02/02/2026
The Archbishops’ Council has approved a second award of £100,000 to the charity St Luke’s for Clergy Wellbeing, which provides clergy with access to independent psychological care, alongside preventive care focused on pastoral supervision.
Clergy Support Trust, also an independent national charity, that supports clergy with financial, health and well being, has been awarded £500,000 by the Council after a £2 million grant award last year.
The new grant to the Trust will help clergy with everyday expenses such as energy costs, unexpected car repairs, and school uniforms and trips for clergy children. The Trust also provides a range of other grants and services, including counselling, coaching and occupational therapies.
The award comes after the Trust provided more than 7,000 grants to over 2,900 households last year, with the vast majority of applicants from serving clergy households in the Church of England. The Trust has supported more than a fifth of all serving Church of England ministers for the past three years.
St Luke's for Clergy Wellbeing invests around £500,000 a year in its services for clergy and their families, including £163,000 on psychological services.
The awards are being announced ahead of a 10.7 per cent rise in clergy stipends – both to the National Minimum Stipend and National Stipends Benchmark – approved by the Archbishops’ Council, that comes into effect in April.
The Bishop of Chester, Dr Mark Tanner, who chairs the Church of England’s Ministry Development Board and is a member of the Archbishops’ Council, said: "Clergy are a remarkable and often overlooked gift to the communities they serve. Their hard work and dedication makes a difference to countless lives, and their own well-being matters hugely. I am grateful for the practical support offered by St Luke's and by Clergy Support Trust and so glad that they are receiving this funding to enable them to continue and expand their work.”
The Rev Ben Cahill-Nicholls, Clergy Support Trust Chief Executive, said: “The Church's own research shows that many clergy are anxious about their finances. This grant from the Archbishops' Council is an important recognition of that, as well as of our applicants' extraordinary ministry.
“For too many, that ministry - so often a great joy - comes with real challenges, and we are delighted that the Church continues to work hard to find ways of improving the financial, mental and physical health of its clergy, in partnership with Clergy Support Trust and others.”
Dr Tim Ling, Chief Executive of St Luke’s said: “We are most grateful for the continuing support from the Archbishops’ Council, which is enabling us to further develop our talking‑therapy offer, aiming for faster, simpler access for our beneficiaries along with closer more collaborative work with partners such as the Clergy Support Trust.”