Useful Resources

We have compiled a list of all the most useful places to go to seek information on church finance matters. You can find stewardship and income generation advice here. If you have any link suggestions that you think should be included, please let us know at resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org

Return of Parish Finance

This section provides everything you need to complete your parish’s Return of Parish Finance, including access to the 2023 statistics report, Archdeaconry and Diocesan dashboards, submission guidance, downloadable forms, and a step-by-step video tutorial.

The 2023 Parish Finance Statistics report was published on 28 February 2025, along with the Archdeaconry and Diocesan dashboards listed below. We achieved an 88% return rate—thank you to all our parishes for your commitment, not only in submitting your returns but also in managing parish finances throughout the year.

Accessing Reports and Dashboards

You can view the 2023 Parish Finance Statistics report and Archdeaconry level reports below, Parish level dashboards can be downloaded from Parish Returns, instructions can be found in the video at the end of this section.

2023 Parish Finance Statistics Dashboards and Report

Preparing and completing your return

To submit or review your parish’s finance and mission data, please visit the Parish Returns website. If you need help logging in, contact us at parishreturns@leeds.anglican.org.

Reminder: The deadline for the 2024 Return of Parish Finance is 28th June 2025.

If you prefer to collect your figures before entering them online, you may find it helpful to download and print a copy of the form, available in both PDF and Excel formats.

Below is a short video guide to help you complete your Return of Parish Finance.

Parish Resources

This site is provided by the Church of England’s National Stewardship & Resources team and offers over 400 pages of resources (web & pdf) to support all aspects of stewardship, administration and management in the local church, as well as links to other sites and pages of interest.

PCCs - Resources for PCC members (as charity trustees), registering with the Charity Commission, GDPR & APCM forms .
People - Resources to help you develop gifts and talents, employ staff, work with volunteers, safeguarding and more.
Administration - A range of practical guidance to support aspects of parish administration and management
Parish Finance - Resources for treasurers - tips for new treasurers, support on producing accounts, managing risk and reserves.
Gift Aid - A range of Gift Aid factsheets including action parishes need to take in 2015 including the Small Donations Scheme.
Buying - Find out about the Parish Buying initiative which provides contracts and guidance to save parishes time and money.
Giving - Resources to encourage giving, on Giving for Life and for nurturing legacy giving.
Buildings - Lots of resources on caring for your church buildings, funding them, and running Friends Schemes,
Other - A range of other resources. You can also order resources from this site. Browse the site map.

Parish Buying

Parish Buying was created and is run by the Church to support you in your local buying decisions and on this site you will find a range of competitive deals all focussed on saving you time and money.
There are also a number of Buying Guides covering a range of spend areas to help you make better buying decisions. Parish Buying is about more than saving money - it is about good stewardship and releasing resource for mission and ministry.

The Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers (ACAT)

ACAT aim to advance the Christian faith across all denominations by providing members with the most appropriate advice, training and information on accounting, financial, legal and other related issues. ACAT supports around 18,500 church treasurers across the UK - and this number is constantly growing.
Membership to ACAT costs £22 per year. The Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance will reimburse this cost to you. Simply submit a paid invoice and your bank details for re-imbursement to resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org
ACAT also produce a Handbook for new treasurers and it is free for all to access here.

PCC Accountability: The Charities Act 2011 and the PCC

The 5th Edition of PCC Accountability (incorporating SORP 2015) was published by Church House Publishing in February 2017. You can download a copy from Parish Resources here but if you would like a paper copy, please contact us at resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org. We have also links to the chapters below.

PCC Accountability Guide contents: