Parish Returns

The Diocesan and National Picture

One practical example of where this information has been useful is where this information has helped the church to lobby the government. This is only possible if we have an accurate picture of the pressures at the local level.

As a diocese, the returns from parishes are vital for planning for our shared mission and ministry. Robust data is essential if our Deanery Partnerships to make good decisions about how the church uses its resources.

The data gathered in the Energy Footprint Tool is used nationally to establish the Church’s carbon baseline and monitor progress. Locally, it can be used to track the impact of the steps you are taking to reduce your own church’s emissions.

At diocesan level it helps us to:

• Spot churches which have issues with thier heating systems
• identify which churches would particularly benefit from an energy audit
• Discover examples of good practice to share

The Local Benefits

Have you seen your benefice or parish dashboard? Every year, the national team take your data and produce dashboards for mission and finance.

These dashboards help you to answer important questions about your parish or benefice: who lives here, who comes to church and who are we missing or not meeting?

The dashboard gives an important snapshot and so can inform your mission and outreach opportunities. This enables church growth.

If you need assistance setting up access to the Parish Returns Poral or have any further questions, please be in touch.