Questions on the Church of England’s non-stipendiary ministers were raised last week in the House of Commons, with the member for Stroud, Mr David Drew (Lab) submitting a written question to the member for Middlesbrough, the Second Church Estates Commissioner Sir Stuart Bell (Lab.) asking “how many full-time and part-time non-stipendiary ministers are currently registered by the Church of England?”On Oct 26, Sir Stuart answered that as of year’s end 2007 there were “3,198 licensed non-stipendiary ministers” in the Church of England.
However, “it is not possible to say how many were full- and part-time as requested,” he said as “non-stipendiary ministers are usually employed outside the Church and some minister regularly while others minister only occasionally.”
Sir Stuart added that in addition to licensed NSM clergy there were 1,568 Church of England clergy serving as hospital and school chaplains, chaplains to the forces, and on the staff of theological colleges.
“Information on whether [these chaplains] are full-time or part-time is not held centrally,” he noted.
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