2008 Guidelines
Who can apply for a grant?
Grants are available to licensed stipendiary clergy on the diocesan pay roll, licensed self-supporting clergy in parochial posts, together with licensed stipendiary clergy in diocesan posts and lay workers on the diocesan payroll. Full-time chaplains are not eligible unless they are not on the payroll of another institution.
What types of courses are supported through the grants?
Grants are available for educational and training events which encourage appropriate continuing professional development in the exercise of ministry. Lines have to be drawn as to what is appropriate education and training given limited resources. Something which leads to increasing competence in exercising the ministry expected by the diocese, deanery and local church is likely to be regarded as appropriate professional development. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that applications for funding are made in advance and in consultation with others - most appropriately in the context of annual
Ministerial Development Review, having solicited some feedback from the local church.
Annual conferences of organisations will not normally be funded in full e.g. Affirming Catholicism, Church Society, NEAC, New Wine etc.
Please follow this link for Study Leave, Higher Degrees, Major-in-service training
How much can I apply for?
The diocese is keen to support your ministry development. Its concern is to provide significant resources at the point of need in order to help equip you for the challenges of ministry rather than administer personal pots of money. It therefore puts on a number of courses aimed at key transitions in ministry, e.g. first and new incumbents, which you will be invited to attend and are fully funded. If you have an application which emerges from review and is related to appropriate professional development the diocese is keen to support you - wanting to say 'yes'. Please do make contact with the Ministry Development Officer to explore what may be possible.
What might parishes reasonably pay?
It is good practice for PCCs to be expected to pay for certain items which will always be expected to be part of ministry such as retreats, spiritual direction and regular quiet days. In addition, it is expected that parishes will pay for travel to events within the diocese. It is good practice for parishes to give a book allowance of, perhaps £100 a year. This is best itemised and paid directly by the parish treasurer. If there is the possibility of doubt that books are necessary for parochial work then such books might be regarded as the property of the parish but held by the office holder.
Some parishes will not have resources for book allowances, retreats and so on. In order to give some flexibility and encouragement an annual grant of up to £50 is available each year to be used for books, retreats, annual conferences of organisations etc. All that is required for a reimbursement to be made is for a receipt to be sent to the Ministry Development Officer, Diocesan House, Lady Wootton's Green, Canterbury, CT1 1NQ.
How can I apply?
Application for grants need to be made in advance of the event/course to be attended. The diocese prefers to send the cheque, wherever possible, directly to the organisation concerned. Application can be made by email to courses@diocant.org or by letter to The Ministry Development Officer, Diocesan House, Lady Wootton's Green, Canterbury, CT1 1NQ. This application should state how the proposed course relates to ongoing ministerial development and whether it has been discussed in the context of Ministerial Development Review. The application should be sent together with information about the event/course.
What about travel and accommodation expenses?
Expenses can be claimed for the reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses for courses outside the Diocese. Accommodation costs (receipt required) of up to £40 per day for non-residential conferences may be claimed. Travel expenses may be claimed at Supersaver rates by rail or mileage rates (25p per mile) whichever is the less. Claims over £30 should not normally exceed 50% of the cost of the training event. Expenses for events within the Diocese will not be refunded.
Where does the money come from?
The diocese in
Growing Forward Together states its commitment to being a learning church. It therefore annually budgets for an equivalent of 1% of stipend for all eligible clergy (whether or not stipendiary) to be made available for continuing ministerial education and development. This money is used to pay for individual grants and investment in supporting clergy in key transitions in their ministry.
I have in the past received a letter from a priest in the diocese, which asked:
"Am I right in understanding that the money involved in CME grants comes from Parish Shares? - 1% of my stipend? Or does the money come from another source?"
In response to this helpful question I replied:
The answer is, yes, money to pay for grants comes from Parish Share, but no, this is not 1% of 'your' stipend. The money is in addition to your stipend (if you have one). The 1% of clergy stipend simply refers to the amount, i.e. it is not a tax on stipends. The diocese is committed to supporting the continuing ministerial development of both its self-supporting and stipendiary ministers. The link to an actual stipend breaks down here. What in reality is happening is that this money is being set aside in the central diocesan budget.
The purpose of this fund is particularly focused on equipping and enabling ministry with a view to the needs of the local church, deanery and diocese. It is therefore strongly encouraged that applications for funding are made in advance and in consultation with others - most appropriately in the context of annual Ministerial Development Review, having solicited some feedback from the local church (who pay the Parish Share). This helps us to know what is needed and enables you to get what is needed. In addition, with funding comes a responsibility for continuing learning, which will frequently involve taking your new skills and insights and teaching and/or training others. The diocese is keen to say 'yes' to such applications and be generous in its support. This is in line with both Growing Forward Together and our commitments in relation to national guidelines on continuing ministerial education and development, and the forthcoming Terms and Conditions of Service.
In addition, to such reactive funding we are also responsibly and proactively engaged in training and development, for example:
- The recent course on Christianity and Islam
- Participants were invited to attend as a result of census research as to those parishes in the diocese with the highest concentration of Muslims.
- The Area Deans' leadership programme
- The Canterbury Leadership Programme
- The Leading your Church into Growth course which the Thanet clergy been invited to attend
- This invitation emerged from research into who could most benefit from the course. These just happened to cluster in Thanet. Another group will be identified in 2008.
In recent years, as a diocese, we have been moving away from a parochial mindset, a change most recently expressed in the Synod's support for 2020. This shift in culture also relates to how we fund continuing ministerial education and development. We have become less concerned with the administration of individual financial accounts and more concerned with providing significant resources at the point of need for clergy in order to help equip them for the challenges of ministry. Indeed, we hope to pre-empt points of need by providing timely and pro-active training such as the first and new-incumbents training. This shift in focus will enable us, in the coming years, to spend more money supporting your ministry which, whilst budgeted for in previous years has simply gone unspent.
If you are ever in doubt as to your eligibility for funding - please do ask - we want to say yes.
Higher Degrees, Major-in-service training, and Study Leave
Higher Degrees
Over recent years it has been possible to fund a number of applications for higher degrees to some extent, but rarely in full. It is important to have explored other sources of funding, such as clergy charities, before making an application. In deciding how to allocate limited resources the main criteria will be the value to the diocese of somebody completing the degree.
Major In-Service Training
It is good for the diocese if some people undertake substantial or specialist training particularly if it is going to make new and appropriate sets of skills available. It is recommended that there is a conversation with your Archdeacon early in the process.
Study Leave
Stipendiary ministers of the Diocese are encouraged to take study leave, sometimes called a sabbatical. On account of the time and money involved, some guidelines are necessary, and plans laid well in advance are essential. These are as follows:
a) Eligibility: Applications will normally only be considered from ministers who have been ordained or licensed for at least 10 years, of which at least 5 have been spent in the Canterbury Diocese. Sabbaticals will not usually be allowed to those within 5 years of retirement.
b) Topics: The study leave should be related to the ministerial task and supervised by a recognised authority in the field. The best projects involve imaginative planning. A topic should be pursued in some depth (while allowing time for adequate relaxation). There must be a relevant 'learning outcome' at the end. Simple parish swaps etc are not study leave.
c) Planning: It is desirable to start the planning process at least a year before the study leave begins. There is a helpful book Clergy Renewal - The Alban Guide to Sabbatical Planning, which is available to borrow from the BMT library, that will assist this process.
d) Supervision: It is necessary for those who go on study leave to find a person to whom to be accountable for what is done. The arrangements for supervision should form part of the application for study leave.
e) Duration and Cover: Study leave would not normally be more that three months (90 days). Cover for parish or other duties are the responsibility of the person concerned, although the Bishops will make every effort to help. Locum fees are the responsibility of the PCC in consultation with the Area Bishop.
f) Finance: Applications for grants will be considered up to £1500 for say a ten week study leave. The intention is to contribute towards travel, tuition and accommodation. Shorter periods of study leave would attract broadly proportional support. Most ministers who go on study leave also apply for funds from elsewhere eg Trusts.
g) Application: First, discuss your proposal with your Archdeacon, who will approve the application in principal. Secondly, the Archdeacon will inform the Ministry Development Officer, who in turn will assist the applicant to structure the study leave. When this is agreed the applicant writes to the Archdeacon (copying the Bishop's Office and Ministry Development Officer) outlining what has been agreed, stating the dates, cover arrangements, supervision and means of reporting back.
If you have any questions relating to this process please do contact the Ministry Development Officer.
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