Ordaining women as bishops would be “a mistake”, a group of 50 clergy has warned in a letter to the Church of England General Synod.
The clergy, linked to the evangelical group Reform, say adequate safeguards for objectors to the plan are needed.
If not, the Church could see a drastic cut in the number of men training for the priesthood and a multi-million pound drop in funding, they warn.
The General Synod began its week-long meeting on Monday.