Retired clergy in need of support

A lifetime of service

At Clergy Support Trust, we believe that people who have spent their lives serving their communities should be able to enjoy a financially secure retirement, free of worries for the future.

Almost 10% of the retired clergy we support have given 40 years or more's service to the Church, their congregations and communities. Despite this dedicated service, many are struggling to pay their heating bills, and to afford vital household adaptations and mobility aids.

We were pleased to be approached by Rob White, a journalist for The Daily Telegraph who was writing about clergy pensions and the financial struggles that many retired clergy are facing.

Rob interviewed our Chief Executive, The Revd Ben Cahill-Nicholls, about the financial challenges facing people in their golden years.

Read his article

Text reads: Last year, we provided over £400,000 in grants to support retired clergy and their families.

Text reads: In 2024, we gave £90,000 to retired clergy who could not afford day-to-day living, like clothing and energy bills.

Clergy pensions

Following significant campaigning by members of The Archbishops' Council and retired clergy - as well as our own meetings with key church change-makers - General Synod approved proposals to increase clergy pensions in July 2025.

The key recommendations of the proposal included:

Restoring the target pension level to two-thirds of pensionable stipend for future service.
Uplifting benefits for active and deferred members to reflect a two-thirds accrual rate since 2011.
Providing an increase to pensions that have come into payment since 2011.

While these welcome changes will come into force from 1 April 2026, many retired clergy - both until, and beyond this date - will continue to struggle to afford the essentials, and will rely on Clergy Support Trust to get by. Find out more in Madeleine Davies' article in The Church Times.

Support available

In many of our conversations with both serving and retired clergy, and their families, there is often a concern that by seeking our support, they will be depriving another family in need of a much-needed grant.

Retired clergy households should be equipped to thrive, not just survive. We are here to support you in times of need.

If you are unsure of how we might be able to help, or whether you are eligible for our grants, we would encourage you to visit our online Eligibility Checker. It's simple, easy to use and should only take you a few moments to complete.

If you have any questions, please visit our Questions and Guidance page before getting on touch. If you can't find an answer to your query, and would like to speak to one of our Charitable Services team, call us on 0800 389 5192, or email grants@clergysupport.org.uk.

Text reads: 255 retired clergy households have relied on our support since 2019.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Photo credit: Clergy Support Trust, Canva, Age Without Limits Photo Library.

Clergy Support Trust is the largest and oldest charity focussed on the wellbeing of clergy and their families. The Trust, originally founded in 1655, provides confidential help for Anglican clergy and their families across the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, and Diocese in Europe. The Trust are confidential, independent, inclusive, and impartial, and we support clergy from training through to retirement. In 2024, we supported over 2,800 households with more than 7,300 grants.