Save The Parish - Cornwall

Following our  Fact Sheet  on key questions to ask regarding MMF (Mission and Ministry Fund), we have received a number of further queries from Parochial Church Councils (PCCs). Here are some answers. Neither Save The Parish Cornwall nor Save The Parish nationally are advocating at this time a total MMF or Parish Share “strike” by PCCs. But we in Cornwall in the Diocese of Truro believe the annual Call has been much too high for some years and in 2024-25 needs particularly to be strongly challenged and resisted.  The 2025 MMF, split by benefice within each deanery: click here to read What will happen if we don’t pay our MMF - and how do we do it? First of all, remember that MMF is NOT a statutory charge that you have to pay - like your gas bill, for instance. It is in fact a voluntary charity donation. It is true that, generally, a PCC is getting something in return for that charitable gift. But in times when that return is often getting noticeably less and less, while th...

MMF (Mission and Ministry Fund) - a headache for many PCCs. Meetings are currently underway in the Diocese of Truro discussing MMF payments for 2025.  We've had many questions from around Cornwall about this, so have compiled a Fact Sheet. Click here to download the Fact Sheet.   Please circulate widely. The 2025 MMF, split by benefice within each deaner y In passing - and separately - please be aware that the Diocese is launching a consultation on revising the MMF formula from 2026. This does not impinge on your discussions around your current call. Read on for a transcript of the Fact Sheet: MISSION AND MINISTRY FUND (MMF): KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK   There is no legal or contractual obligation for Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) to pay MMF contributions. This payment is discretionary. PCCs have the right to withhold it.   We are not suggesting that PCCs do withhold MMF payments. But PCCs should ask pertinent questions and insist on detailed answers – particula...

 What does £88,000 pay for? more than one Save The Parish Cornwall supporter has asked recently.  The answer (if you put this question to the Diocese of Truro) is  - 'a clergy post'.  Cornish parishes are constantly being asked to contribute - via Mission and Ministry Fund (MMF) payments to 'clergy salaries'.  But to make an obvious point, if there are no clergy - as is increasingly the case in Cornwall as the acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, rolls out plans for 'oversight ministers' in huge benefices - where exactly is the money going? And why should people in the pews continue to pay it? Click here to read an article in the latest edition of the Church Times written by a curious - and weary -churchwarden. As unease spreads about Church House plans - known as On The Way - which will result in radical restructuring of the C of E in Cornwall, Save The Parish Cornwall supporter Sue McClaughry has started a petition calling for a moratorium. Pleas...