 7: Family-friendly policies (Word)

Section 8: Sickness (Word)

Section 9: Discipline, capability and grievance procedure (Word)

Section 10: Other policies (Word)

Introduction to the Handbook

The role of the Rural Dean

The role of The Assistant Rural Dean

The role of the Lay Chair of Deanery Synod

Really useful resources for new Rural Deans

Rural Deans guidelines for payment of expenses

Specimen contract for the use of Rural Deans

Dear Friends

I am happy to write that Bishop Alastair has commended me to the post of Chaplain to the Retired Clergy within the Diocese, assisted by my wife Rachel Mookerji. The Bishop is very keen to see that all the Retired Clergy are given all help, care and support particularly in their time of need, realizing how much time and effort they give to maintain the much cherished parish ministry within the Diocese. Our personal initiative will be to maintain the relationship with each other and to this end importantly praying and where necessary visiting them.

I am grateful my predeccessors have already established the link between the local Retired Clergy and the Retirement Officers so called the Deanery Representatives. We will continue with the tradition of an annual phone call to each one knowing how valuable this could prove pastorally for all of us. However, we believe the Pastoral Care of the Retired Clergy is of course primarily the responsibility of the local Parish Priest, and where necessary they would contact wither their Deanery Representatives, or us directly for any specialist care and support, and if any particular need arising we would then liaise with the Bishop.

We have been in the Diocese for over 30 years, and now happily retired and live in the Parish of Church Gresley in Repton Deanery. Our journey to this diocese began in the year 1985, when I served my title at the Parish Church St Lawrence, Heanor, and then moved to St James, Codnor, my first incumbency; in the same deanery stretching over 17 years; and which laid a firm foundation to our life and ministry in this country. We finally retired from the Parish Church of St Marks Winshill, in the Repton Deanery after having served the parish for over 13 years. It has been a priviledge to serve this diocese and now commended by the Bishop to serve the Retired Clergy in the diocese.

We have two sons Michael (Jr) married to Bryony and they have a daughter called Elsa and live in Norway, Noel married to Nathalie and have two children Noah and Yasmin, and live in London. by God'd grace they are all doing well in their respective families, and we all have a happy family bond. 

We now joyfully look forward to serving our Retired Clergy friends within the diocese, and take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed year 2016, and may God bless is all richly with good health and happiness. 

Regards

Revd Michael Mookerji

michael.mookerji@live.co.uk

01283 335582

This page is currently being updated, in the interim period please contact the Bishop's Office for further information 01332 840132.