Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many ordinations to (a) the diaconate and (b) the priesthood there have been in each year since 1993.

The National Church Institutions only hold limited central data on the number of ordinations of deacons and priests. Diocesan bishops, together with some area bishops and Diocesan Directors of Ordinands, are responsible for assessing the vocations of candidates for the priesthood and deciding locally which are ready for deaconing and priesting. What information is available centrally is regularly published as part of ministry statistics on the Church of England website (under ‘About’, then ‘Data Services’)

The initial formation period for candidates is part of a discernment process, and not every candidate who begins training will complete it within a fixed timeframe or be considered ready for ordination as a deacon or priest at the end. Because vocations and ordinations are personal, comparing data year-on-year is usually less helpful than examining longer-term trends.

The trend seen in the centrally available data shows that since 1997, the number of deacons ordained has roughly doubled, and since 2007, it has stayed relatively steady. Efforts are already underway to address the recent decrease in the number of candidates for deacon.

Level of Ordination by year (Deacons)

1997: 262

2001: 295

2002: 313

2003: 333

2007: 552

2008: 574

2009: 564

2010: 563

2011: 504

2012: 494

2013: 484

2014: 500

2015: 498

2016: 484

2017: 488

2018: 503

2019: 580

2020: 580

2021: 610

2022: 540

Level of Ordination by year (Deacons and Priests)

2023: 513 Deacons, 519 Priests

2024: 462 Deacons, 508 Priests