On Saturday 6 July 2024, General Synod voted in favour of Church of England clergy being entitled to 36 hours of rest in every seven-day period, including an uninterrupted rest period of 24 hours.
Vice Chair of the House of Laity, Alison Coulter (Winchester 428) raised clergy wellbeing as part of Item 16, stating that:
"I am honoured and delighted to be able to present this motion... Clergy wellbeing is everybody's priority. Clergy, you are a precious resource. You've given up much to serve us, and so our priority needs to be to care for you.
I am well aware that clergy wellbeing is complex and multi-faceted... but I hope that by approving this relatively simple motion, we can endorse and clarify the very helpful principle of rest, which I believe is foundational to wellbeing."
Watch the discussion back on The Church of England YouTube channel, from 1:50:00 onwards, or read more in Pat Ashworth's article for Church Times.
Our response
Clergy Support Trust welcomes this change, as we see the impact that a lack of proper rest can have on clergy and their families every day, in conversations with our applicants.
In 2023, we provided over 1,600 grants to help clergy and their families take the time to go on a holiday, retreat, sabbatical or respite break. We also helped over 200 clergy to access confidential counselling for depression, anxiety and stress. The need for our services has quadrupled in the past four years, and it continues to grow. If you feel able, please donate to help our critical support.
We know that the decisions made in York will take time to be implemented across the Church of England. We also know that for some clergy, ministry is an act of sacrifice and they may not take all the time they need to look after their own wellbeing. Demands in their parish may make taking this entitled time to rest seem like an impossible feat.
It is our hope, however, that these 336 votes in favour mark an important next step towards putting the wellbeing of Anglican clergy in the spotlight.