Parish Returns
Each year parishes across England complete statistics around attendance, the life of the local church, finances, and their energy footprint. This gives information which allows us to see a snapshot of our common life in the Church of England, and provides vital local information that can help parishes in their planning.
How do I submit my data?
Data is submitted via the parish returns website http://parishreturns.churchofengland.org.
If you require login details to use this system or are having issues logging in, please do not hesitate to contact the programme office on programme.office@carlislediocese.org.uk
Whilst inputting the data online is the fastest and easiest way to complete the entries, the Parish Returns website also has access to a paper copy of the return form (either PDF or Word) which you can download, complete and send back to the programme office to submit on your behalf.
The deadline for submitting the data is usually mid-March of the following year for Mission Statistics (for example 2024 Statistics for Mission data deadline was the 14th March 2025), and the end of June for Finance Returns and the Energy Footprint Tool.
Resources for support
Statistics for Mission
If you are new to the statistics for mission or wish to refresh your knowledge, the Church Support Hub have a webinar which gives a fantastic overview of the statistics for mission and how to input them: https://churchsupporthub.org/all-resources/how-to-complete-your-stats-for-mission-form-and-why-it-matters-2/
You can input data all in one go, or throughout the year. E.g. you can enter the Easter attendance statistics or electoral roll number as soon as they are available. The rest of the data input opens at the end of September, but much of the information can't be completed until the end of the year, so most parishes choose to wait until January of the following year to submit/complete their data entry.
However, if you wish to track your data throughout the year to help with end of year inputting, below are some spreadsheet tools that can help:
Worshipping community template
Attendance template
Finance and Energy Footprint Tool
For specific support about inputting your parish finances please contact finanace@carlislediocese.org.uk, and for any help with your energy footprint tool, please contact environment@carlislediocese.org.uk.