1. Take your full entitlement to time off
Church regulations were amended in 2024 to provide a statutory right to a minimum of 36 hours rest - a day and a half a week – for clergy office holders, covering most clergy. The new right includes an uninterrupted rest period of 24 hours. You are strongly encouraged to implement this into your normal routine, making sure that you allow yourself adequate time for rest and refreshment, as well as for holidays and retreats. Whether you take 36 hours as a continuous whole or divide them into separate periods is a matter for you to determine. Many clergy work long hours, often under pressure, and times for rest are an essential, not a luxury. Time off is important, and it is also a way of modelling good practice to those whom you serve.
You are also encouraged to take at least one day a month for theological study / Quiet Day outside of your parish or equivalent.
2. Take your full entitlement to annual leave
Full time clergy are entitled to a total of 36 days’ annual leave (pro-rata for part-time) in each leave year which includes up to 6 Sundays and you are encouraged to take all of this. Diarising leave well in advance will help you to use this entitlement well.
3. Take an annual retreat
All of us need to give ourselves space and time to re-think our attitude to God, to events, ourselves and others; to evaluate our response to God, to events, to the people in our lives; time to reflect on the experiences of life.
You are encouraged to take time for a retreat annually. This is not annual leave. The cost is an expense chargeable to the parish. You can find out more here.
4. Experience a sabbatical
After seven years of stipendiary ministry post-curacy, and thereafter every seven years, stipendiary clergy in the Diocese of Worcester are encouraged to apply for sabbatical leave. The purpose of this time is to provide an opportunity for study, retreat and refreshment, and it normally lasts three months. You can find out more here.
5. Claim all working expenses
All parishes are encouraged to cover expenses, all clergy are expected to claim them. If they don’t claim, they are hiding the true cost of ministry. The responsibility for ensuring that the working expenses of clergy and lay workers are reimbursed in full rests with Parochial Church Councils. Clergy and licensed lay workers who experience difficulty in obtaining reimbursement of properly incurred working expenses should, in the first instance, approach their Archdeacon.
6. Meet regularly with a Spiritual Director
Everyone can benefit from having a spiritual companion, a prayer guide. A Spiritual Director is not there to tell you what to do, or judge you, or insist on a particular course of action. They will listen, encourage, question, maybe gently challenge, or point to sources of wisdom. They don’t try to solve problems or even answer all your questions! They are journeying themselves and you travel this part of your journey together. They can help you discern for yourself where God is leading you in Christ. You can find out more here.
7. Seek and create personal prayer support
Intentionally create a sustainable group of like-minded friends to meet and pray with on a regular basis, to encourage each other and ask the more personal and ‘difficult’ questions. In addition to this, you are strongly encouraged to find others who will commit to praying for you on a regular basis for specific needs.
8. Take your Continuing Ministerial Education seriously
Continuing Ministerial Education is delivered in a variety of ways in the Diocese of Worcester. National guidelines recommend that full time ministers take personal responsibility in setting aside at least 5 days each year for CME. You can find out more here.
9. Apply for additional financial support when needed
Please also talk to your Bishop or Archdeacon with regards to financial assistance in time of need. There are a number of grant-giving bodies that may also be able to assist you, at every stage in your career. Our Flourishing in Ministry document gives you more information.
10. Prioritise your own physical, mental and spiritual health
Contact your Area Dean, archdeacon or bishop if you are feeling under undue pressure and there are things you would like to discuss. Additional support can be gained through:
- The Sheldon Hub: a safe place for people in ministry to meet, share and support each other. Free to use
- St Luke’s Healthcare for the Clergy: practical, supportive services for mental health and wellbeing
- The Christian Healing Mission: healing and wholeness for yourself and to help you lead others along that path
11. Take your full entitlement to Family leave and pay
The Diocese of Worcester is committed to supporting the diverse needs of our clergy and ordinands, recognising that a happy and healthy family life contributes to overall well-being and, as a consequence, a flourishing ministry.
Our policies and guidance offer clear information as to the support you can expect from us. Support is not only for those who have, or are about to, become, parents but also about those who may need to take additional time off to care for a dependant, who might be a spouse or a parent, or a child. You can find out more here.