Stipendiary
All Christian ministry, whether ordained or lay, is a sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ. All Christians through faith and baptism represent Christ but since earliest times, the Church has called some to act as a focus of unity, who are continually responsible for reminding the Church of its total dependence on Jesus Christ for its mission and ministry in the world. The focus of unity in each diocese is the Bishop, who delegates ministry in parishes and certain institutions to priests.
Stipendiary clergy receive a stipend and housing such that they do not need to have other paid work and they can give their working lives to the Church. Stipendiary clergy are deployed by agreement to parishes or benefices where the bishop believes they are called, but this is in discussion with the parish, the patrons of the parish, and the minister concerned.
Click here for Resources for stipendiary ministers.
Priests
Priests and Deacons are ordained by their Diocesan Bishop. The priest is a publicly acknowledged figure who represents Christ and his Church in a particular way, through a ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral care. In order to do this, he or she is given authority at ordination to speak and act in a public way – to preside at the Eucharist, and in the name of God, to bless and declare God’s forgiveness, lead people in prayer and worship, baptise, officiate at weddings and funerals, preach, and teach and encourage ‘by word and example’.
The priest is commissioned to prepare the baptised for Confirmation, minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. (All of this is taken from the words of the service at which priests are ordained, known as the ‘Ordinal’). We recognise that this is, humanly speaking, an impossible task and can only be exercised by the grace and power of God.
Priests are licensed under the authority of the bishop and are answerable to him.
Deacons
A deacon is also a publicly acknowledged figure who is given authority to ‘represent Christ and his Church in a particular way’. Like a priest, he or she may wear a clerical collar and so the two may appear indistinguishable (except for the initiated during worship).
All priests are ordained deacon before they are priests and remain deacons throughout their life and ministry. ‘Deacon’ comes from the Greek word diakonos, which means ‘servant’ and so deacons remind all Christians of the fundamental nature of ministry which is to be a servant of God at the service of his people. Deacons have a special care for ‘the least the last and the lost’ and model for all Christians the example of Christ, who came in order to seek and save the lost.
Deacons have a particular role during worship, especially at the Eucharist, where they perform certain liturgical tasks, e.g. reading the Gospel, dismissing the congregation at the end of the service. Most deacons are later ordained priests, usually after one year but some feel called to remain as deacons (as members of the ‘permanent diaconate’).
Ministry to the parish
In the Church of England a parish priest or Vicar or Rector has a wide role; he or she is available to the whole community and not just to the gathered congregation. This means that he or she can spend as much, if not more time, with those who do not come to church as those who do.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are called both to comfort the afflicted and challenge the people and structures that oppress humanity and deny justice. We have a special concern for the poor and vulnerable. A priest promotes and releases the ministries of all God’s people and is leader in mission, encouraging all Christians to respond fully to Christ’s call to be his disciples.
Bishops
The Church has historically recognised that some are called to be bishops, to be leaders of the wider Christian community with a special responsibility to be public preachers of the faith and to link to the larger wider community, as well as to be pastor to the pastors.
Today bishops lead the mission of the church, modeling effective Christian leadership and lifestyle for clergy and lay people. They teach the Christian faith through preaching, writing, in synods, councils and the media.
Bishops ordain men and women for the ministry of deacon and priest, they confirm new Christians, young and older. Bishops have a role to minister to the clergy - who are licensed under the authority of the bishop and are answerable to him.
They administer Church affairs, in partnership with others. They meet with fellow bishops, nationally and internationally. They are involved in the secular world, having links with community leaders in industry, the public sector and voluntary service (27 senior bishops are members of the House of Lords).
