Foreword by Bishop Libby
I am encouraged by your generosity. As I visit parishes across our Diocese, I have seen and heard stories that show how so many people have contributed - and continue to contribute towards resourcing God’s Mission and Ministry in every parish.
Your generosity is expressed in different ways: people giving their time and talents, people giving their money. Many parishes have been inspired by their parish priests, to develop in discipleship and stewardship. Projects like repairing a Miner’s chapel, restoring a war memorial, opening church for the local school to become a prayer space, are all examples of how the resources received into Common Fund directly support the work in the communities of Derbyshire and the City of Derby.
As you think thoughtfully and prayerfully in your parishes about your own level of giving, please take some time to read this leaflet and discuss with your PCC, as it is only through your generous contributions that work can continue to share the Good News in Christ in our local communities.
Common Fund is a practical way to share our financial resources across the diocese
- Proportionality with parishes paying into a pool of resources.
- Shared funding so that those who are able can support others who may struggle.
- Ensures that stipendiary clergy can be in places where they are most needed.
- Generosity of an affluent parish allows us to put stipendiary clergy in a less affluent parish that would otherwise be unable to afford ministry costs.
The Challenge
Meeting the Common Fund is a challenge for us all. With national funding declining and costs increasing, the cost to maintain the levels of clergy and support to deliver our collective mission falls upon our local income.
Working together, we can sustain the ministry that God has called us to provide.
What we receive from our parishes goes directly to support mission and ministry.
Each PCC is asked to make an annual pledge of the requested amount they will contribute to the Common Fund. This allows the diocese to budget effectively.
Please be realistic, challenging and generous as you consider prayerfully your contribution so that mission and ministry is supported in every parish.
Where the money goes
Based on the approved 2024 budget, the average cost of mission and ministry, (per stipended minister) is approximately £74,730
This is made up of:
- Resourcing Mission & Ministry - stipend, national insurance and pension, ministerial housing, along with training and other ministry support.
- Support for Parish Ministry – area support for deaneries, Safeguarding, Mission and DAC teams etc, and our diocesan contribution towards National church costs.
- Support & Compliance – governance of the charity, Finance, IT, HR etc.
2022 contributions
In 2022, we requested £5,720,089 from our parishes and received £3,967,633 (69%). In 2019 (pre-pandemic) parishes contributed £4,718,739, meaning that post-pandemic receipts are some £0.8m lower.
In 2022, despite the struggles of church life, and the increased cost of living pressures, many churches managed to reach their full contribution towards Common Fund and many other churches made a valued contribution towards Common Fund. This made a positive impact on our diocesan finances.
Thank you for all that you do towards resourcing God’s Mission and Ministry.
Our onward journey together
As the income from Common Fund pledges currently does not cover the full cost of ministry, we need to increase our level of giving to maintain ministry and grow the mission of the church.
As we journey together, we give grateful thanks for all God’s generosity and pray that we too can embrace this spirit of generosity to ensure that "Christ’s presence reaches every community".
Aur medium term financial budget forecasts highlight significant budget deficits, which need to be closed by increasing income, of which the generosity from parishes to the shared resources required to run the diocese are vital.
Common Fund experiences shared
"As a priest, I see quite clearly the hopes and dreams of the local community as I come alongside them at key moments such as christenings and funerals.
"As I arrived in the parish, I noted the importance of our mining heritage and we established the mosaic project to tap into what the community needed - something that would unite them around a common passion.
"The project raised the profile of our church in the village and brought lots of people into church who haven’t been before for our special mining festival - people are now visiting the church just to see the mosiac!
"We were able to involve not just congregation members but people of all ages from the community in creating a lasting memorial to the mining involved people of all ages from the community in creating a lasting memorial to our villages’ mining heritage."
Revd Bryony Taylor
St James Barlborough & St John the Baptist Clowne
