Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches have closed in each year since 1997.

Starting at 1990, the figures per decade are as follows:
1990–1999: 274
2000–2009: 243
2010–2019: 210

In the current decade:
2020: 15
2021: 26
2022: 11
2023: 17
2024: 15

Over this period the Pastoral and Closed Churches Committee of the Church Commissioners has received formal closure schemes for 811 churches in total.

To put this in context, the Church of England has stewardship of approximately 15,700 consecrated buildings. Church closures are occurring at their lowest rate since the 1970s, when 760 closures took place across the decade. The figure for the 1980s was 485. Since the 1990s annual closures have remained steady at approximately 20–25 per year, with no increase following the pandemic.

The Church also opens around 10 new churches annually, and has seen significant growth in worshipping communities in homes, schools, cafés, and digital spaces. Since 2020, dioceses have launched or are developing 3,500 new worshipping communities, contributing to the Church’s goal of 10,000 by 2030 under its Vision and Strategy.

Closure does not mean withdrawal. Every community remains covered by a Church of England parish, with continued access to worship, baptisms, marriages, and funerals. In many cases, ministry is reconfigured locally to maintain pastoral care.

The Church operates under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, which allows buildings no longer needed for pastoral use to be closed and repurposed. Closures are typically initiated by local parishes, often due to demographic shifts or challenges in sustaining leadership.

Further information can be found in the Church Commissioners’ annual reports, which are available on the Church of England website or in the House of Commons Library.