Church of England

==History==
{{Main|History of the Church of England}}

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Hereford_Cathedral_Nave,_Herefordshire,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg|thumb|[[Hereford Cathedral]] is one of the church's 43 cathedrals; many have histories stretching back centuries]]
{{Further|Religion in Medieval England|Anglo-Saxon Christianity}}

There is evidence for [[Christianity in Roman Britain]] as early as the 3rd century. After the fall of the [[Roman Empire]], England was conquered by the [[Anglo-Saxons]], who were [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|pagans]], and the [[Celtic church|Celtic Church]] was confined to Cornwall and Wales.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|pp=3–4, 9}} In 597, [[Pope Gregory&nbsp;I]] sent missionaries to England to [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|Christianise the Anglo-Saxons]]. This mission was led by [[Augustine of Canterbury|Augustine]], who became the first [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. The Church of England considers 597 the start of its formal history.<ref name="DetailedHistory">{{cite web |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/media-centre/history-church-england |title=History of the Church of England |publisher=Church of England |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=16 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416023707/https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/media-centre/history-church-england |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Study of Anglicanism|publisher=Fortress Books|year=1998|isbn=0-281-05175-5|location=London|page=477|editor-first=John E. |editor-last=Booty|editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last2=Sykes|editor-first3=Jonathan |editor-last3=Knight}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Delaney, John P.|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsain00dela/page/67|title=Dictionary of Saints|publisher=Doubleday|year=1980|isbn=978-0-385-13594-8|edition=Second|location=Garden City, NY|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsain00dela/page/67 67–68]|url-access=registration}}</ref>

In [[Northumbria]], Celtic missionaries competed with their Roman counterparts. The Celtic and Roman churches disagreed over the [[Easter controversy|date of Easter]], baptismal customs, and the style of [[tonsure]] worn by monks.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=19}} King [[Oswiu of Northumbria]] summoned the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664. The king decided Northumbria would follow the Roman tradition because [[Saint Peter]] and his successors, the [[bishop]]s of Rome, hold the [[keys of the kingdom]] of heaven.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Synod-of-Whitby|title=Synod of Whitby &#124; English Church history|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>

By the [[late Middle Ages]], [[Catholicism]] was an essential part of English life and culture. The 9,000 [[parish]]es covering all of England were overseen by a hierarchy of [[Deanery|deaneries]], [[archdeaconries]], [[diocese]]s led by bishops, and ultimately the pope who presided over the Catholic Church from Rome.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=11}} Catholicism taught that the [[contrite]] person could cooperate with [[God in Christianity|God]] towards their [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]] by performing [[Merit (Christianity)|good works]] (see [[synergism]]).{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=210}} God's [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] was given through the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=7}} In the [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]], a [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priest]] consecrated bread and wine to become the [[Body of Christ|body]] and [[blood of Christ]] through [[transubstantiation]]. The Church taught that, in the name of the congregation, the priest offered to God the same [[Crucifixion of Jesus|sacrifice of Christ on the cross]] that provided [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]] for the [[Christian views on sin|sins]] of humanity.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|pp=8–9}}{{sfn|Hefling|2021|pp=97–98}} The Mass was also an offering of prayer by which the living could help [[soul]]s in [[purgatory]].<ref>{{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | title = The Later Reformation in England, 1547–1603 | publisher = Palgrave | series = British History in Perspective | edition = 2nd | year = 2001 | isbn = 9780333921395 | url = https://archive.org/details/laterreformation00macc | pages = 1–2}}</ref> While [[Sacrament of Penance|penance]] removed the guilt attached to sin, Catholicism taught that a penalty still remained. It was believed that most people would end their lives with these penalties unsatisfied and would have to spend time in purgatory. Time in purgatory could be lessened through [[indulgence]]s and [[prayers for the dead]], which were made possible by the [[communion of saints]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|pp=16–17}}

===Reformation===
{{Main|English Reformation}}

In 1527, [[Henry&nbsp;VIII]] was desperate for a male heir and asked [[Pope Clement VII]] to annul his marriage to [[Catherine of Aragon]]. When the pope refused, Henry used [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] to assert royal authority over the English church. In 1533, Parliament passed the [[Statute in Restraint of Appeals|Act in Restraint of Appeals]], barring legal cases from being appealed outside England. This allowed the Archbishop of Canterbury to annul the marriage without reference to Rome. In November 1534, the [[Act of Supremacy 1534|Act of Supremacy]] formally abolished papal authority and declared Henry [[Supreme Head of the Church of England]].{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=29–31}}

Henry's religious beliefs remained aligned to traditional Catholicism throughout his reign. In order to secure royal supremacy over the Church, however, Henry allied himself with Protestants, who until that time had been treated as [[heretics]].{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|p=32}} The main doctrine of the [[Protestant Reformation]] was [[sola fide|justification by faith alone]] rather than by good works.{{Sfn|Hefling|2021|p=96}} The logical outcome of this belief is that the Mass, sacraments, charitable acts, [[Prayer to saints|prayers to saints]], prayers for the dead, pilgrimage, and the [[Veneration of Relics|veneration of relics]] do not mediate divine favour. To believe they can would be [[superstition]] at best and [[idolatry]] at worst.{{Sfn|Hefling|2021|p=97}}{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=126}}

Between 1536 and 1540, Henry engaged in the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], which controlled much of the richest land. He disbanded religious houses, appropriated their income, disposed of their assets, and provided pensions for the former residents. The properties were sold to pay for the wars. Historian [[George W. Bernard]] argues:
{{Blockquote|The dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1530s was one of the most revolutionary events in English history. There were nearly 900 religious houses in England, around 260 for monks, 300 for regular canons, 142 nunneries and 183 friaries; some 12,000 people in total, 4,000 monks, 3,000 canons, 3,000 friars and 2,000 nuns....one adult man in fifty was in religious orders.<ref>G. W. Bernard, "The Dissolution of the Monasteries", ''History'' (2011) 96#324 p 390</ref>}}

[[File:Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke.jpg|right|thumb|Thomas Cranmer was the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and principal compiler of the ''Book of Common Prayer'']]

In the reign of [[Edward&nbsp;VI]] (1547–1553), the Church of England underwent an extensive theological reformation. Justification by faith was made a central teaching.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017a | p = 308}} Government-sanctioned [[iconoclasm]] led to the destruction of images and relics. Stained glass, shrines, statues, and [[rood]]s were defaced or destroyed. Church walls were [[whitewash]]ed and covered with biblical texts condemning idolatry.<ref>{{cite book | last = Duffy | first = Eamon | title = The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, {{circa|1400|lk=no}} – {{circa|1580|lk=no}} | publisher = Yale University Press | edition = 2nd | year = 2005 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=K48k6JIcPrUC | isbn = 978-0-300-10828-6 | pages = 450–454 and 458}}</ref> The most significant reform in Edward's reign was the adoption of an English liturgy to replace the old Latin rites.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=41}} Written by Archbishop [[Thomas Cranmer]], the [[1549 Book of Common Prayer|1549 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] implicitly taught justification by faith,<ref>{{cite book | last = Jeanes | first = Gordon | chapter =  Cranmer and Common Prayer | year = 2006 | title = [[The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey]] | editor-last1 = Hefling | editor-first1 = Charles | editor-last2 = Shattuck | editor-first2 = Cynthia | page = 30 | publisher = Oxford University Press | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ezVH2h6PKUcC | isbn= 978-0-19-529756-0 }}</ref> and rejected the Catholic doctrines of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the Mass.{{Sfn|MacCulloch |1996 | pp = 412, 414}} This was followed by a greatly revised [[1552 Book of Common Prayer|1552 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] that was even more Protestant in tone, going so far as to deny the [[real presence of Christ in the Eucharist]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Haigh | first = Christopher | author-link = Christopher Haigh | title = English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society Under the Tudors | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1993 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zFmS2ng9z7wC | isbn = 978-0-19-822162-3 |page=179}}</ref>{{sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=51}}

During the reign of [[Mary I of England|Mary&nbsp;I]] (1553–1558), England was briefly reunited with the Catholic Church. Mary died childless, so it was left to the new regime of her half-sister [[Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;I]] to resolve the direction of the Church. The [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement]] returned the Church to where it stood in 1553 before Edward's death. The [[Act of Supremacy 1558|Act of Supremacy]] made the monarch the Church's [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England|supreme governor]]. The [[Act of Uniformity 1558|Act of Uniformity]] restored a slightly altered 1552 ''Book of Common Prayer''. In 1571, the [[Thirty-nine Articles]] received parliamentary approval as a doctrinal statement for the Church. The settlement ensured the Church of England was Protestant, but it was unclear what kind of Protestantism was being adopted.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=49–51}} The prayer book's [[eucharistic theology]] was vague. The words of administration neither affirmed nor denied the real presence. Perhaps, a [[Lord's Supper in Reformed theology|spiritual presence]] was implied, since Article 28 of the Thirty-nine Articles taught that the body of Christ was eaten "only after an heavenly and spiritual manner".{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=50–51}} Nevertheless, there was enough ambiguity to allow later theologians to articulate various versions of [[Anglican eucharistic theology]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=51}}

The Church of England was the [[established church]] (constitutionally established by the state with the head of state as its supreme governor). The exact nature of the relationship between church and state would be a source of continued friction into the next century.<ref name="Eberle">{{cite book|last=Eberle|first=Edward J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYkzkVc_sG0C&q=%22church%20of%20england%22%20official%20state%20religion&pg=PA2|title=Church and State in Western Society|publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.]]|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4094-0792-8|page=2|quote=The Church of England later became the official state Protestant church, with the monarch supervising church functions.|access-date=9 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="Fox">{{cite book|last=Fox|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rE0NcgxNaKEC&q=%22church%20of%20england%22%20official%20state%20religion&pg=PA120|title=A World Survey of Religion and the State|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-521-88131-9|page=120|quote=The Church of England (Anglican) and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) are the official religions of the UK.|access-date=9 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="Ferrante">{{cite book|last=Ferrante|first=Joan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AwnIIXI6y38C&q=%22church+of+england%22+official+state+religion&pg=PA408|title=Sociology: A Global Perspective|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|year=2010|isbn=978-0-8400-3204-1|page=408|quote=the Church of England [Anglican], which remains the official state church|access-date=9 November 2012}}</ref>

===Stuart period===
{{further|Stuart period}}
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2020}}
Struggle for control of the church persisted throughout the reigns of [[James VI and I|James&nbsp;I]] and his son [[Charles I of England|Charles&nbsp;I]], culminating in the outbreak of the [[First English Civil War]] in 1642. The two opposing factions consisted of [[Puritans]], who sought to "purify" the church and enact more far-reaching Protestant reforms, and those who wanted to retain traditional beliefs and practices. In a period when many believed "true religion" and "good government" were the same thing, religious disputes often included a political element, one example being the struggle over bishops. In addition to their religious function, bishops acted as state censors, able to ban sermons and writings considered objectionable, while lay people could be tried by [[Arches Court|church courts]] for crimes including [[blasphemy]], [[heresy]], [[fornication]] and other 'sins of the flesh', as well as matrimonial or inheritance disputes.{{sfn|Helmholz|2003|p=102}} They also sat in the [[House of Lords]] and often blocked legislation opposed by the Crown; their ousting from Parliament by the [[Clergy Act 1640|1640 Clergy Act]] was a major step on the road to war.{{sfn|Wedgwood|1958|p=31}}

[[File:Canterbury_Cathedral_Choir_(249538223).jpeg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Major repairs were done to Canterbury Cathedral after the Restoration in 1660.]]

Following [[Cavalier|Royalist]] defeat in 1646, the Episcopacy was formally abolished.{{Sfn|King|1968|pp=523–537}} In 1649, the [[Commonwealth of England]] outlawed a number of former practices and [[Presbyterian polity|Presbyterian]] structures replaced the episcopate. The 39 Articles were replaced by the [[Westminster Confession]], the Book of Common Prayer by the Directory of Public Worship. Despite this, about one quarter of English clergy refused to conform to this form of state [[presbyterianism]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}} It was also opposed by religious [[Independent (religion)|Independents]] who rejected the very idea of state-mandated religion, and included [[Congregational church|Congregationalists]] like [[Oliver Cromwell]], as well as [[Baptists]], who were especially well represented in the [[New Model Army]].{{sfn|Spurr|1998|pp=11–12}}

After the [[Stuart Restoration]] in 1660, Parliament restored the Church of England to a form not far removed from the Elizabethan version. Until [[James II of England]] was ousted by the [[Glorious Revolution]] in November 1688, many [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformists]] still sought to negotiate terms that would allow them to re-enter the Church.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=John |title=James II; A study in kingship |date=1978 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q1hnAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Menthuen |isbn=978-0413652904|pages=172–173}}</ref> In order to secure his political position, [[William III of England]] ended these discussions and the Tudor ideal of encompassing all the people of England in one religious organisation was abandoned. The religious landscape of England assumed its present form, with the Anglican established church occupying the middle ground and Nonconformists continuing their existence outside. One result of the Restoration was the ousting of 2,000 parish ministers who had not been ordained by bishops in the apostolic succession or who had been ordained by ministers in presbyter's orders. Official suspicion and legal restrictions continued well into the 19th century. Roman Catholics, perhaps 5% of the English population (down from 20% in 1600) were grudgingly tolerated, having had little or no official representation after the Pope's excommunication of Queen Elizabeth in 1570, though the Stuarts were sympathetic to them. By the end of 18th century they had dwindled to 1% of the population, mostly amongst upper middle-class gentry, their tenants and extended families.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}

===Union with the Church of Ireland===
By the Fifth Article of the [[Acts of Union 1800|Union with Ireland 1800]], the Church of England and [[Church of Ireland]] were united into "one Protestant Episcopal church, to be called, the United Church of England and Ireland".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pickering |first1=Danby |title=The Statutes at Large from the Magna Charta, to the End of the Eleventh Parliament of Great Britain, Anno 1761 [continued to 1806]. By Danby Pickering |date=1799 |publisher=J. Bentham |page=653 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1pRAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA653 |language=en}}</ref> Although "the continuance and preservation of the said united church ... [was] deemed and taken to be an essential and fundamental part of the union",<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rahbarnes.co.uk/Union/ActOfUnion%28Ireland%29.php | title=An Act for the Union of Great Britain and Ireland 1800 – Article Fifth (sic) | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324152426/http://www.rahbarnes.co.uk/Union/ActOfUnion(Ireland).php | archive-date=24 March 2018}}</ref> the [[Irish Church Act 1869]] separated the Irish part of the church again and disestablished it, the Act coming into effect on 1 January 1871.

===Overseas developments===
[[File:John Smith 1624 map of Bermuda with Forts 01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Captain [[John Smith of Jamestown|John Smith's]] 1624 map of Bermuda, showing St Peter's at centre, left|alt=]]
{{main|Anglican Communion}}
{{further|Historical development of Church of England dioceses#Colonial dioceses}}
As the English Empire (after the 1707 [[Acts of Union 1707|union]] of the [[Kingdom of England]] with the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] to form the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], the [[British Empire]]) expanded, English (after 1707, ''British'') colonists and colonial administrators took the established church doctrines and practices together with ordained ministry and formed overseas branches of the Church of England.

The [[Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island|Diocese of Nova Scotia]] was created on 11 August 1787 by [[Letters Patent]] of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] which "erected the Province of [[Nova Scotia]] into a bishop's see" and these also named [[Charles Inglis (bishop)|Charles Inglis]] as first bishop of the see.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12910|page=373|date=7 August 1787}}</ref> The diocese was the first Church of England see created outside England and Wales (i.e. the first colonial diocese). At this point, the see covered present-day New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.<ref>[http://www.nspeidiocese.ca/page/history.aspx Diocesan site – History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616015609/http://www.nspeidiocese.ca/page/history.aspx |date=16 June 2014 }} (accessed 31 December 2012)</ref> From 1825 to 1839, it included the [[Anglican Church of Bermuda|nine parishes]] of [[Bermuda]], subsequently transferred to the [[Diocese of Newfoundland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/anglicanism.php |title=The Church of England |last=Piper |first=Liza |date=2000 |website=Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador |publisher=Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site |access-date=2021-08-17 |quote=}}</ref>

As they developed or, beginning with the United States of America, became sovereign or independent states, many of their churches became separate organisationally but remained linked to the Church of England through the [[Anglican Communion]]. In the provinces that made up Canada, the church operated as the "Church of England in Canada" until 1955 when it became the [[Anglican Church of Canada]].<ref name="x25">{{cite book|author=Miranda Threlfall-Holmes|title=The Essential History of Christianity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGipAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT133|year=2012|publisher=SPCK|pages=133–134|isbn=9780281066438}}</ref>

In Bermuda, the oldest remaining British overseas possession, the first Church of England services were performed by the Reverend Richard Buck, one of the survivors of the 1609 wreck of the ''[[Sea Venture]]'' which initiated Bermuda's permanent settlement. The nine parishes of the Church of England in [[Bermuda]], each with its own church and [[Glebe|glebe land]], rarely had more than a pair of ordained ministers to share between them until the 19th century. From 1825 to 1839, Bermuda's parishes were attached to the [[Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island|See of Nova Scotia]]. Bermuda was then grouped into the new Diocese of Newfoundland and Bermuda from 1839. In 1879, the Synod of the Church of England in Bermuda was formed. At the same time, a Diocese of Bermuda became separate from the [[Diocese of Newfoundland]], but both continued to be grouped under the ''Bishop of Newfoundland and Bermuda'' until 1919, when Newfoundland and Bermuda each received its own bishop.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Church of England in Bermuda was renamed in 1978 as the [[Anglican Church of Bermuda]], which is an [[Extra-provincial Anglican churches|extra-provincial diocese]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/index.cfm|title=Member Churches|work=anglicancommunion.org}}</ref> with both [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] and [[Primate (bishop)|primatial]] authority coming directly from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Among its parish churches is [[St. Peter's Church, St. George's|St Peter's Church]] in the [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] of [[St. George's, Bermuda|St George's Town]], which is the oldest Anglican church outside of the British Isles, and the oldest Protestant church in the New World.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to St Peter's Church in St. George's, Bermuda |url=https://www.stpeters.bm/ |website=St Peter's |access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref>

The first Anglican missionaries arrived in Nigeria in 1842 and the first Anglican Nigerian was consecrated a bishop in 1864. However, the arrival of a rival group of Anglican missionaries in 1887 led to infighting that slowed the Church's growth. In this large African colony, by 1900 there were only 35,000 Anglicans, about 0.2% of the population. However, by the late 20th century the [[Church of Nigeria]] was the fastest growing of all Anglican churches, reaching about 18 percent of the local population by 2000.<ref name="x25"/>

The Church established its presence in Hong Kong and Macau in 1843. In 1951, the [[Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui|Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao]] became an extra-provincial diocese, and in 1998 it became a province of the Anglican Communion, under the name [[Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui]].

From 1796 to 1818 the Church began operating in [[Sri Lanka]] (formerly [[Ceylon]]), following the 1796 start of British colonisation, when the first services were held for the British civil and military personnel. In 1799, the first Colonial Chaplain was appointed, following which CMS and SPG missionaries began their work, in 1818 and 1844 respectively. Subsequently the [[Church of Ceylon]] was established: in 1845 the diocese of Colombo was inaugurated, with the appointment of [[James Chapman (Bishop of Colombo)|James Chapman]] as Bishop of Colombo. It served as an extra-provincial jurisdiction of the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], who served as its [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan]].

===Early 21st century===

====Deposition from holy orders overturned====

Under the guidance of [[Rowan Williams]] and with significant pressure from clergy union representatives, the ecclesiastical penalty for convicted felons to be defrocked was set aside from the [[List of Church of England Measures|Clergy Discipline Measure 2003]]. The clergy union argued that the penalty was unfair to victims of hypothetical miscarriages of criminal justice, because the ecclesiastical penalty is considered irreversible. Although clerics can still be banned for life from ministry, they remain ordained as priests.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bingham |first=John |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11735289/Church-of-England-could-return-to-defrocking-rogue-priests-after-child-abuse-scandals.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11735289/Church-of-England-could-return-to-defrocking-rogue-priests-after-child-abuse-scandals.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Church of England could return to defrocking rogue priests after child abuse scandals |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=13 July 2015 |access-date=4 February 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

====Continued decline in attendance and church response====
[[File:Holy trinity front 8809.jpg|thumb|One of the now "redundant" buildings, [[Holy Trinity Church, Wensley]], in North Yorkshire; much of the current structure was built in the 14th and 15th centuries]]

Bishop [[Sarah Mullally]] has insisted that declining numbers at services should not necessarily be a cause of despair for churches, because people may still encounter God without attending a service in a church; for example hearing the Christian message through social media sites or in a café run as a community project.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-09 |title=Empty pews not the end of the world, says Church of England's newest bishop |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11663692/Empty-pews-not-the-end-of-the-world-says-Church-of-Englands-newest-bishop.html |first1=John |last1=Bingham |website=The Telegraph |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231223084828/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11663692/Empty-pews-not-the-end-of-the-world-says-Church-of-Englands-newest-bishop.html |archive-date= Dec 23, 2023 }}</ref> Additionally, 9.7&nbsp;million people visit at least one of its churches every year and 1&nbsp;million students are educated at Church of England schools (which number 4,700).<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts and Stats of The Church of England|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats.aspx |publisher=Church of England|access-date=8 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408084146/https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats.aspx |archive-date= 8 April 2016 }}</ref> In 2019, an estimated 10 million people visited a cathedral and an additional "1.3 million people visited Westminster Abbey, where 99% of visitors paid / donated for entry".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Key areas of research|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about/research-and-statistics/key-areas-research|access-date=26 October 2021|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref> Nevertheless, the archbishops of [[Justin Welby|Canterbury]] and [[John Sentamu|York]] warned in January 2015 that the Church of England would no longer be able to carry on in its current form unless the downward spiral in membership were somehow to be reversed, as typical Sunday attendance had halved to 800,000 in the previous 40 years:<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11340590/Church-of-England-cannot-carry-on-as-it-is-unless-decline-urgently-reversed-Welby-and-Sentamu.html "Church of England cannot carry on as it is unless decline 'urgently' reversed – Welby and Sentamu"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 12 January 2015.</ref>
{{blockquote|The urgency of the challenge facing us is not in doubt. Attendance at Church of England services has declined at an average of one per cent per annum over recent decades and, in addition, the age profile of our membership has become significantly older than that of the population... Renewing and reforming aspects of our institutional life is a necessary but far from sufficient response to the challenges facing the Church of England. ... The age profile of our clergy has also been increasing. Around 40 per cent of parish clergy are due to retire over the next decade or so.}}

Between 1969 and 2010, almost 1,800 church buildings, roughly 11% of the stock, were closed (so-called "[[redundant churches]]"); the majority (70%) in the first half of the period; only 514 being closed between 1990 and 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/pastoralandclosedchurches/closedchurches/ |title=Closed Churches Division |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229125945/http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/pastoralandclosedchurches/closedchurches/ |archive-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some active use was being made of about half of the closed churches.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/hrba/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/churches-and-closure-in-cofe-mar-2010.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=21 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621141527/http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/hrba/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/churches-and-closure-in-cofe-mar-2010.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2019 the rate of closure had steadied at around 20 to 25 per year (0.2%); some being replaced by new places of worship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/more/parish-reorganisation-and-closed-church-buildings/closed-churches|title=Closed churches|website=The Church of England}}</ref> Additionally, in 2018 the church announced a £27&nbsp;million growth programme to create 100 new churches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2018/07/church-of-england-announces-100-new-churches-in-27-million-pound-growth-programme.aspx|title=Church of England announces 100 new churches in £27 million growth programme|website=www.anglicannews.org}}</ref>

====Low salaries====
In 2015 the Church of England admitted that it was embarrassed to be paying staff under the living wage. The Church of England had previously campaigned for all employers to pay this minimum amount. The archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged it was not the only area where the church "fell short of its standards".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31591075|title=Church of England: Justin Welby says low pay 'embarrassing'|work=BBC News}}</ref>

=== Impact of COVID-19 pandemic ===
The [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]] had a sizeable effect on church attendance, with attendance in 2020 and 2021 dropping well below that of 2019. By 2022, the first full year without substantial restrictions related to the pandemic, numbers were still notably down on pre-pandemic participation. According to the 2022 release of "Statistics for Mission" by the church, the median size of each church's "Worshipping Community" (those who attend in person or online at least as regularly as once a month) now stands at 37 people, with average weekly attendance having declined from 34 to 25; while Easter and Christmas services have seen falls from 51 to 38 and 80 to 56 individuals respectively. Examples of wider declines across the whole church include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics for Missions 2022 |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/statisticsformission2022.pdf |access-date=27 November 2023 |website=Church of England}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Estimated change, 2019 to 2020
!Estimated change, 2019 to 2021 
!Estimated change, 2019 to 2022
|-
|Worshipping Community
| -7%
| -13%
| -12%
|-
|All age average weekly attendance (October)
| -60%
| -29%
| -23%
|-
|All age average Sunday attendance (October)
| -53%
| -28%
| -23%
|-
|Easter attendance
|N/A
| -56%
| -27%
|-
|Christmas attendance
| -79%
| -58%
| -30%
|}