Rewild the Church
our challenge to one of ENGLAND’s largest landowners
What would Jesus do if he owned over 100,000 acres 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 £11.1 bn 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.
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. Despite the many benefits rewilding could bring to their tenant farmers, rural communities, wildlife, and their own portfolio, the Commissioners have been lagging behind other large landowners in nature restoration.
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.
Our New Report
GettinG BACK TO THE GARDEN
Despite the growing movement calling on the Church Commissioners to make a commitment to rewild 30% of its land by 2030, the investment body has not yet undertaken an assessment of the benefits and costs involved in taking action at this scale.
Taking matters into our own hands using publicly available information, we examined the Commissioners’ land portfolio, the income that may generate, how much of the £11bn fund may need to be invested to meet 30by30, and how acting — or failing to act — impacts the Commissioners’ fiduciary duty. Spoiler: The Church Commissioners could dedicate 30% of its land to nature restoration
without a significant impact on its bottom line.
Take Action!
Right now, the Church of England’s key decision-makers – members of the General Synod – have an historic opportunity to support a motion calling for the Church Commissioners to honour their responsibility as stewards of nature, and protect 30% of their land for nature, in line with international UN targets.
But to do this, we need you to play a crucial part – calling on the General Synod members representing the diocese you live in to add their name in support of the motion.
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
-
New Report: Getting Back to the Garden
Exploring how the Church can lead on nature At a time when the UK has committed to protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030 – a key UN target adopted by nearly 200 countries – one question remains: who will deliver it? The Government’s Land Use Framework released last month makes clear that meeting…
-
Rewild the Church Update: Our Seed of Hope Takes Root!
This year, the Rewild the Church campaign is really bursting into bloom! Thanks to the passion and efforts of so many across our movement, the seeds of hope we’ve been planting are now sprouting into something truly remarkable – and it’s as exciting as watching the first green shoots of spring!
-
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…