Launching our 2026-28 Strategy

“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

For 370 years, Clergy Support Trust has offered a lifeline to clergy households struggling with the pressure of water engulfing them, whether related to financial, mental or physical health challenges. In 2025, we began more deliberately travelling upstream, to analyse the root causes behind those challenges.

In our 2026-28 Strategy – which we are delighted to introduce a summary of here for our applicants, supporters and stakeholders – we plan to continue this journey, advocating with applicants as well as supporting them.

The Church of England, which represents over 85% of the Trust’s work, has faced dark and difficult days over the past few years. Throughout those, we have witnessed many of our applicants remain resilient in their faith, their desire to serve despite the obstacles, and their willingness to invite us alongside them.

We are grateful for the extraordinary people we serve, and we are eager to try to support them in new ways, as well as with our centuries-old commitment to financial support and wellbeing. In doing so, we are grateful for the love and grace God continues to show us, not least through the faces and stories of those who seek our support.

Read our full 2026-28 Strategy booklet, to find out more:

Strategy Booklet

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We will focus our work on the households in the greatest need.

The Trust was founded to help those in need, particularly with their finances or health. In recent years, too many clergy have been “in need” because of the stipend’s inability to keep pace with inflation.

Thanks in part to the Trust’s advocacy, the stipend is set to improve, meaning that the Trust going forward will focus much of its efforts alongside those in the greatest need – whether relating to finances, ill health or challenging life events (such as bereavement, separation and new diagnoses).

We will do so through a holistic and bespoke service, including grants, the Visiting Caseworker service, and a range of specialist support.

We will continue to support those who face unforeseen health, financial and wellbeing challenges.

Since our beginnings in the seventeenth century, grant-giving has been the heart of our offer, and will continue to be.

Going forward, however, this will be part of a broader programme, including services and resources, to ensure that help is available throughout the “ministerial journey”, and in new ways.

As a charity, we will refine our grant-giving in light of the improved clergy stipend and pensions in the Church of England, while continuing to offer independent, confidential support.

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We will invest significantly in self-service support, accessed through a new online platform.

Applicants have long told us that they would like more self-service support, covering a range of subjects, including personal development, dealing with difficult relationships, financial planning and mental health.

The next three years will see a major expansion in this area, including courses and webinars, with a dedicated team building a free-to-all ‘Clergy Support Portal’ on our website, not least seeking to reach those who may not have come to the Trust before.

Building on our existing Wellbeing Workshops, this will form part of a reinvigorated programme, enabling clergy to access the personal support they need, when they need it.

We will expand our research programme.

Building on recent projects on clergy wellbeing, we will invest further in research, with an initial focus during 2026 on clergy family life.

We will partner with exceptional academics, charities and others to ensure that, as well as supporting individuals and families, we are investigating and addressing the root causes of the challenges they too often face.

We have previously funded independent research into the wellbeing of UKME / Global Majority Heritage Clergy, as part of a 10-year programme into how clergy can flourish in ministry. A team led Dr Selina Stone interviewed 18 clergy at all stages of ministry, from a range of groups.

Recent research

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We will continue to develop a strong, clear and compelling voice to advocate for those we serve.

The Trust’s data and advocacy were instrumental in bringing about changes to the clergy stipend, and the focus on clergy wellbeing in the 2026-28 Triennium Funding plans from the Church of England.

We are proud of that contribution, and will build on it over coming years, ensuring that applicant voices are amplified. As part of this, we hope to develop our focus on retired clergy wellbeing in 2026, in partnership with other organisations.

We will aim to bring systemic, sustained change to the Church’s care of clergy and their families.

We will continue to professionalise and modernise our systems and structures.

Our amazing staff are our greatest asset. In 2025, we launched new staff training provision, which we will expand over the coming years, ensuring that Clergy Support Trust continues to support its team, as well as the thousands of households applying for support.

We will continue to ensure that our systems are fit-for-purpose and value-for-money, offering the best possible user experience. We will invest in the development of our exceptional team and workplace.

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We will substantially change and develop our financial models.

This will allow for growth and prudent stewardship with a new “total returns” accounting approach, the establishment of a notional Permanent Endowment, and the genesis of new income streams, through partnerships and conventional fundraising.

The Trust is fortunate to have significant financial assets, managed well and carefully over many centuries, which meant we were able to support clergy through the recent challenges of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and a low stipend.

Whilst we will continue supporting those in need today, we want also to ensure that the charity is here for future generations, and we seek to achieve “balanced budgets” going forward, after many years of significant operational overspends.

Much work has gone into developing new financial structures to maximise our income for the 2026-28 Strategic period, while still investing securely for the future, and providing opportunities for our supporters today to be that lifeline for the clergy of tomorrow in times of need.

Read our full 2026-28 Strategy booklet, to find out more: