Put Parishes first. Always.

We need to put parish ministry first.

We believe the local congregation - the parish - is the heart of the church. Parishes benefit from the administrative support and strategic leadership of the diocese, and of course, there are many other important ministries that take place beyond parishes. But if parishes are in trouble, everything else we do is in trouble.

But parishes need support.

Did you know that around 25% of parishes in our diocese don’t currently have a rector?

Not everything comes down to having a rector, but vacancies mean that our parishes are in a state of uncertainty. It is difficult to make necessary strategic decisions while they await the next appointment.

We need to modernise our clergy appointment processes, and invest in training and recruitment. We must also address the push factors that cause so many clergy to leave parish ministry - workplace conditions, lack of support, and burnout.

Parish ministers are stressed, exhausted and isolated. And they're burning out because of it.

We want to address the root causes of clergy burnout so that clergy can better serve their parishes. This means ongoing training and support for clergy. It means professional supervision. It means training and enabling lay people. It means finding administrative efficiencies and lifting the burdens of red tape on parishes. We need to find ways to enable parish ministers to actually rest.