(Church Times) We are still a relatively wealthy Church, C of E General Synod members are told

New General Synod members are reminded of the “relative wealth” of the Church of England in a paper produced for the opening session (17-18 November) of the quinquennium.

Funding our Church’s Mission has been produced by the Archbishops’ Council and the Church Commissioners to help members to engage with the National Funding for Diocesan Ministry Review that is currently under way. It provides an overview of finances, attendance, and clergy numbers.

“In financial terms, the Church of England is exceptionally well-resourced in comparison with many other provinces of the Anglican Communion,” the paper states. “Its historic endowments, investments, and institutional resources give it a financial capacity that much of the Communion simply does not share. That relative wealth brings both opportunity and a particular stewardship responsibility.”

At a briefing on Thursday, the Synod’s secretary general, William Nye, said that it was “salutary just to be reminded of that occasionally”. It was a point often made by bishops, who, on returning from visits elsewhere in the Communion, were “often buoyed up, joyful, encouraged about what they’ve seen and what God is doing through those dioceses and provinces in places of extraordinary poverty”.

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💷 New General Synod members are reminded of the “relative wealth” of the Church of England in a paper produced for the opening session (17-18 November) of the quinquennium. #ChurchNews #ChurchTimes https://t.co/JF9MVj9UlY

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) November 2, 2026