Parish Share

Parish Share is the method by which the Diocese asks parishes to contribute to the common fund used to provide, support or enable parish ministry across the whole Diocese.

Through contributing Parish Share, each church in the Diocese is taking shared responsibility for providing vital mission and ministry in every community, especially those that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Why is Parish Share important?

Every year, every pound given through Parish Share is used to provide, support or enable vital ministry in every parish. This is made possible by the faithful generosity of individual Christians giving to the work of their local church, and the willingness of parishes to share their resources with the wider Diocese.

In 2024 parishes reported that they

Conducted approximately 1,200 school assemblies.
Ran 32 Messy Church or a similar type of service.
Baptised 700 people.
Married 250 couples.
Conducted 1,200 funerals.
Welcomed 7,750 adults and 1,200 children on a usual Sunday.
Counted approximately 15,660 as being a part of their worshipping communities.

Although finances are a struggle for many individuals and churches, Parish Share provides an opportunity to demonstrate our trust in Christ. We invest some of the resources God has given us in the wider mission of the local church by contributing to the common fund of the Diocese.

The Diocese of Bristol primarily uses the money raised through Parish Share to provide, equip and support ordained clergy as they minister in different parishes. In 2026 we anticipate that the cost of providing paid clergy alone will approach £7.3 million and this only includes items such as housing, stipend, pension and national insurance contributions.

Ably assisted by a multitude of lay ministers and other volunteers, ordained clergy are trained and able to devote themselves to the church without having to earn a living elsewhere. Supporting these clergy to facilitate the ministry of our parishes is made possible by the faithful generosity of individual Christians giving to the work of their local church.

How is the Parish Share calculated?

The components we use in the calculation are designed to try and cover the cost of clergy for the whole diocese by asking those parishes most able to contribute to give the most.

The method we use is based upon a parish contributing to the costs of paid clergy and the services that support parish ministry. Through contributing to Parish Share, each church in the Diocese is taking shared responsibility for providing vital mission and ministry in every community, especially those that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Paid Clergy Costs:

The total cost for a single, full-time member of paid clergy in 2026 will be approximately £61,000. These costs are then allocated to individual parishes based upon how clergy are allocated. For example, a parish with a half-time incumbent would be asked for half of the costs.

The costs of paid clergy are adjusted according to how the average household income of a parish compares to the average for the Diocese. Where parish income is below average, a discount is applied.

There has been a significant increase in clergy stipends for 2026 following several decisions made at General Synod. After several years of falling behind inflation, Synod resolved to increase clergy stipends which also impacts on pension contributions. The government increased National Insurance Contributions in 2025 which also accounts for a proportion of the increase. In addition, a Diocesan Finance Review changed the way that payments are made for ordinand training and other central Church of England costs. The Diocese of Bristol is one of a small number of Dioceses which are adversely impacted.

Contribution to Shared Parish Support Costs:

The diocese spends about £3.5 million a year on directly supporting the ministry of clergy, curates and parishes. The amount requested to cover some of these costs is calculated by asking for 12.5% of a parish’s average unrestricted income over the last four calendar years.

Lowest Income Community Funding:

When applied this acts as a discount on the parish share request and is targeted at those parishes who have the highest Index of Multiple Deprivation scores.

Parishes with Large Income:

Using the adjusted average parish income for the previous four calendar years, we calculate the diocesan average and compare each parish to it. Where a parish has an income of more than 150% of the diocesan average they are asked for an additional contribution of 11% of their average unrestricted income.

Generous Giving Adjustment:

Where the request sub-total of the above components comes out as less than the parish pledged in 2025 Parish Share, we request the difference as an additional generous contribution.

Transitional Relief Allocation:

Where a parish is asked for considerably more than their previous pledge, the Archdeacons apply a discount.

Where can I get more information?

Parish Share can be a complicated and emotive subject to discuss. Whilst we have tried our best to make the request and supporting materials as clear and accessible as possible, we recognise that we can always do better.

If you would like to discuss anything related to your Parish Share request, please contact James Morrey our Giving and Resources Advisor who would be happy to help. You are also welcome to book a time to meet him on Microsoft Teams here.

You can download the 2026 Parish Share Explained booklet which explains the calculations and how the money is spent. This booklet is the fullest general explanation of the calculations, though we can of course explain individual parishes in more detail.

Download the Parish Share 2026 Explained booklet here

We have also scheduled four webinars (each with the same content) to give anybody who would like to have the calculations explained. They will be at:

2.00pm on Tuesday 07 October 2025

7.30pm on Wednesday 08 October 2025

7.30pm on Monday 13 October 2025

11.00am on Thursday 16 October 2025

If you need to lead a discussion at a PCC meeting, you may find our briefing paper on the key messages and points helpful.

Download the Parish Share briefing paper

What can you do?

Understand what we have asked of your individual parish: The e-mail 2026 Parish Share request will hold more information about the amount we have calculated, and the resources above will provide some explanation.

Prayerfully discuss your request as a PCC: Parish Share is often the single largest item of expenditure for a church and so the impact of the request needs to be considered. Since the request is calculated based on paid clergy allocation to a parish, we hope and pray that most parishes can commit to meeting the request in full.

Ask if you have any questions or concerns: Contact James Morrey our Giving & Resources Advisor if you’d like to discuss your request, or if you anticipate any issues with paying it. He can support parishes with giving and stewardship advice.

Make your pledge: Inform us in writing of what you can pledge towards Parish Share in 2026 by 31 October 2025 to parishshare@bristoldiocese.org. This will allow us to finalise Diocesan plans for 2026 and begin to identify ways of supporting you if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

We ask each parish to give enough to cover the cost of their paid clergy and a small contribution towards the costs of shared ministry across the diocese. If this is not affordable, then please contact James Morrey our Giving & Resources Advisor who can offer support.

Small churches are often part of a multi-parish benefice, and we'd encourage all parishes in the benefice to support one another.

The largest churches (with average unrestricted income of 150% or more of the diocesan average) are asked for an additional proportion of their income to support less affluent churches.

No, although it can be perceived as a tax. Christian giving is a natural outworking of a disciple’s gratitude to God for saving and blessing them. Financial giving highlights the value of what we have been given in Christ and prompts thankfulness and gratitude in others.

The reality is that many parishes will struggle to give their calculated amount at some time or another, and some parishes will struggle more frequently. We hope that by being realistic about the costs of paid clergy, parishes, Archdeacons and others can make better appraisals of the options for achieving sustainability.

Church income is calculated by taking average unrestricted income from the returns of parish finance completed each year. We take the total unrestricted income, and then exclude grants, trading income and legacies. We use an average of the past four calendar years to arrive at the figure used in the parish share calculations.

The poorest communities are supported in two ways: 1)The paid clergy cost is adjusted according to local household income, so those in richer areas contribute more and those in poorer areas less. 2)Lowest Income Community Funding is allocated according to need by the Archdeacons to the churches with the highest 25% of Index of Multiple Deprivation scores.

To keep the calculation simple and transparent, we do not take self-supporting ministers (SSMs) or licensed lay ministers (LLMs) into account in the costs of paid ministry but acknowledge that some parishes are very blessed by having an SSM or LLM. In some parishes this may mean that their costs for stipendiary ministry are lower than they might otherwise be. In this case, the parish may be able to contribute more than they are asked for – for which we are incredibly grateful.

Curates are still in training and so are not expected to fulfil the whole role of a minister. Once they are trained, they are available to any parish in need of a vicar, and so the whole church can and does benefit. Saying that, several of our curates are in larger churches and make a significant contribution to ministry there, and so we encourage our larger churches to make an extra contribution where they are able.

This is a complex area and, although there was some support for including them in the calculations, we do not currently do so. However, where a parish with large reserves is not meeting Parish Share, we will draw attention to this.

The Diocesan reserves policy is in our annual accounts. The Board of Finance hold six months of running costs in reserve, as generally recommended for an organisation of its size. Some reserves are held in trust on behalf of others and cannot be spent. The main bulk of diocesan reserves are invested to produce income.

The calculations do not account for vacancies and assume that all posts are filled. All parishes will experience a vacancy at some point, so any savings even out over time. If a parish has difficulty paying Parish Share during a vacancy, then please speak to the Archdeacons, who are there to help and provide support.

Like a parish, the Diocese has several sources of income, more information on which can be found in our annual report and accounts. In 2023 approximately 55% of income was derived from donations through Parish Share.