A benefice is a "church living", an area from which an income can be recieved, especially in return for the spiritual care of its inhabitants.
Therefore a benefice could be as small as one parish, but nowadays, it is taken to mean a group of parishes that are the responsibility of one priest, who may be supported by other, associate priests. Rev. John Toogood is our Priest, with Rev. Douglas Dales as Associated Priest.

The East Downland Benefice (or group) includes nine churches, or parishes, in the Downland north of Newbury. These, which are part of the Newbury Deanery in the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, are all looked after by our two priests.