I have been reading about a vicar’s wife who writes adult fiction to supplement her husband’s stipend. She had written an anonymous article in the Telegraph which I missed so I first read about her in the Church Times. I have since managed to read the full article that appeared in the Telegraph online.
I am not sure what to make of her choice of occupation. All I would say is that I couldn’t even bring myself to type the ‘e’ word so changed it to adult fiction; but it has highlighted a serious problem that was mentioned in the recent General Synod: Clergy Poverty.
There are many clergy who have to bring up a family on a clergy stipend but then there are some who have a joint income of about £100,000 and claim to live in poverty.
It was heartening to hear that we are not the only ones who survive on just the stipend alone because non of the other clergy I know are in this position. They all have their spouses working and have a house for when they retire.
However, as I have previously written somewhere in this blog, this is the vocation that the Mhinisteir has chosen and I fully support him. Actually, life is a lot less complicated when you don’t have millions in the bank 🤣!
Secret Diary Of A Church of England Vicar's Wife 