Lay Ministers

Resources

• Human Resources
  • Parish Employment Toolkit
  • Meet the HR team
  • HR support for parishes
  • HR Support for Clergy
• Children, Young People and Schools
• Liturgy and church services
  • Confirmation service
  • Common Worship service templates
  • Institution/licensing service templates
  • New website resource: Sunday Scriptures for Reading Aloud
  • Baptism Preparation materials
  • Admission of Sidesmen/women
• Energy saving and cost of living support, advice and resources
  • Introduction to this section by Bishop Philip
  • Stewardship in difficult times; advice, support for parish leaders
  • Stewardship: Pray, talk and reach out
  • Discipleship and generosity; advice and resources
  • How some parishes are supporting their communities
  • Support for parishes from other organisations
• Creation Care and Net Zero Roadmap
  • Church buildings and help with reaching Net Zero Carbon
  • Energy Footprint Tool
  • Eco Church - recognising your church's care for creation
  • Creation Care and the Environment
  • Climate resilience, carbon net zero and energy saving help for parish leaders
• For lay ministry
  • Lay Ministers
  • Communion/chalice assistants
• Senior clergy talks, articles and sermons
  • Bishop Philip North
  • Bishop Jill Duff
  • Archdeacon Mark Ireland
  • Archdeacon David Picken
• For clergy
  • Office holder documents
  • 'Say Jesus': Communicating the Gospel Effectively - Curates' training
  • Important information for clergy
  • Clergy wellbeing
  • Ad clerum
  • Ministerial Development Review (MDR)
  • CME and sabbaticals
  • Vicarage grants
  • Curate training
  • Self-supporting ministry (SSM)
  • Marriage law
  • Retired Clergy
  • Permission to Officiate (PTO)
• Communications resources
  • Communications resource area - welcome!
  • Importance of using a communications strategy
  • Digital Communications resources
  • Important information about our e-bulletins
  • Using articles from Parish Update and the Diocesan website in parish communications
  • Communicating with people not online; includes use of pictures
  • Using the 'A Church Near You' website
  • Get your church noticed
  • Effective digital communications including social media
  • Filming and photography including asking for consent
  • Advice on taking good pictures
  • Copyright guidance for images, music and text
  • Writing press releases: Guidance and template releases
  • Simple guide to promoting a church event
  • Downloadable logos: Diocesan logo; Vision 2026 logo and national CofE logo
  • Filming and requests to film in churches - general advice
• Discipleship, prayer and worship
  • Hear Our Prayer: Bishop Philip's Lent course for 2025
  • Year of Prayer for Growth and Renewal
  • Making Disciples of Jesus Christ: Overview
  • Bible study
  • Blackburn Prayers; Answers to Prayer; Pathways to Prayer and other prayer resources
  • Retreats
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Building a Generous Church
  • Regular Giving
  • Online and Contactless Giving
  • Generosity and Stewardship
  • Stewardship programmes and resources
  • Generosity Week
  • Disability inclusiveness
  • Encouragements: Answers to prayer
  • Music and worship
  • Discipleship App
  • Seasonal Resources
• Parish Finance
  • Parochial Fees 2025
  • Easy Fundraising
  • Treasurers' advice
  • Parish Fundraising
  • Stewardship Sermons and Liturgy
  • Parochial Fees 2024
  • Parochial Fees 2023
  • 0% interest Eco-loan
  • Stewardship and legacies
  • Gift Aid
• Parish administration and governance
  • Archdeacons' Annual (Deanery) Visitations
  • General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR)
  • PCC secretary or administrator
  • Parochial Church Council
  • Glossary of church terms
  • National Parish resources website
  • Parish returns
  • Churchwardens' duties
  • Diocesan Identity Badges
  • Church of England portal
  • Employment of parish staff
  • Churchwardens' briefings
  • Welcomers (Sidesmen/women)
  • Pastoral reorganisation
  • Vacancy process
  • Archdeacons' Parish Visitations
• Community transformation
  • Rural Ministry
  • Cinnamon Network
  • Acts 435
  • Street Pastors
  • Christians Against Poverty
  • Credit unions
  • Church Action on Poverty
  • Emergency response and planning
• Being witnesses (parish mission resources)
  • Being Witnesses
  • Diocesan Parish Mission Team
  • Enquirers' courses
  • Community Football Outreach
  • 'Lighting the Beacons'; Bishop Jill's book is great resource for parishes
  • Held in God's Gaze: Listening to the Mystics
  • Held in God's Gaze
  • Choir Church
  • I Was a Stranger And You Welcomed Me
  • In Rural Contexts
  • New Local Congregations and Fresh expressions (FxC)
  • Jesus Shaped People (JSP)
  • Mission to new housing developments
  • Open Churches toolkit
• Church buildings, land and legal matters
  • Listed buildings and burial grounds; Public Notices
  • Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC)
  • Faculties and other Permissions for Works to Churches
  • Advice for Bells, Clocks and Organs
  • Churchyard regulations (including application form)
  • Churchyard Safety
  • Churchyards and Trees
  • Community Use of Church Buildings
  • Disability and Accessibility
  • Flags, military colours; advice for parishes
  • Grants and Funding
  • Health and Safety
  • Insurance
  • Large Church Reorderings: Help and Advice
  • Metal and Stone Theft
  • Quinquennial Inspections and Inspecting Architects and Surveyors
  • Telecommunications Infrastructure
• Parish Vision Fund
  • Financial Assistance Group (Parish Vision Fund)
• Supporting people with disabilities
  • Barrier-Free Belonging
  • Top tips for churches
  • The Equality Act and Disability Access Audit
  • Hearing Loss
  • Sight Loss
  • Dementia
  • Physical Disabilities and Wheelchair Access
  • Hidden Disabilities
  • Learning Disabilities and Organisations Offering Support