Rewild the Church
our challenge to one of ENGLAND’s largest landowners
What would Jesus do if he owned 108,000 acres (over 60,000 football pitches) of land? Would he farm it for profit, or would he use it to restore forests, wetlands and meadows to help save our vanishing wildlife?
This is the dilemma faced by the Church of England whose wealthy and secretive £10.3bn investment arm – the Church Commissioners – own just such an impressive amount of land throughout England. We’re calling on them to rewild 30% of that land by 2030.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Give Nature Hope!
petition hand-in
Nature is in desperate need for a new Ark to carry us through the biodiversity and climate crises we are facing.
With the Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally just announced as next Archbishop of Canterbury, Rewild the Church & Christian Climate Action are taking this message to her with an action outside St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday the 24th of October.
The Church of England is one of the top ten landowners in the country.
Think of land owned by the Church of England and you might picture a small rural churchyard filled with wildflowers. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, the Church of England is one of the top ten landowners in the country owning 200,000 acres- three times the size of Birmingham!
Whilst most churchyards are lovingly tended for nature’s benefit by local congregations, half the Church’s land is managed by an investment body, the Church Commissioners. As a result, most of this land is in a dire ecological state with just 3% tree coverage and less than half of their protected sites in a favourable condition.
This flies in the face of the wishes of wider congregations who have consistently backed radical action on the climate and ecological emergency. It’s now time for the Church Commissioners to set large-scale rewilding targets that match the spiritual calling of the Church. Read our blog posts to find out more.
We’re Demanding that the church commissioners:
1
Collectively read and reflect on ‘The 95 Wild Theses’
2
Be transparent around resources by releasing a map of all the Church Commissioners’ land.
3
Rewild 30% of the Church Commissioner’s English land by 2030.
Take Action!
Across the country, communities are eager to show the Church Commissioners just how much they love nature, and want to see it thrive. That’s why we created our Community Action Pack!
The pack includes resources to help you spread the word, take your message to the Church Commissioners, learn more about rewilding, and suggestions for connecting with and caring for nature alongside your community.
our 95 wild theses
Martin Luther made history when he published his 95 Theses in 1517, sparking a period of radical change across Europe. We thought it was time to create a new 95 Theses fit for the 21st Century, calling on the Church to make a radical change in its approach to protecting our planet.
The 95 wild theses were written by church leaders, scientists, authors, academics, actors, politicians, musicians, theologians, lawyers, broadcasters, naturalists, environmentalists, civil servants, students and more including:
Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
Caroline Lucas, Former leader of the Green Party
Michael Gove, former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 2022-24
Professor Anthony Reddie Professor of Black Theology at University of Oxford and Director of Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture
Professor Dame Athene Donald, DBE FRS, Master, Churchill College and Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge
Stephen Fry, broadcaster, actor and writer
Chris Packham CBE, naturalist, broadcaster and author
Sir Robert T Watson, CMG, FRS, ex-Chief Scientific Advisor DEFRA, former chair United Nations IPBES and IPCC
George Eustice, Former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2020-2022
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Broadcaster and Chef
This is a call to action from people of all ages, across the country, with different interests, political affiliations and lived experiences. This document is a coming together of people to give a call to action to the Church of England – Rewild!
FROM OUR BLOG
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An ark, a bag of seeds, and a call for the new Archbishop to give nature hope
Bright and early last Friday morning, donned in beanies, gloves, wings, leaves and feathers, members of the Rewild the Church movement gathered at Festival Gardens outside St Paul’s Cathedral, coming together to deliver a message of hope to the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury and current Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally. With Bishop Sarah’s historic…
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How Rewilding Can Boost Farmers’ and Landowners’ Income
Farmers – whether owner-occupiers or tenants – manage around 70% of UK land. If we are to rewild 30% of land by 2030 without compromising food security, some of this must come from farmland.
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Church communities rewilding together
Across the country, church goers and church communities within the Church of England are taking action to restore the health and flourishing of biodiversity within their local areas, driven by the passion within their congregations for creation care