Support for clergy

“You cannot bear the weight of this calling in your own strength, but only by the grace and power of God.” (Ordination service)

If you are currently serving as a member of clergy in the Diocese of Rochester, then this page is for you. We know that life in ministry - whether it's your full-time role or something you balance with other work and commitments - can be hugely demanding.

On this page we cover the support available to you as you serve your communities, and continue to grow and develop in your ministry:

The Mission and Ministry Development Team
Bishop's Guidelines
Bishop's Advisers
Grievances
People System - Church of England
Parish Management
Clergy wellbeing
Clergy Personal files Privacy Notice

We also have dedicated pages on:

Clergy housing
Continuing Ministerial Development
Ministerial Development Review
Curacy training and formation (Initial Ministerial Education)
Grants and funding
Your wellbeing
Liturgy and Rites guidance
Ministries and initiatives

The Mission and Ministry Development Team

The Mission and Ministry Development Team develops and delivers vocations, selection, initial and in-service training, consultancy and support for authorised and ordained¨ministries; and theological education and ministerial formation resources for adult Christians in the Diocese of Rochester.

Alongside the bishops and the archdeacons, the team is on hand to help you throughout the course of your ministry here in the Diocese.

Please don't hesitate to contact them if you need assistance. 

Bishop's Guidelines

You will find much of the information and guidance you need as a member of clergy in the Bishop's Guidelines - a handbook providing answers to the most commonly asked questions you may have. It covers pragmatic issues such as money, housing, pensions and discipline, as well as matters of doctrine.

The handbook is compiled by the Bishop's Chaplain and is regularly updated.

• Bishop’s Guidelines-December 2023 update

For all other documents relating to clergy issues and doctrine please visit the Documents section of this website or our Liturgy and rites guidance page.

Clergy Personal files Privacy Notice

This notice explains how the information about you, that Bishop of Rochester holds in your personal file, is used, managed and your rights with respect to that data.

Further guidance can be found in the Personal Files relating to Clergy policy and several other policies and procedures which support this privacy notice, these are listed in Clergy Personal files Privacy Notice

Bishop's Advisers

We have a number of advisers on some specific matters who can be contacted for advice or support on their specific areas of concern:

• Bishop's Adviser for UK Minority Ethnic / Global Majority Heritage  - The Rev Canon Jeremy Blunden
• Bishop’s Advisor for the Ministry of Ordained Women -  Rev Judi Hammill
• Bishop’s Adviser for Retired Clergy - The Rev Canon Jane Edwards
• Bishop's Adviser for Self Supporting Ministers (SSMs) - The Rev Canon Sarah Partridge
• Bishop's Adviser for Disability - The Rev Rachel Wilson

Grievances

As a family of faith, we seek to foster relationships of the utmost integrity, truthfulness and trustworthiness, and to provide a supportive, caring environment in which the wellbeing of individuals are respected and each person is treated with dignity at all times.

The Diocese's Anti-bullying and Harassment policy (2024), sets out the indicators of what constitutes both bullying and harassment behaviours, and explains the process by which you can make a complaint if you consider you have been subject to unacceptable behaviour, and what will happen.

You can also find more in section A27 of the Bishop's Guidelines

• Rochester Diocese Anti-bullying and Harassment policy (2024)
• How we relate to one another (Church of England)

People System

The new People System for the Church of England is replacing MyView and is the system that holds the information that will be presented in the National Register of Clergy. 

The National Register of Clergy was published on the Church of England website in mid-May. It shows all clergy who hold a Bishop’s Licence or Permission to Officiate (PTO). It will not include contact information. As well as being the data source for the National Register, the People System will manage the payment of clergy stipends and hold some key pieces of information.

For more details please visit: People System (Church of England)

Parish Management

The For Parishes section of this website brings together a range of important matters of church life such as safeguarding, church buildings, finance, community engagement and much more.

 The Parish Administration section particularly deals with practical resources and guidance around:

• people management,
• recruitment processes, 
• data protection; and,
• management tools available to help you are you work with others in your church team to serve your congregation and communities.

The Church of England's Life Events team offers churches advice, encouragement, resources and insights into mission and ministry around these occasions. The Life Events Diary is available free of charge for all churches within the Church of England to help streamline the administration of baptism, weddings, banns, and funerals so that they can focus on the ministry and mission of the life events services. See the national Church of England Life Events resource website for more detail.

Clergy wellbeing

Your well-being as clergy is very important to us.

Well-being is more than just 'feeling good'. A positive well-being involves the interplay of a number of factors. Physical, emotional, physical and spiritual health, together with the availability and quality of personal and professional relationships, within the wider context of vocation, all contribute to an overall sense of well-being.

The Covenant for Clergy Care and Wellbeing is the expressed view of the mind of the Church of England on issues relating to clergy care and wellbeing. The Covenant was made an Act of Synod at the February 2020 Group of Sessions of the General Synod. Read the full text

You can also find discussion documents and other supporting resources on the Church of England website.

Beyond the responsibility that clergy have for maintaining their own health and well-being, there is support available within the diocese. Please visit our Your wellbeing page to find out more.

• A Covenant for Clergy Care and Wellbeing

Key Contacts