The Sustentation Fund of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland

Public benefits

There are 33 congregations of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland the majority of which have small membership and are located in rural locations and in addition to serving the members serve the local community. The guiding principles of the Church are “Faith guided by reason” and “the inalienable right of every Christian to search

the Scriptures for his own instruction and guidance…” as enshrined in the Constitution. The direct benefit which flows from the purpose is the maintenance of the Ministry in these small congregations enabling them to continue to witness and advance the religious ideals of the denomination. As indicated above the congregations are generally small consequently the income that is generated by them is insufficient to provide the minister with an adequate or reasonable level of remuneration. Consequently the benefit of the distribution from the Fund to the Ministers is “a modestly supplemented level of income thereby enabling them to have a reasonable but modest standard of living” and enabling them to continue to support the smaller congregations and the denomination. The benefits to the congregation and the wider community are evidenced by the part played in the community which is demonstrated by the continued existence of the smaller congregations, in spite of dwindling numbers, there-by providing community focus and facilities not just for the practice of religion but also wider pastoral care, while other denominations are either closing or amalgamating congregations.

What your organisation does

The Charity is responsible for distributing the income received annually from Congregational Subscriptions and Investments to qualifying Ministers in an equitable manner according to the rules of the funds.