The Church of England logoFaithWorshipLife eventsAbout the Church
Information Where to find us
Media Centre Home

Tell us what you think about our website

DDO Handbook Section 6

Finance

Contents of this Section:

Statement of Financial Position

Candidates should be asked to fill in the Statement of Financial Position form before they are sponsored for a Bishops’ Advisory Panel.  In the case of candidates being ordained to a stipendiary title this form will need to be completed again at the end of the penultimate year of training.

Initial discussion about finance

It is important that there is an initial discussion with the candidate about financial matters. It may be appropriate at this stage for the DDO or financial adviser in the diocese to draw up an outline financial plan with the candidate. Some details will appropriately be left until after the Panel, but the initial discussion should include at least the following matters:

  • the financial resources of the candidate;
  • the needs of the family (where applicable);
  • disposal and purchase of property (if any);
  • the question of vacation accommodation in the case of single students;
  • any outstanding hire purchase arrangements, debts or student loans;
  • outline of arrangements for grants from the Ministry Division and the diocese.

Financial assurance & financial condition

The Sponsoring Papers will need to indicate that the Statement of Financial Position form has been completed. If there are any significant financial isses raised through the form or in discussion with the candidate, the papers should include an account of how these are being followed up and an assurance that no financial bar to the candidate proceeding exists.  The Bishops’ Advisers may impose a financial condition in cases which seem to warrant it.  If the Sponsoring Papers are sufficiently clear and informative, this should not normally be necessary. However, some cases might occur where a condition seems required, such as when a candidate comes to a panel at short notice, has unexpectedly become engaged or married since sponsorship or where new financial issues come to light at the Panel.  In such cases the Advisers will add the following condition:

'on condition that the diocese is satisfied that adequate financial provision can be made for the candidate (and his/her family or dependants) during his/her course of training'.

Financial issues, debt and bankruptcy

It is important that DDOs, through the Statement of Financial Position form, are aware of any debt carried by a candidate and a strategy agreed as to how the debt will be managed.  In the rare case of a candidate who has been declared bankrupt, DDOs should note that, although there is no restriction on such a candidate attending a Bishops' Advisory Panel or, indeed, entering training, it is the normal expectation that the necessary legal procedures will have been undertaken so that the bankruptcy is discharged prior to ordination. Discharge of bankruptcy now usually occurs within a year of a bankruptcy order having been filed with the bankruptcy court.

Applying for Ministry Division grants for college training

Advice on applying for training grants is given to candidates in the booklet Financial Information for Recommended Candidates. When the choice of college has been settled, the candidate should complete the application form for a training grant and forward this to the Grants Officer at the Ministry Division. It is no longer generally possible for Local Education Authorities to make discretionary awards for ordination training. It will therefore only be appropriate to make an application to the LEA if the candidate is undertaking a first degree course at a college and has not previously received LEA assistance, in which case the candidate will be eligible for a mandatory award toward tuition fees.

Grants for college training

A full grant from Central Church Funds for college training consists of:

  • college tuition fees
  • college maintenance fees
  • personal allowance (for books, clothes, etc.)
  • vacation allowance
  • travel allowance (for travel to college/home at the beginning and end of each term)

Fees and allowances

The details of the levels of fees for each college, and the levels of allowances, are circulated to DDOs each year in Notes on Training Grants  (Appendix 6A).

Grants and personal contributions for candidates at college

It should be noted that the Finance Panel’s policy has always been that grants from Central Church Funds are allocated on the basis of need, and that candidates should be expected to make a contribution towards training costs where reasonably able to do so. In the case of single candidates entering college training, a personal contribution towards maintenance will be assessed where candidates are in receipt of any unearned income from savings and investments in excess of a certain level (see Appendix 6A).  In the case of married candidates attending college, unearned income is not normally taken into account, such income being regarded as a contribution towards the family budget. (It should be noted that college tuition fees are now met in full in the case of all candidates not in receipt of a LEA award and that parental contributions towards Ministry Division grants are no longer expected in the case of single candidates aged under 25).

Applying for Ministry Division grants for regional course training

Advice on applying for training grants is given to candidates in the booklet, Financial Information for Recommended Candidates.  Fees are now automatically met by the Ministry Division from Central Church Funds in the case of all candidates training on a course, and it is no longer expected that such candidates first apply to their LEA in the hope of being considered for a discretionary award. Candidates are eligible to apply to the Ministry Division for a book allowance and travel expenses using the form provided. A personal contribution towards the book and travel grant is expected in a small number of cases. Information about the assessment of personal contributions is set out in the annual circulation of Notes on Training Grants (Appendix 6A), together with details of the book and travel allowances and fees for each course.

Training on an Ordained Local Ministry Scheme

In the financial arrangements for the OLM Schemes there are no fee charges for ordinands. For help towards book and travel expenses, application is made to the Sponsoring Diocese rather than the Ministry Division.

Diocesan family maintenance grants

The diocese has primary responsibility for the financial support of the dependants of married candidates entering college training. In 1988 the Report of the Working Group on the Support of Married Candidates set out the guidelines to be followed in the allocation of diocesan family maintenance grants. These guidelines are now followed by all dioceses, and a pooling arrangement exists so that diocesan costs on family maintenance are fairly distributed among dioceses. The detailed figures in the guidelines are updated annually, and circulated to dioceses in May of each year (see Appendix 6B and the family budget form in Appendix 6C).

Additional funding for married candidates

Although primary responsibility for the support of married candidates rests with the sponsoring diocese, the Ministry Division contributes to these costs through family maintenance grants made from the Church Times Train-A-Priest Fund and the Archbishops' Discretionary Funds. To apply for these grants a copy of the agreed estimated budget should be submitted to the Grants Office at the Ministry Division (see Appendix 6C).

Diocesan grants to single students

In October 1993 the House of Bishops discussed the need for additional diocesan support for single students in college training, particularly older students with no parental home for use during the vacation periods. The Bishops reaffirmed that dioceses should be alerted to the needs of single students in full-time training and to make adequate provision in diocesan budgets so that assistance can be given where appropriate.

Ministry Division budget form for single students

The Ministry Division issues a budget form with guideline notes, which is updated each year, for use by dioceses to help in the assessment of diocesan grants for single students (see Appendix 6D).  Diocesan grants made to single students (subject to a set level) are now eligible for inclusion in the national pooling arrangements.

Other sources of funding

Information about additional grants made by charities and trusts towards the costs of ordination training is given in the Association of Ordinands and Candidates for Ministry (AOCM) Handbook, or is available from the Grants Office at the Ministry Division.

Life assurance scheme for married candidates

All dioceses now participate in the EIG's Life Assurance Scheme for married candidates, details of which can be found in Appendix 6B. The scheme provides cover in the event of the death of a married candidate (or lone parent) in college training. The scheme has also been extended to include the option of providing cover for any married candidate (or lone parent) to be ordained to a stipendiary title who is training on a part-time course, for a period of 3 months before the date of ordination.

Student loans

Grants from Central Church Funds are allocated on the basis that ordinands will not receive loans within the Government’s Student Loan Scheme. With regard to student loans taken out prior to ordination training, the House of Bishops decided that such a loan should not be considered as a debt which is an impediment to ordination.  Until September 1998 the Student Loan Scheme stipulated that a loan need not be repaid in any year where a graduate’s income falls below 85 per cent of national average earnings.  However, currently student loans taken out from September 1998 have to be repaid, in instalments, where earned income is in excess of £15,000 per annum.

Candidates Panel and Research Degrees Panel cases

In the present arrangements, training falling outside of the Bishops' Regulations must be approved by the Candidates Panel of the Vocation Recruitment and Selection Committee or, in the case of research degrees, the Research Degrees Panel, in order to be eligible for financial support from Central Church Funds.  The supporting papers for proposals being considered by the Candidates Panel (see Section 8 below) and by the Research Degrees Panel (see  8.11 ff below) should give clear information about the financial implications of the proposal.

 

Resources

Financial Information for Recommended Candidates, a booklet published by Ministry Division

AOCM Handbook