THE ALLOCATION OF SHARE FUNDING THE FUTURE

PARTNERSHIP Funding of mission is, and always has been, a partnership between the parishes and the Board of Finance.

THE COMMON FUND

BASIC PRINCIPLES A preliminary presentation on the work of the Share Panel was given to Synod on 29 th March As a result of feedback the basic principles were revisited.

BASIC PRINCIPLES First and foremost: the ability to pay share will not influence the placement of stipendiary clergy. Clergy will be appointed where a robust mission case can be made.

BASIC PRINCIPLES Mission Communities and the benefits that they will bring has been recognised. However, Mission Communities could be fluid and change with time and circumstances. Therefore, the Panel considered that Share should be allocated at benefice level. Thus the benefice will have to decide on the split between its constituent PCCs.

BASIC PRINCIPLES Population:1,038,800 Population Density (Rank): 390 persons per square mile (38/41) Deprivation Score (Rank):21.04 (24/40) Number of Parishes (Churches): 502 (635) Attendance (2012):16,393 % Population in Attendance (Rank) 1.6% (34/41) Change in Attendance (smoothed): -23.2% The method of allocation should take account of: POPULATION, DEPRIVATION and the NUMBER OF CHURCHES

BASIC PRINCIPLES- POPULATION In some parts of the Diocese the population density is lower than the Highlands of Scotland, yet other areas are very high. We have urban, suburban, market town, village and rural communities. To take these into account the Panel decided to group communities into four broad bands, each allocated a ranking within the calculation.

BASIC PRINCIPLES-DEPRIVATION The overall Deprivation Index for the area covered by the Diocese shows us as ranking 24 th poorest out of the 40 dioceses, and recent research by Eurostat (the EU data agency) shows that Lincolnshire is among the ten poorest regions in northern Europe. However, within that overall assessment there are some very wealthy communities, so there is a strong need to take each community’s level of deprivation into account.

BASIC PRINCIPLES-DEPRIVATION The Share Panel decided to create 5 bands to provide a Prosperity Ranking.

BASIC PRINCIPLES- THE NUMBER OF CHURCHES We are privileged to be the custodians of some of the finest churches in the land and they are beautiful, sacred places in which to worship. However, some benefices have many churches, whilst others have only one, and the multi-parish benefice has to insure and heat them all. The Share Panel decided that this should be recognised by an abatement of share derived from a set figure applied to each church.

BASIC PRINCIPLES – A BEST FIT It quickly became clear that a single formula would deal simply and fairly with at least 90% of benefices. Trying to add refinements to encompass the remainder was subject to the law of diminishing returns! In other words, it just is not worthwhile adding complexity to all the calculations. About 12 benefices appear to need special treatment. In some cases it suggests that there may be a need for a pastoral reorganisation.

THE SYSTEM The Proposed Basis of the Benefice Calculation is: 80% on relative prosperity (based on 2011 UK Census). 20% on population. A Reduction of £1,000 per Church as a contribution towards Insurance and Heating

IMPACT Share Panel assessed that if the new method of allocation had been used in 2013, then the it would have worked fairly in at least 90% of the benefices. Some benefices would have seen an increase and some a decrease, and these changes seemed reasonable. However, there are some benefices where the formula does not work and special arrangements will have to be made for them.

NEXT STEPS The validity of the model parameters will be checked 80% prosperity: 20% population the value weightings of the prosperity factors the population bandings the £1,000/church allowance Issues resulting from a benefice level allocation of Share will be assessed. The support package needed to help benefices being asked to make a step change in their level of giving will be developed.

NEXT STEPS We hope to complete the preliminary consultation with the selected parishes by the end of this year so that we can apply the new system to the diocese as a whole. We aim to let every benefice know the suggested share for 2016 by June At the same time we hope to let every benefice know the suggested share for 2017 and 2018.

AND FINALLY We need to become more generous in our giving and it is important to recognise that the new system aims to inform benefices about the MINIMUM level of Share they should raise. If we are really to grow the mission of this great diocese, then we hope that benefices will feel able to give more than this, and thus speed the implementation of the Bishop’s vision for the Diocese.