What is Parish Share?
Parish Share is the amount of money that your parish is asked to contribute to pay for mission and ministry, specifically for clergy stipends and their housing.
How is Parish Share calculated?
The Parish Share that you are asked to pay is calculated using a formula which considers whether your clergy are full time or part time and a banding according to where your parish is situated socio-economically using the 2021 census information. This takes into account our shared responsibility to support parishes in areas of deprivation.
Parish Share = Clergy Number x banding x standard Parish Share
Clergy Number
If you think your Clergy Number is wrong, or if you want to discuss the future staffing level in your parish, contact your Archdeacon or Suffragan Bishop.
How is the banding worked out?
The middle half of parishes with average ability to pay contribute 105% of this adjusted figure; ie a small contribution.
The parishes with above average ability to pay contribute greater amounts up to 145% of this figure.
The least able to pay contribute smaller amounts down to a minimum of 25%. By this, the 25% of parishes with least ability to pay are supported by the 25% with greatest ability to pay.
Download Parish Share Bandings
Annual incremental banding changes
In 2025, some parishes received a rise in their Parish Share assessment. This is due to a rebanding as a result of the 2021 census data. In these cases, banding will be increased incrementally by 0.05 of a band each year until the new banding has been reached.
Where does the money go?
The ministry and mission of The Church of England is largely funded through the incredible generosity of those who give through their own parish church. The cash donations in the offertory and the regular payments that you make through your bank account impact the financial health and the mission of your own parish church and are also closely linked to those of Chester Diocese.
Thanks to your support, in churches across our Diocese:
• Communion is celebrated
• The Gospel is preached
• Bereaved families are comforted
• School assemblies take place
• Baptisms and weddings are ministered
• People are shown the love of Christ by our pastoral presence in every community
Budget 2025
Communicating Parish Share in 2025
In December 2024, Treasurers, PCC secretaries and incumbents have been notified of Parish Share assessment.
Parish Share Assessment packs included a letter from the retiring Chair of the Chester Diocese Board of Finance, Ian Scott Dunn.
The Parish Share Leaflet was sent to help you to communicate Parish Share and the importance of generous giving.
Please contact the Finance Department at Church House if you would like to receive more printed copies of the Parish Share leaflet for your congregation or church buildings.
Paying your Parish Share
Direct debit payments are collected in full on the last working day of each month unless otherwise notified.
Please note: the cut off date for any direct debit changes is the 20th of each month - please email parishshare@chester.anglican.org
If you are facing cash flow problems at any point throughout the year, please get in touch. If we know and understand we can reschedule your payments. If you pay by Direct Debit the Finance Department will happily debit a nominal amount from your account for a few months, until the situation has eased.
Please do not cancel the Direct Debit at your bank as it can prove difficult to reinstate cancelled arrangements. If you want to alter how much you pay please contact the Finance Department.
Local Variation
The system allows nearby parishes and the deanery to vary the amounts paid by parishes as long as the total paid remains the same. For example, a deanery synod may decide to help one particular parish which would struggle to pay its share by asking all others to pay a supplement; two or more parishes sharing a priest may agree to change the proportion of his or her time that each of them pays for; or a parish with a large eclectic congregation may decide to help a near neighbour which is less well supported. In each case any variation must have the agreement of all PCCs affected. If such an agreement is made, simply inform the Finance Team of the new share levels for each parish affected and they will alter the direct debits as appropriate.
Thank you
The Parish Share 'Thank You' Poster has been produced to display in your church buildings. Further printed copies are available and can be posted to you on request.
Thank you for your continued generosity. With your continued support we can achieve our shared vision. Together in Christ, sharing hope: blessing the 1.5m across Chester Diocese who have not heard the Good News of Jesus.
Further resources
A video about the 2025 Parish Share including a thank you message can be viewed here This may be useful for sharing with your church members when talking about generosity and Parish Share.
Treasurer Support
We recognise that being a treasurer can be a difficult and lonely role. There is a Treasurer Support page on our website which explains our dedicated support for volunteers who are responsible for the important work of making sure that Parish Share is paid. This includes regular training, events and networking opportunities, and a Whatsapp group to link up with volunteers in similar roles to share experiences and knowledge.
Questions
If you have questions regarding how the share is calculated, how it works, or how payments can be made please contact the Finance Department at parishshare@chester.anglican.org.
Appeals
The Parish Share Appeals committee are independent from the Finance & Central Services Committee. The committee consists of members of Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod and are happy to receive appeals from parishes that believe, their Parish Share has been calculated incorrectly, or is calculated using the incorrect socio-economic banding. Appeals will not be considered with respect to the general system.
Appeals should be sent to : The Secretary, Parish Share Appeals Committee, at Church House.
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Complementary Parish Share Scheme (CPSS) – Pilot 2025
A proposal for a Complementary Parish Share Scheme (CPSS) was presented to Diocesan Synod following approval at Bishop’s Council in October 2024
This is a 12 month pilot which will enable individuals and churches across Chester Diocese to move forward together in unity around issues of Living in Love and Faith, maintaining trusting relationships and giving generously towards our shared gospel mission. In Chester Diocese generally, some parish share goes to cover the costs of subsidising ministry in other parishes across the diocese. Within the designated fund, this will not apply in the same way. Rather, that element of the parish share will be redirected within the designated fund itself. Parishes will still be required to contribute their full parish share, as calculated by the diocese in the usual way.
How to opt into the CPSS pilot scheme
To opt into the scheme your PCC will need to pass the following motion:
“The PCC of [parish name] resolves to pay our Parish Share, as calculated by Chester Diocesan Board of Finance, through the Complementary Parish Share Scheme (CPSS).
Further, we commit to the principle of generosity captured by the CPSS, that any deficit in the total amount of Parish Share collected will be covered collectively by the members of the CPSS. “
A PCC may wish to divide their payment of parish share on a proportional basis between the main and complementary routes. In that case, please amend the resolution to read,
“The PCC of [parish name] resolves to pay X% of our Parish Share …”. The commitment to contribute to any deficit among members of the CPSS would also be adjusted according to the same proportion.”
In addition, PCC’s may want to adopt an explanatory statements at the same time as passing the resolution. For example:
“We are taking this step following the decision of the Church of England to allow Prayers of Love and Faith to bless same-sex unions, defined in the pastoral introduction to the prayers as those who have “sealed a covenanted friendship, registered a civil partnership, or entered into a civil marriage”.
Communicating your decision to the central finance team at Church House
You will need to communicate that you have opted into the scheme by emailing ds@chester.anglican.org
If you have any questions about the scheme itself please talk to your Archdeacon.