The Church of England has begun a 'Big Conversation' on ways to improve its approach to the care of its clergy.

It has published the text of a 'Covenant for Clergy Care and Well-being' modelled on the Military Covenant, with a set of proposed shared commitments between ministers, churches and the wider church.

The documents have been drawn up by a working group appointed last year following a debate at the General Synod which heard of the impact of stress, isolation and loneliness on clergy's lives and ministries.

The group offers a proposed covenant text including the commitment to 'promote the welfare of our clergy and their households in terms expressed in the Covenant for Clergy Care and Wellbeing'.

It says: 'We undertake to work together to coordinate and improve our approach to clergy care and wellbeing so that ordained ministers may flourish in their service of the mission of God within and beyond the Church.'

It continues with an outline of 'Shared Commitments' under the headings 'Baptismal and Ministerial Vocation', 'The Call to Care and Self-Care', 'The Minister as Public Figure' and 'The Minister's Household'.

While the paper says the working group wishes to avoid being too prescriptive, it stresses the need for pastoral supervision and reflective practice, clear expectations and 'holy habits', and ministerial development reviews.

Working group chair Canon Simon Butler said: 'Our aim is not to be prescriptive, but to promote a conversation which will lead to action across all levels of the church, from members of local churches through to the Cathedrals and National Church Institutions.

'Our goal is to bring about a culture change in the Church towards greater awareness of our shared responsibility to promote clergy care and well-being and a significant move towards a preventative approach alongside responsive care.'

He said: 'The Working Group is very keen to listen to the responses before taking that into the final document for the Synod next summer. We are hoping that the Covenant and the report will be debated by every Diocesan Synod by the end of July 2020.'