Note: I recently wrote a piece about The Mission of Fairness in the CofE and society, of paying a fair wage for a fair days work. This piece almost follows on too neatly, as we talk about the inequalities of the new ordinand training fund framework (as it exists today, mid-May 2026).
A New ‘Fairer’ Framework?
For years, the old funding system left many ordinands facing poverty, culminating in the Church having to issue a £3,000 uplift last year just to help candidates survive the cost of living crisis. The new framework for the 2026–2027 academic year was supposed to fix this. It claims to be a fairer system designed to reduce barriers to ordained ministry, particularly for working-class candidates following Fr Alex Frost's widely supported motion at General Synod.
[The new framework is ]A new way of supporting ordinands through training will begin for the academic year 2026-2027. It’s part of a renewed commitment from the Church of England to reducing barriers for those following God’s call to ordained ministry and supporting the well-being of clergy throughout their ministry.
- Church of England, Financial support for ordinands (21 May 26)
Unfortunately, the new framework fails to deliver on this promise. Instead of lifting people out of financial hardship, the current model risks driving them into debt—something inherently incompatible with ordination.
The system relies on a ‘Standard Grant’ based on geographical zones: £26,000 for Zone 1 (London), £20,000 for Zone 2 (the South East and Bristol), and £17,000 for Zone 3 (everywhere else). The fundamental issue is that these figures are entirely detached from the reality of private housing, council tax, and energy bills.
Furthermore, the new framework implicitly expects candidates to rely on personal savings or sell their homes to afford training. This is a direct attack on working-class ordinands, who rarely have these financial safety nets. By grouping people into arbitrary, formulaic brackets, the Ministry Funding Team (MFT) has removed the personal context of an ordinand’s life, heavily penalising those with children or marriages that require off-site living.
What Could Be Improved Right Now?
Whilst the shift towards a more predictable national grant system is positive in principle, the execution requires immediate correction. Here is how the system can be fixed today, in my view:
1. Reassess and Adjust the Zoning System
The current zones are financially unrealistic and exhibit a clear southern bias. The MFT must immediately review the geographical boundaries and financial allowances:
Zone 1 (£26k) is insufficient for London and must be increased to make training there genuinely accessible.
Cambridge and Oxford need to be moved into Zone 1.
Manchester and Liverpool must be elevated to Zone 2, as their living costs are just as high as those in areas like Bristol.
2. Broaden the Enhanced Grant.
The Enhanced Grant is a lifeline for candidates with children, but it needs to be expanded. It should explicitly cover unavoidable fixed costs tied to an individual’s/married couple’s personal circumstances to ensure nobody is penalised for their family situation and existing commitments.
3. Devolve the Discretionary Fund to Dioceses.
Currently, there is no clear policy regarding how the discretionary fund supports disabled ordinands, families, or emergencies. Control of this fund should be handed back to the sponsoring dioceses. Local dioceses understand their ordinands’ unique stories and can deploy funds much more rapidly and smoothly than a centralised body.
4. Reintroduce Personal Context.
A predictable standard grant is a good starting point, but the MFT must implement a mechanism that treats ordinands as individuals rather than uniform statistics. The framework must account for the reality of those taking severe pay cuts without the cushion of personal savings, ensuring no candidate is forced to put their financial security on the line to follow their calling.
Making Your Voice Count
If you share these concerns, there is something practical you can do right now.
I urge anyone within the Church to raise this flag with your local ministers, Diocesan Directors of Ordinands (DDOs), and particularly your bishops and General Synod representatives.
The more this issue is challenged at a local level, the louder the message becomes. We need the MFT to hear a unified, undeniable shout about just how unfair this framework is—because it is only through collective pressure that we can ensure working-class ordinands are not priced out of their calling.
You can also support our call for action and change by sharing this article using the button below.
Related Resources:
Church of England - Tackling Working Classism in the Church (including links to Fr Alex Frost motion and response.
Church of England - Current MFT Funding for Ordinands (2026) - Funding / Grant Details for Ordinands
ChurchTimes - Fr Alex Forst Speaks Up For The Working Class