Yet for members of the clergy who spend their lives spreading the ten Christian virtues, it could become the hardest one to extol.
For many have spent decades dedicated to their faith, shunning the expensive cars, foreign holidays and large country homes enjoyed by many of the retired parishioners they serve – only to see their pensions brutally slashed by the Church of England in 2011.
The cut, to a level branded “indefensible, ungodly, and unchristian” by some within the faith, meant a 25pc reduction they were powerless to stop.
Combined with a housing crisis that already awaits many in retirement, there’s now a growing sense they’re being pushed into old-age poverty by the institution they’ve given their lives to.
The clergy’s housing struggle
Housing is one of the biggest issues for retired clergy. During their time in the ministry, a property is usually provided with the rent and running costs covered. But the nature of the job makes buying a house difficult.
Pay – known officially as the national minimum stipend – also provides little help, standing at just £30,110, almost £7,500 below the national average wage.
The Church previously ran a mortgage scheme, which closed in 2008, but not before as many as 400 vicars were left unable to afford to move house because the rising interest-only loans were unaffordable. Its shared ownership scheme met the same fate in 2022.
These days, one in six retirees rely on the Church Pensions Board to provide a rented property or advice on how to get one. Many also rely on handouts from charities.
“Clergy do definitely struggle in retirement, particularly those who haven’t already got housing,” says Reverend Cassa Messervy, chairman of the English Clergy Association. “Previously there had been church houses that would be rented at very good rates. Those rates have gone up significantly and the pension that retired clergy are getting is going on rent.
“Some clergy who actually had their own property were told that their mortgage was ‘debt’ and that they should sell. They’re now in a position of coming up to retirement and not having housing, and they’re very concerned.”
Historically, some bishops have refused to ordain anyone who owed money, even a mortgage. Though not official policy, one vicar said the pressure to sell your home was “more than advice”.
For those nearing retirement, it can mean spending panicked years leafing through the Church Pensions Board’s quarterly rental brochure for an affordable property. However, last December’s issue included only 46 properties across the whole of England, according to the Church’s annual report.
Tenants can also find themselves at the mercy of sharply increasing rents, which have soared with inflation.
“Most of the quarterly brochures mention about 30 to 40 properties. Each year there are about 600 clergy retiring and the problem has been that the Pensions Board hasn’t had enough to purchase housing for the demand,” says Malcolm Liles, secretary of the Retired Clergy Association.
“When I look back, the house I lived in as a curate, a council house in 1974, you’d have bought that for about £3,000, and my stipend was about £1,000. If you were to buy that house now, it would be worth about £240,000.”
Dwindling pension payouts
Another issue is the level of pension provided – something which has provoked a 14-year row that shook the institution from within.
The Church offers a non-contributory scheme, which previously offered a pension of two thirds of the annual stipend after 37 years of service, and a one-off tax-free lump sum of three times that amount. Anyone who works fewer than the minimum years receives a payment proportionate to their total service.
In 2008, the required service was increased to 40 years. Then, in 2011, the Church slashed pensions to half the national stipend, as well as increasing the years needed to 41.5, and the retirement age to 68.
Because many enter the ministry later in life – the average age is 40 – and don’t accrue pension rights while they study, they often build up far less than the full entitlement by retirement. Under the current rules, someone serving for two full decades could receive just £7,250 a year.
Reverend Ben Cahill-Nicholls is chief executive of the Clergy Support Trust, which provides grants to both serving and retired clergy. It gave financial assistance to almost 200 retirees last year alone.
He says: “It’s a minefield really. We made over £400,000 of support payments just in 2024. It points to the fact that in retirement lots of clergy are not making ends meet.
“[The Board] are heading in a really good direction, but the fact remains that being in a property [of theirs] doesn’t make a lot of difference from renting on the open market.”
‘I shouldn’t be having to beg’
One former vicar, speaking anonymously, served for 13 years before retiring with a stress-related illness at the age of 45 in 2009. The Pensions Board bought the family a house to rent, but the size of his church pension has left the family struggling financially.
He says: “If we hadn’t had the Clergy Support Trust, we would have gone under. We’ve had grants to go on holidays... for winter coats, help towards car bills.
“I remember the first time we made contact with them, I thought ‘I shouldn’t be having to beg’, because that’s what it is.
“It’s little things... I went with my son to watch a football match last week, and as we got there he said, ‘I’ll get something to drink, what would you like?’ I shouldn’t have to rely on my son for that.
“I should have a relatively decent pension, I should have been paid a relatively decent stipend.”
Struggling in retirement is also a worry for Reverend Margaret Mattocks, 64.
After working as a school cook, she went to university in her 30s. It took a while for God to “kick her up the backside and give it go”, as she puts it. She was a lay reader by 1993, a paid lay minister six years later, and ordained in 2006.
Mattocks was among those who met pressure to sell their home before joining the Church, so she did. It took her and her husband three years to find a Pension Board house they could afford.
She says: “The rent will almost wipe out one of our state pensions. Then you start thinking ‘I am reliant on my Church pension and whatever small amount I am able to save’, and it will be a small amount for us.”
They both worry for the future. “What will it mean for us when there’s just one of us? At the time you’re grieving the loss of a partner, you’ll have to consider moving. It’s concerning.”
‘So many of us feel let down’
The Church’s decision to slash pension entitlements built up after 2011 provoked a furious reaction. Thousands of clergy joined a Facebook campaign and more than 700 signed a petition, while several senior ministers queued up to slam the move.
The General Synod, effectively the Church’s Parliament, eventually voted for a review last year, and has since approved a range of improvements – including restoring the pension to its previous level of two thirds retrospectively.
The whole saga has, however, left a bitter taste.
Mattocks adds: “I think the reason that so many of us signed up to the petition is because so many of us feel let down.”
For its part, the Church of England Pensions Board said it currently had 54 properties to rent and 47 retiring clergy on its register. It has also been awarded £95m by the Church to help clergy with retirement housing and planning.
A spokesman added: “We recognise the challenges clergy face in retirement and are committed to ensuring they are well supported. The recently announced additional funding package from the Church will increase pension benefits for both existing and future retired clergy.
“It will also support current residents and future applicants with continued access to subsidised retirement housing. Supporting clergy in their retirement is at the heart of what we do.”
Meanwhile, the Church’s funded pension scheme had a healthy surplus of £560m at its latest valuation in 2021. It purchased 49 new homes last year alone and holds £3.4bn in investments. The decision to restore pensions will cost £900m, but the scheme can comfortably afford it without needing any extra funding.
The reversal has, however, failed to guarantee security in old age.
The General Synod has since backed a Private Members’ Motion for an independent review aimed at offering retirees more than just the “bare minimum”. The Archbishops’ Council, which sets pensions, will consider how to take it forward.
Meanwhile, Rev Canon James Blandford-Baker, who lodged the original motion, warns some retired vicars still live in poverty.
He says: “The proposed changes will make a significant difference, but there will be those who will struggle.”
In Luke 6:38, the Bible says, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
Not in retirement, it seems.