News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Generic-clergy-priest-vicar-main_article_image.jpg
Apostleship of the Sea via Flickr
UK News

Church of England votes to adopt covenant on clergy care and well-being

by Eno Adeogun

Members voted overwhelmingly to adopt a covenant committing parishes, dioceses, the wider Church and individual clergy to share responsibility for the welfare of ministers and their households.

Rev Canon Simon Butler, who headed the working group which drew up the covenant, said: "There is a widespread acknowledgement that we can and must do better to support clergy in ways that promote good practice and prevent occasional stress becoming a harmful and chronic condition.

 

"It will be a great boost to many clergy to see the General Synod taking a lead, and I hope to see the wider church following in the coming months.

The measures include work to promote access to pastoral supervision for clergy including coaching, consultancy or mentoring.

Synod also approved plans to promote awareness of stress and the dangers of burnout as part of training for ordained ministry and new resources for licensing and induction services highlighting the care and well-being of clergy.

Under plans approved by Synod, clergy, parishes and dioceses will be invited to contribute their responses to the covenant as part of a 'Big Conversation'.

Churches and dioceses will also be invited to adopt the Covenant, which was drawn up by the Working Group following a debate at the General Synod in 2017 in which members heard of the impact of stress, isolation and loneliness on clergy's lives and ministries.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate