The Church of England (CofE) announced a £1.6 billion clergy friendly cash splash in early June.
Ministers will receive a 10.7% stipend rise, with almost £65 million for “clergy retirement housing.”
This three-year cost projection includes “investment in new initiatives to improve choices for clergy when they retire.”
Student clergy also received a boost.
Enhanced cost-of-living considerations will further support those training for ordination.
Spending on clergy well-being, the CofE said, was part of an overall “financial simplification” programme.
To achieve this, “diocesan apportionment to the national church” had to be abolished.
Effectively, the CofE goes from a contribution-funded church to a church funded by the redistribution of wealth.
Costs paid for by the apportionment will now be sourced from Parish Shares and the CofE’s $10 billion endowment fund, managed by the Church Commissioners for England.
Abolishing the apportionment somewhat frees up money and slightly decentralises power, taking some financial burdens away from a diocese.
Each diocese will have more autonomy as far as local spending plans meet the CofE’s stated overall ministry policies, procedures, and priorities.
Among those priorities is Social and Racial justice, which received £12 million in the budget, with this number ballooning to £40.3 million by 2034.
Funding is likely to go towards the Church’s March 2025 investment in “antiracist practices” overseen by the CofE’s “first ever Racial Justice Board.”
This “Antiracist taskforce” is staffed by a committee, guided by theology read through the lens of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and led by SSM advocate, bishop Arun Arora and interfaith sponsor, Bishop Rosemarie Mallett.
The 71-page witch hunt for racists known as “From Lament to Action” heavily leans on the words “critical,” “systemic,” “urgency,” and mentions “diversity” 64 times.
For example, “diversity monitoring,” the context of which seems to imply every pew and its parishioner must be turned into the DEI police. (p. 20)
“Cultural” is referenced 45 times.
Another Critical Race Theory buzzword, “awareness”, is used 13 times.
A notable addition here is the suggestion that the Church become more like the world by allowing itself to be “enriched” by multiculturalism. (p.55)
As Calvin Robinson’s experience shows, the CofE’s newfound “inclusive” war on racism has some serious holes.
If the Iscariot-level inquisition wasn’t enough to raise eyebrows, there is the £200-million fight for net zero, to be played out over 9 years.
Lodged firmly in the funding is climate change catastrophism, wrapped in the theology of “protecting God’s creation.”
“Spending plans confirm earlier proposals to invest £190 million over several triennia to support General Synod’s ambition to reach Net Zero Carbon,” the CofE press release explained.
The goal is to “limit carbon emissions,” and ensure CofE’s carbon zero quest reaches beyond 2034.
Dubbed the Target 2030: Net Zero Carbon routemap, the Church of England is “doing its bit for climate justice!”
This is because the “global climate emergency,” asserts the CofE, “is a crisis for God’s creation and a fundamental injustice.”
While the CofE’s clergy centred cash splash and the empowering of local churches are definite highlights, the budget’s Social Justice Warriorism is an obvious downside.
A broader look at the context suggests the catalyst for the CofE’s financial reform is the UK Labour Party ripping £20 million in tax relief away from churches.
Kier Starmer’s “worship tax” was rolled out in January alongside £117 million in handouts to Mosques and Islamic schools.
The CofE’s latest cost analysis and spending trajectory seems to be an indirect response to government overreach, as much as it looks like a move to ensure the church plays a part in it.
Their own words and actions infer that this new approach is less about serving the church and more about seeking socio-political relevance.
Instead of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, as per Galatians 5, the CofE appear to have chosen to comply with, compromise, and cosy up to the spirit of the age.
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Author: Rod Lampard
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