How do I complain about a clergy person?


There are many different types of clergy in the Church of England, including bishops, archdeacons, vicars, rectors, curates, deans, canons, chaplains, and many more. If you are unsure about whether a person is a member of the clergy, please ask graeme.pringle@covcofe.org

You are welcome to make a complaint if you consider the actions of a clergy person is unsatisfactory or unacceptable. However, before you begin, please read the page entitled "Do I complain or whistleblow?"

A complaint about a member of the clergy

A high standard of integrity and service is expected of our clergy.  Mostly that standard is met, but occasionally individual clergy can fall short of what is expected. When this occurs there are different ways to respond:

  1. When it is a minor incident or behaviour, you are encouraged to share your disappointment with the clergy person concerned and resolve it together.
  2. When that is insufficient, a word with the Archdeacon Pastor will lead to someone on the bishop’s staff speaking to the member of the clergy concerned. The Archdeacon Pastor is
    The Venerable Sue Field
    Tel: 024 7652 1337
    sue.field@covcofe.org
  3. Only when the problem is more serious and may amount to misconduct which warrants disciplinary action, will the provisions of the Clergy Discipline Measure be required. The Measure provides a procedure for handling such complaints of misconduct. Further information can be found in the Church of England leaflet entitled "I have a complaint about misconduct by a member of the clergy – what can I do?"

Please note that this is a national process which is is used throughout the Church of England.

If you reach step 3, we recommend that you use a form which can be downloaded from here.  This ensures that we have all the relevant information to deal with your complaint.

If you have difficulty with forms or written material, we can provide a person to assist you. Please contact

          Christine Camfield
          Tel: 024 7667 2244
          christine.camfield@bishop-coventry.org