“Ruthless” action to make the Church of England fit for the 21st century should include a reduction in the number of dioceses and diocesan bishops to 30, cuts to diocesan staff, and giving deaneries control of budgets and clergy-deployment decisions.
The recommendations are set out in a new report, Wasted Money in a Diminishing Church, which says that “radical thinking” is necessary to interrupt a cycle of decline which has left many parishioners and clergy “deeply dispirited”.
“We want to break this silence because we are convinced that the Church of England is heading for financial disaster,” write the authors, Canon Robin Gill and Professor John Craven. “More and more of its funds are being spent on administration in every diocese while churchgoing continues to decline, and less and less is spent on supporting parish clergy.
“As clergy are spread ever more thinly in urban and rural areas, services are less frequent, congregations are getting smaller, and less money can be raised in church collections from people who wonder what they are getting for their money.”
📉💷 ‘Ruthless’ action to make the C of E fit for the 21st century should include a reduction in the number of dioceses and diocesan bishops to 30, cuts to diocesan staff, and giving deaneries control of budgets and clergy-deployment decisions. #ChurchNews https://t.co/TRh52PAPhq
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 21, 2026
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