Academics say social justice draining Church of England funds

The Church of England’s costly social justice initiatives are pushing the denomination toward financial ruin, according to an academic report shared with WORLD on Friday. Authors Robin Gill and John Craven wrote that the church’s $254 million fund for eco-friendly renovations and its $134 million slavery reparations fund are unsustainable. The huge projects came as donations from churchgoers were falling in almost all of the denominations’ dioceses, they said.

In response to a request for comment, the Church of England told WORLD it welcomed the report as a thoughtful contribution to the conversation over challenges facing the church, although it pushed back on some of its conclusions, including the suggestion that the church was in decline. It noted the rising attendance at Church of England services in the past few years.

Gill is a former clergyman, while Craven is a professor and former member of the church’s Archbishops’ Council. The two authors decided to produce the report after hearing widespread complaints about the denomination’s use of its considerable income, Craven told WORLD in an email.

The report traces current problems to consistent spending patterns in the church. The authors argued that the Church of England has, for over a century, funneled most of its money into large national projects and hiring bishops and administrators rather than prioritizing local parishes. The authors believe the report’s historical and intellectual grounding might cause the Church of England to consider their proposals and change its spending practices, Craven said.

The authors argued that discontent over the church’s financial practices was driving marked drops in donations, attendance, and even ordinations of new leaders. Meanwhile, the church’s administrative staff has grown, from about 1,300 in 2005 to 2,300 in 2025, the report said. The hires included staff and administrators for the social justice funds, according to the report.

What were some of the solutions the authors proposed?

• Reduce the number of dioceses from 40 to roughly 30, and reduce the number of their bishops and administrative staff

• Reduce the money allocated to national-scale initiatives to at least 75%, and send more funds from the church’s historic properties to groups of parishes in financial need

• Make local groups of parishes the primary budget holders

• Evaluate whether current administrative activities are necessary

• Require bishops and archdeacons to have a part-time role in a local parish ministry

• Publish regular reports on the financing and outcomes of all projects