by George Conger, Anglican Ink
The Church of England should cut its mainland dioceses from 40 to about 30, reduce spending on administration, and give deaneries control over substantial church funds, according to a report warning that expanding management and shrinking parish ministry have placed the institution on an unsustainable course.
In *Wasted Money in a Diminishing Church*, Canon Professor Robin Gill and Professor John Craven argue that the Church’s financial problems reflect more than declining attendance. They contend that decisions about money, staffing, and property have become increasingly distant from the congregations expected to support them. Their proposed remedy combines fewer dioceses, stronger local control, and greater **accountability** for spending.
Church House has called the report “wide-ranging and thoughtful,” while defending the expansion of specialist safeguarding staff and warning that major restructuring would be complicated. The response identifies the central disagreement: whether existing structures provide necessary support for ministry or consume resources that should be placed under more direct local control.
Published in October through the Centre for Anglican History and Theology at the Universities of Kent and Christ Church Canterbury, the report comes from two authors with extensive experience of church affairs. Gill is an emeritus professor of applied theology, a former parish priest, and a former theological adviser to archbishops of Canterbury. Craven is an economist, former university vice-chancellor, and former member of the Archbishops’ Council.
“We want to break this silence because we are convinced that the Church of England is heading for financial disaster,” they write. They describe a cycle in which fewer priests and less frequent services weaken congregations; smaller congregations contribute less money; and financial pressure then produces further reductions in parish ministry while administrative costs continue to rise.