What are the Partner Account eligibility criteria for Christian Workers and Bible College Students?

 

The Partner Account for Individuals makes it easy for your supporters to give to support your living costs and personal ministry expenses. As an Individual Partner, you will receive a monthly payment from us including all gifts we have received for your support in that month and any applicable Gift Aid.

As we are a charity, any funds you receive from us as funded by your supporters are charitable funds given to fulfil our charity objectives of advancing evangelical Christianity, relieving poverty or distress, advancing education or otherwise promoting charitable work. We therefore have a responsibility as a UK charity to ensure you are eligible to receive such funds and they are used for charitable purposes.

 

Christian Workers

To apply as a Christian Worker you must fulfil the following criteria. Eligibility and the amount you can receive per year from us, funded by your supporters, can only be confirmed upon assessment of your completed application form:

 

• Your role is in Christian ministry 
• Your role is 21 hours per week or more
• Your role is for at least six months
• You are accountable to an organisation for your work (paid or unpaid) or report to a  Support Group if you are independent
• You are either:
  • A British Citizen
  • A non British Citizen living and working and in the UK. This includes the five British nationality types other than British Citizenship.
  • A non British Citizen living overseas with a high level of accountability to a UK organisation for your role

If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, feel free to call the team on 020 8418 8195.

Please note: Funds received as a Christian Worker can ONLY be used for your personal living costs and any personal ministry expenses we approve. 

Can I apply if I have a salary?

If you fulfil the criteria above, you can still apply if you have a salary. If you apply to receive more than £1,500 per year from us, we ask for details of any income you may have, including salary, in the application form to assess whether your income would be deemed sufficient by our regulators or whether you would be eligible to receive additional charitable funds and at what level.

Couples

We can open one account per household. If both spouses are in Christian work and raising support, you will need to apply for one account in one person's name who will be the primary user. This person must fulfil the eligibility criteria. In the application form you can add your spouse as an additional user to give them online access to the account and to be able to contact us by phone or email regarding the account. Please give details about the work of the your spouse in the section of the form which asks about your role. We will take this into account when calculating the amount you can receive from us as a household, reflecting both your work. 

You can also add your spouse's name in the preferred name section of the form meaning their name will also appear on your online profile page and Support Form. 

You can allocate income as you wish for tax purposes. If you require any advise, please contact a tax or financial adviser.

 

Bible College Students

To apply as a Bible College Student your study must be:

 

• for the expressed purpose to equip you to advance the Christian faith through Christian work, serving as an effective leader (paid or unpaid) or as a volunteer in a church setting, or influencing your workplace or society with the Christian faith. You unfortunately wouldn't be eligible for a Partner Account for Individuals if your study is purely an academic exercise. 
• undertaking a course of study, e.g. certHE, BA or MA, for at least one academic year at a recognised UK Bible College. See here for our list of  approved colleges. If your college is not yet approved, please contact us.
• studying in the UK. We regret that we cannot support those studying outside the UK.

Eligibility and the level of charitable funds you may receive can only be confirmed upon assessment of your completed application form.

Funds received as a Bible College Student can only be used for your personal living costs and any associated costs which aren’t reimbursed to you e.g. college fees.

Can I apply if I have a salary?

If you fulfil the criteria mentioned above, you can still apply if you have a salary. If you apply to receive more than £1,500 per year from us, we ask for details of any income you may have, including salary, in the application form to assess whether your income would be deemed sufficient by our regulators or whether you would be eligible to receive additional charitable funds and at what level.

Couples

We can open one account per household. If both spouses are studying and raising support, apply for one account in one person's name. This person must fulfil the eligibility criteria and will be the primary user. In the application form you can add your spouse as an additional user to give them online access to the account and to be able to contact us by phone or email regarding the account. Please also give details about their study in the section of the form which asks about your course. We will take this into account when calculating the amount you can receive from us as a household, reflecting both your study. 

You can add your spouse's name in the preferred name section on the form meaning their name will also appear on your online profile page and Support Form. 

You can allocate income as you wish for tax purposes. If you require any advise, please contact a tax or financial adviser.

 

Combining Christian Work and Bible Education 

If your Christian work is 21 hours a week or more, please apply as a Christian Worker. If your Christian work is under 21 hours a week, or a ministry placement as part of your Bible/theological study, please apply as a Bible College Student. 

 

Gap Year or Ministry Trainee Programmes  

If you are doing a gap year programme, or a one or two year ministry trainee programme, or similar please first check whether your programme has been pre-approved by Stewardship here. If your programme is already approved, please apply as a Christian Worker. These programmes typically combine an element of Christian work and study for ministry experience.

If your programme is not yet approved, please contact us to review your programme. Any programme or course must be full-time for at least one year and based in the UK. 

If you are doing an internship, please apply as a Christian Worker. The standard eligibility criteria apply.

Can I apply if I have a salary?

If you fulfil the criteria mentioned above, you can still apply if you have a salary. If you apply to receive more than £1,500 per year from us, we ask for details of any income you may have, including salary, in the application form to assess whether this would be deemed sufficient by our regulators or whether you would be eligible to receive additional charitable funds and at what level.