Young clergy face life on the dole after Church of England loses £1.3billion



No jobs: The Church is turning away graduates of theological colleges



The Church of England is turning away trainee clergy for the first time in history after £1.3billion of its investments were wiped out in the financial crisis.

Up to a dozen graduates of theological colleges will miss out on their ordination next month and may end up on the dole as there are no parish jobs for them.

The Church has previously given all graduates placements in parishes as curates, which they need before they can become ordained as priests.

But now, to the anger of senior clerics, a spending squeeze means the number of junior clergy posts has been reduced and some trainees may quit the Church.

The unprecedented situation comes after the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church’s £5.7billion assets, announced it lost £1.3billion last year as share and property holdings plunged.

One college principal, the Rev Richard Turnbull, of Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall, called the jobs crisis a ‘tragedy and a travesty’ and said he and colleagues would protest strongly to bishops.

He said: ‘The Church of England agrees these individuals are called to the priesthood.

'It agrees that they have been fully and successfully trained. It says they are ready for ordination as priests. Then it just walks away.’

Mr Turnbull added the Church had already spent about £30,000 training each single student and at least £60,000 for married students on three-year residential courses. Those unplaced may be left unemployed while they wait to see if other jobs come up.

He warned: ‘At the moment they are very distressed. They are still confident in God but they are losing confidence in the Church.’

The Commissioners provide about a sixth of the Church’s annual running costs of just over £1billion – mainly for clergy salaries and pensions and the upkeep of buildings. But they now warn they may not be able to maintain their levels of contribution for much longer.

Meanwhile, the 44 dioceses must pay millions extra in clergy pension bills this year under new rules. And it is feared worshippers’ donations – a large proportion of the Church’s annual income – may not meet the shortfall.

An official Church report in January into the effects of the downturn urged wealthy parishioners to put more into the collection plate.

The report by Andrew Britton, chairman of the finance committee of the Archbishops’ Council, said: ‘The current crisis will have a serious and lasting effect in parishes, dioceses and national institutions.’

Mr Turnbull said at least 11 graduates had not been placed this year, and several others were believed to have already taken non-clergy jobs.

He added nearly all the unplaced students had trained at three evangelical colleges – his own, Oak Hill in London and Trinity in Bristol. And he suggested they had not been offered parish jobs because many bishops did not approve of their conservative, Bible-based views.

A Church spokesman said most students had found jobs, and attempts to find places were continuing.

But he added: ‘Dioceses must decide how many clergy they can afford.’