The Church of England’s church buildings form the nation’s single largest ‘estate’ of built heritage.
Churches are the most public indication of the Church’s role in the community, both as the places in which public worship takes place and as a focus for many events which reach beyond the worshipping congregation to society at large. They have also been integral to this country’s history and development.
Though first and foremost places of worship, churches are also often the oldest building in a settlement still in continual use. Many are the largest, most architecturally complex, most archaeologically sensitive, and most visited building in their village, town or city.
Churchcare
ChurchCare is the Church of England’s national resource to support all those in parishes, dioceses and cathedrals caring for their buildings today and for the enjoyment of future generations. It has been developed by the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Archbishops’ Council, and seeks to be a comprehensive source of information for everyone managing a church building.
Click here to visit the Churchcare website
Heritage and Conservation
The Conservation Section of the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division supports parishes in the appropriate use and care of the Church’s built heritage, specifically furnishings and artworks of artistic and historical significance. You can find practical advice on managing conservation projects and how to look after the historic contents of your church building.
Click on the links to find out more
Open and Sustainable
Open and Sustainable Churches is a ChurchCare initiative to encourage wider, more imaginative and more strategic use of the Church of England’s 16,000 buildings.
Help on understanding your church building and its potential and exploring the possibilities of sharing the building, funding, legal issues, project management etc.
For further information please visit the Churchcare website
Rural churches may also be interested in the online resources compiled by the Arthur Rank Centre.
Funding and Grants
Parish Resources: We offer a range of Funding Guides to help parishes raise funds for large fundraising appeals (building projects) as well as funding the on-going mission of the church.
Please click here to visit our Funding Guides webpage
Churchcare: offer information on various grants programmes that support parishes in the conservation and repair of historic church buildings and their various contents. They also provide a list of other sources of funding to help your fundraising.
Please click here to visit the Churchcare Funding webpage
Crossing the Threshold Toolkit: This helpful toolkit was produced by Hereford Diocese as a response to demand from parishes at the start of their journey down this road towards returning their buildings to their communities. This is an easy to follow step by step resource containing exactly the sort of information any parish will need to know.
Please click here to view the Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
Making changes to your building or churchyard
Visit the Churchcare website to explore the steps of a major building project.