From before the Norman Conquest, clergy of the Church in England
received income from their living. Tax on that income was paid to
the Pope and, after the break with Rome in the 1530s, to the Crown
instead.
Queen Anne's Bounty
The poverty of many clergy prompted Queen Anne to use that tax
revenue to set up "the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for
the Augmentation of the Maintenance of Poor Clergy" in 1704.
Governors applied funds selectively to improve poor clergy's income
and, in time, to provide and repair parsonages for incumbents of
small livings.
In 2004 the Church Commissioners marked the tercentenary year of
Queen Anne's Bounty with a commemorative service and the
publication of an illustrated history [l].
The Church Building Commissioners
In 1818 the Church Building Commissioners were set up by
Parliament to create new parishes and provide new churches in areas
which had seen rapid population growth during the years of the
Industrial Revolution.
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were set up by Parliament in
1836 to reorganize dioceses, abolish surplus posts in cathedrals
and take over both the responsibility for funding bishops and some
cathedral costs, and the assets that had supported those
responsibilities. The surplus income was to be used "for the cure
of souls in parishes where such assistance is most required". They
had a major role in financing churches for the new population
centres that grew up in the Industrial Revolution and in supporting
the stipends of the clergy who worked there.
In 1856 they took over the work of the Church Building
Commissioners and from 1907 they became involved with clergy
pensions.
The Church Commissioners
Following a merger in 1948, the Church Commissioners inherited
the assets and the work of both Queen Anne's Bounty and the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The initial focus of their work was
on improving the income of clergy, aiming for national consistency
of provision (1951 onwards). Milestones since 1948 include:
1953: First "Green Guide" on parsonage
design.
1954: Commissioners take on clergy pensions and
set up non-contributory clergy pensions. Grants made for new
churches in new population areas.
1958: £1 million provided over
25 years for improving church-aided schools.
1968: Pastoral Measure introduced, with the
Commissioners playing a large part in its administration.
1972: Appointed first Central Stipends
Authority. The Archbishops' Council now has this role.
1975: Commissioners' campaign to ensure no
clergy are paid below recommended levels. They help dioceses with
costs.
1978: Central payroll service introduced for
all stipendiary clergy.
1980: Improved clergy pension package:
two-thirds of stipend, lump sum on retirement, benefits for
widows.
1983: Loans for clergy retirement housing.
Scheme also extended to housing for curates and deserted clergy
wives.
1986: New drive to tackle unsuitable clergy
housing. Over the following years, £38 million allocated to the
Parsonages Renewal Fund
1987: Clergy car loan scheme introduced (ended
2008).
1988: General Synod empowers the Commissioners
to support the Church Urban Fund. £1 million a year paid from 1988
to 1991.
By the early 1990s the Commissioners' fund was
over-committed, especially with the growing cost of clergy
pensions. Pressure to maximize income had led to over-investment in
commercial property, which went sharply into decline in the early
1990s, and to spending more than could be sustained in the long
term.
Church-wide review led to the Pensions Measure 1997, which
provided for parishes to pay for most clergy pension rights earned
from January 1998 and for a new funded scheme to be set up for this
purpose. The Commissioners provided transitional relief and remain
responsible for clergy pensions earned up to 1998.
Review of the Church's central structures also led to the
establishment in 1999 of the Archbishops'
Council to give strategic direction to the Church
of England's mission, while providing the Church Commissioners with
a clear focus upon their asset management functions.
As a result of the reshaping of the Commissioners' commitments
and their financial reforms:
- The future cost of clergy pensions is being shared with the
wider Church, bringing the Commissioners' financial commitments to
a level they can meet.
- Assets are invested in a balanced way in line with independent
professional advice.
Funds (other than for pensions) are being distributed only at a
level that can be afforded in the long term, based on actuarial
advice.