The Diocese of Blackburn is focused on reaching out to people across Lancashire with the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

While each parish faces different challenges and opportunities and has different needs our Vision 2026 calls us all to work together for the good of the Kingdom. Supporting each other means pooling our resources and sharing costs too. 

We are all part of one Diocese and, brought together, our Parish Share contributions help us to foster healthy churches that, in turn, transform communities across Lancashire. 

In our new animation (watch on YouTube by clicking above) you can find out more about Parish Share - a common pot of money paid into by congregations across the Diocese. 

It looks at where the money goes; how it is spent; the impact it makes and - importantly - it also outlines what it doesn't pay for!

Please use it as a resource in your own parish to explain how Parish Share works to your congregations. Show it at PCC meetings and other gatherings; share it online with people who want to know more, across any and all of the social media platforms you use personally or as a parish.  

The full transcript of the video follows below and you can download a full transcript of the video for printing and sharing locally here: PDF or Word

Why not give a copy of the transcript to every PCC member; pin it to your noticeboard; use it as an article in your parish magazine? The possibilities are endless!

Have you got another good idea for sharing the video and its content locally that has worked for you?

Then please do let us know at communicate@blackburn.anglican.org and we will share more widely for others to try as well!

FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT. Parish Share: Where the money goes; how it is spent and the impact it makes

We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ for your contributions to Parish Share.

We’re really grateful for your generosity and for all you do in service of Jesus Christ in our communities across the Lancashire area.

The vast majority of these contributions come back to parishes to keep the ministries of our churches running.

We believe that stipendiary clergy are a critical part of the ministry of the Church in Lancashire and our commitment to maintain clergy numbers at their current level is only possible because of your generosity.

The Diocese of Blackburn is made up of 231 parishes with 272 churches, serving a population of around 1.4 million people.

We are all part of one Diocese and, brought together, our Parish Share contributions help us to foster healthy churches that, in turn, transform communities across Lancashire.

So let’s take a look at where the money goes; how it is spent and the impact it makes.

The first bit of good news is that most of the money you contribute comes back to you in one form or another: as ministry, services and support. Every parish gives, and every parish receives.

The largest portion of Parish Share, around 70%, is allocated to parish ministry. This includes placing priests in every benefice. It also covers stipends, pensions, clergy housing and training for current and future clergy.

As a charity, it’s important we have robust administrative and governance processes that are transparent and efficient. We manage to do this for less than 1% of share contributions. 

Five per cent goes to the national church, including contributions to retired clergy housing and national training. Another 5% is used to support our churches through investment in community projects, mission, outreach and initiatives for children and young people. This includes clergy study days, Diocesan Conferences and much more.

And a further 5% is dedicated to lay ministry and formation, including training, from which so many of our churches benefit.

Around 10% of the funds support the work of ‘enabler teams’ at the Diocesan Offices who keep everything running smoothly, including safeguarding, property management, communications, HR, stewardship, accounting support and some support for Whalley Abbey.

People sometimes think we get money from the government but, just to be clear, we really don’t! 

And while we are dispelling myths, contrary to what some people think your Parish Share does not pay for anything at our Cathedral in Blackburn. All Church of England cathedrals are structurally independent from dioceses and they receive a limited amount of direct funding from the Church Commissioners.

While we can (and do) secure funding from the national church for specific projects, the money from these rigorously assessed bids can only be used for the projects it is allocated to.

For everything else the responsibility rests with us collectively as a Diocese, through Parish Share contributions. In fact, the majority of our income comes from parishes.

The balance of our income is made up of rents, grants for specific work and projects, and interest and dividends on our investments.

Thank you for being a beacon of hope in Lancashire and making a lasting impact on the communities we serve in the County; it’s your generosity that makes the difference!

Ronnie Semley, July 2024