Governors

Governors are our closest circle of supporters. Officially, our Governors are "elected" at the Annual Assembly. While day-to-day responsibility for the charity rests with our Trustees (elected by our Governors), the Governors are our ultimate governing body, as laid down in our 1678 Royal Charter from King Charles II.

Annual Assembly

The Annual Assembly is the charity's AGM, when our Governors meet to discuss our work. A Eucharist precedes the meeting, a guest speaker is invited to give a keynote address to our Governors, and a lunch follows.

Our Annual Assembly is a key date in the calendar for our Governors, during which our Annual Report is approved, new Governors are officially elected and we take a moment to remember Governors who have sadly passed away in the past year.

The 347th Annual Assembly will take place on Thursday 9 October 2025, at the CCLA offices at One Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB. Governors are encouraged to email hello@clergysupport.org.uk to RSVP their attendance or apologies.

We are currently reviewing our Governorship programme, and how we ensure that the Trust remains effective and accountable moving forward. We are therefore pausing applications for new Governors for now.

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Dr Liz Graveling, standing behind a podium and delivering a speech.

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A group of people, dressed formally, standing and talking with hot drinks.

Court of Assistants (Trustees)

Our Board of Trustees, known as the Court of Assistants, oversees the charity and meets quarterly.

The members of the Court of Assistants are elected by the Governors of Clergy Support Trust at the Annual Assembly, per the Royal Charter. The Court of Assistants can co-opt others to its number, pending formal election at the Assembly.

The three charity officers, the Treasurers, are also elected by the Governors at the Annual Assembly.  

The Court of Assistants has five standing committees: Charitable Services, External Relations, Finance and Operations, Governance and Investment.

Trustees' Annual Reports