Day 208 May 26

Supporting the Mission and Ministry of the Church of Ireland – RCB Report

The wide range of achievements of the Representative Church Body during 2025 were highlighted to members of General Synod meeting in Newcastle, County Down, this morning (Friday May 8). Proposing the report of the RCB, Hilary Prentice, chairperson of the RB Executive said there was much to be thankful for as the RCB continues to strive towards delivering on its strategic priorities for the Church.

Opening her presentation Mrs Prentice focused on the RB Executive Strategy which details the mission, values, ambition and priorities of the Executive Committee. In 2025 the committee conducted a survey of members of the RB, the results of which were examined at the Executive Committee Strategy Away Day in October. At that meeting, she said, the committee reviewed and confirmed the mission and strategic priorities which are summarised in the Executive Strategy for 2026–2028. This document is available to view on the Church of Ireland website. She outlined the status of the strategic priorities at the end of 2025.

Mrs Prentice pointed out that the delivery of the RCB’s strategy and operations was dependent on income that the RCB withdraws each year from RB General Funds. For 2025 the maximum Total Return income from General Funds was €8.4 million compared to €7.3 million in 2024. The increase in income reflects a strong performance from the investments of RB General Funds over the previous eight years, she said. She reported that during 2025, despite global events, financial markets remained relatively positive. The Total Return income is supplemented by parish contributions. Given the solvency of the Clergy Pensions Fund, she expected that the Clergy Pensions Solvency Levy will no longer be needed from parishes. However, the contribution from parishes towards Safeguarding would have to be. increased.

Explaining what the financial resources were spent on she outlined the following: the Church of Ireland Theological Institute; Pioneer Ministry; RCB service delivery which includes Safeguarding, Property and Trusts, Investment Management; Clergy Pension Fund administration; Library and archives; HR; and Climate Change.

She informed members that the Clergy Pensions fund is solvent and the Trustee had implemented a significant de–risking of the Fund’s investment portfolio in the past year to protect the fund’s ability to pay future pension benefits to members. In 2025 the Clergy Defined Contribution Pension Schemes for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were wound up and member benefits transferred to new Euro and Sterling defined contribution Master Trust schemes, she stated.

Mrs Prentice informed members that the RCB continues to advocate for reducing the carbon impact of the RCB and church activities with a focus on energy usage, transportation, waste and biodiversity. Following a survey of parishes in 2025, the RCB applied to Benefact Trust for grant funding to run a building energy efficiency competition and to enable them to provide follow–on grants. Benefact award a grant of £200,000 to run a competition and in addition the Church Fabric and Development Fund provided £100,000 in support for the competition. She congratulated the winning parishes.

In concluding she thanked all the staff of the RCB for their commitment and dedication.

Seconding the report, Bishop Andrew Forster observed that at its heart the report is about stewardship of the resources entrusted to us by God and the faithful discharge of the responsibility of the trustees. “The RCB does not exist for its own sake. It exists to serve God and His Church, to enable the life, ministry and mission of the Church of Ireland to flourish in every place,” he said.

Bishop Forster said he was struck by the commitment of those who served on the RB who have expertise in law, finance, property and pensions and who give generously of their time and wisdom because they care deeply about the Church of Ireland, its future and its witness. He also acknowledged the remarkable army of volunteers across the whole Church of Ireland who work diligently to ensure good governance, careful oversight and faithful stewardship.

He paid tribute to Hilary Prentice as she approaches the completion of her term as chair of the Executive Committee. He said she had led with clarity, wisdom and deep faith and under her leadership the executive had helped set clear priorities.

He noted that the provision of ministry remains central with the training of ordinands at CITI continuing to be supported. There has also been a significant development in the funding of curacies, he said. A funding strategy for third–level chaplaincy is also in place enabling dioceses to apply for support. He said chaplaincy is a vital expression of the Church’s mission and there is growing evidence across the islands that students are engaging afresh with questions of faith, meaning and identity. The new strategy acknowledges that the landscape of third level education is changing with more diverse student populations and expanding campuses.

The Bishop outlined the work of the Campus Review Group which is bringing forward plans for a new Church of Ireland campus on the site of the former College of Education adjacent to Church of Ireland House in Rathmines. This will bring together Church House, CITI and the RCB Library on one site alongside residential accommodation and enhanced facilities for gatherings and conferences.

“This is more than a building project; it is a visionary, forward–thinking and creative use of the resources entrusted to us. It reflects a willingness to think imaginatively about how our assets can best serve the mission of the Church, not just for today but for generations to come. It is about stewardship in its fullest sense, aligning our physical resources with our calling, creating spaces that enable formation, collaboration and hospitality, and ensuring that we are well–equipped for the opportunities and challenges of the future,” he said.

Discussion on the Report

Speaking to the Report, Archdeacon Peter Thompson (Armagh) noted the shrinking number of stipendiary clergy. He said the big question is how the Church will provide pastoral ministry across the Church in the coming years. He pointed out that 40% of clergy were over 60 years of age and just 251 clergy under the age of 60. He appealed to General Synod to sit up and take notice of the figures. He highlighted a vocations initiative in Armagh with the commissioning of OLMs and pastoral visitors. And this year the Diocese of Armagh is sending more ordinands to CITI. He said people were still hearing God’s call but Synod must support them. He said Synod must allow the Holy Spirit to be at work across the Church of Ireland.

The Revd Derek Kerr (Armagh) spoke about Safeguarding and said that it was an area which drained clergy from the joy of pastoral ministry. He agreed that those responsible for the policy do not intend this but much is foisted by organisations outside the church. He asked the Bishops to set out each year what is vitally important for each organisation in the dioceses to do in terms of Safeguarding. “We need the bishops to stress this so that they can be seen as the awkward ones rather than clergy,” he stated. He asked for application forms to be simplified and safeguarding interviews or be organised differently. He also asked for leadership ratios to be examined, particularly in small parishes. He said the Church will have a Safeguarding policy which is platinum but very difficult for parishes to put together.

The Revd David Bowles (Dublin) spoke as chaplain of CITI and commended the work of CITI in the Church. He said that numbers for stipendiary training full time are down but the numbers for non residential ordinands are up. He supported the work of OLMs but said he didn’t believe they could fulfil the work of clergy in the Church of Ireland. He hoped the numbers will increase and CITI will go from strength to strength.

The Revd John Godfrey (Tuam) acknowledged an exciting moment in the ministry of the Church of Ireland in terms of climate action. Yesterday’s awards saw 11 churches becoming symbols of hope in their communities. He said it was a good time to look at climate action given the increase in fuel costs. He said many of the projects outlined reveal that it makes it easier to open the church doors for the community.

The Revd Rebecca Guildea (Clogher) commended grants for improving environmental provision for churches but said there was a blackspot for rectories which are widely used for parish activities. She said the cost of heating and lighting falls on the rectors so it would be helpful to parishes if some sort of grants could be made available for improvements to rectories.

Associated Motions

Motion No 2 on allocations was passed authorising the Representative Body to make the following allocations from General Funds in 2026:

Motion No 3 was passed, affirming the decision of the Representative Body that the rate of contribution from each diocese toward Safeguarding in respect of the year 2027 be set at 2.25% of the Minimum Approved Stipend in force at 1 January 2027 multiplied by the sum of the number of cures, including vacant cures, in such diocese at 30 June 2026.