William Temple Foundation

This blog is written the day after the Foundation published a Temple book entitled ‘Towards the Conversion of the Church of England by the rest of England’, and of course just a few days after the announcement that Bishop Sarah Mullally would become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury marked a watershed moment—the first woman to hold this position in its 1,400-year history.

Bishop Sarah, 63, brings an unconventional background to Lambeth Palace, having served as England’s Chief Nursing Officer at age 37 before her ordination in 2001. When named Bishop of London in 2017, she spoke of having “always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ, to know him and to make him known, always seeking to live with compassion in the service of others”.

In these early days following her appointment, we share the findings of our book in the hope that it may offer some new and creative thinking as she contemplates this life-long vocation.

The premise of the book is the 80th anniversary of Towards the Conversion of England published in 1945. Back in 1943, at the request of the Church Assembly, Archbishop William Temple set up a commission under the Bishop of Rochester to “survey the whole problem of modern evangelism.” We wanted to set up a roundtable discussion from eleven key witnesses representing a variety of perspectives and walks of English life, meeting at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine in Limehouse earlier this summer. These included Simon Lee, Tariq Modood, Abigail King, Lawrence Goldman, Sarah Joseph, Al Barrett, Val Barron, Andrew Brown, Peter Robinson, and myself.

The aim was not to provide an historical review of the original report but to take the premise of its title and turn it on its head. Instead of the Church playing a pivotal role in spiritual revival of the postwar English nation, the premise of this roundtable is that the renewal of the Church of England relies on it listening to and engaging with the new forces that are shaping England. It is a reverse idea of mission that has an acute theological, historical and cultural relevance for these times.

The consensus from our contributors suggests that Bishop Sarah Mullally inherits a Church of England at a defining inflection point. Our conversations identified a stark reality: a profound disconnection between the established Church and the English nation, driven by multiple reinforcing crises of identity, trust, and vision. Here are some of our key findings.

Diagnosing the Loss of Identity

The problematic confronting Mullally operates across several interlocking dimensions. Historically, the disappearance of Imperial Britain has left the Church institutionally ‘orphaned’ without a clear organizing purpose—the seventy-year arc from Suez (1956) to Brexit (2016) represents not merely political decline but the erosion of the framework within which Anglican identity made sense. Culturally and sociologically, this dislocation manifests in the sharp decline of rural infrastructure—the regular loss of pubs, schools, banks, and shops creates a dangerous vacuum where both Church and State are perceived as having abandoned ordinary citizens.

The 2021 Census data reveals the scale of transformation: Christian affiliation has dropped from 72% in 2001 to 46%, whilst those identifying as having no religion have risen from 15% to 37%. Yet this trajectory toward a post-Christian society masks a more complex reality—England remains dynamically religious, with minority faith groups thriving. The paradox is striking: whilst sociological narratives emphasize secularization, government interest in faith as an indispensable partner for policy delivery has never been stronger.

Younger generations exemplify this paradoxical moment. Gen Z prizes authenticity, fluidity, transparency, and collaboration, yet their pursuit of these values occurs within a world that feels fragile and precarious, shot through with existential anxiety. Spiritual hunger roams through what one might call the crumbling ruins of institutional Christianity. Many young Christians report looking with envy at the depth of commitment their Muslim friends show toward religious identity.

Bureaucratically, the Church suffers from adherence to top-down centralized governance models that appear out of touch. Power is misaligned—those thinking they possess it often lack it, whilst actual power lies with Church Commissioners, wealthy parishes, and externally funded networks veering toward socially conservative agendas.

The Theological Crisis

Perhaps most surprisingly, it is the theological dimension reveals the clearest manifestation of identity loss. In a relentless quest for cultural relevance that might refill churches, the Church has lost sight of Memory and Tradition’s value. Anglicanism in the opinion of some or our roundtable members has ‘deliberately overlooked its past,’ missing opportunities to connect congregants to rich theological heritage that could provide meaning and continuity.

On the other hand, some of our number felt that the Church has lost its prophetic tradition and roots, with institutional self-preservation prevailing over prophetic risk-taking. This has allowed Christian message and identity to be increasingly co-opted by the Far-Right with disastrous consequences. The Protestant emphasis on personal belief contrasts sharply with minority religions expressing faith through shared practices. Christianity has evolved toward belief and good works whilst abandoning distinctive practices—yet other religions maintain practice-based identity even when belief may be uncertain.

Five Pathways to Reconnection

Against this diagnosis, five trajectories emerge from our findings toward rediscovering an Anglican identity that might be able to reconnecting with the English nation:

First, dig deep into theological and prophetic traditions. In an era of dangerous populism where the English flag is increasingly yoked to Far-Right agendas, the Church needs to reconnect itself to long-term memory (anamnesis) of roots and traditions. For Gen Z navigating paths toward grounded authentic life, the Church has opportunity to offer a more satisfying spiritual menu—something demanding, deep, and countercultural. The Church must outline confident, authentic approaches to Christian faith and English Christian traditions in ways that counter religious illiteracy about not only Anglicanism but religion and faith generally.

Second, act local as an expression of resilience and solidarity. In contexts where trust in national infrastructure has broken down, the local becomes the locus of organization and relationality. The Church’s value lies in its unique ability to connect across social strata. The model of broad-based community organizing brought to the table by some of our witnesses creates ‘relational power’ offering genuine alternatives to both elite indifference and far-right mobilization. The idea of ‘the parish’ needs reimagining beyond its bureaucratic status into something more akin to a terroir—representing a combination of physical attributes, local customs, artisanal skills, and traditions that give unique flavour to a place.

Third, hold the space for dialogue about what it means to be English. The Church needs to rediscover its confidence as a national institution by convening public debates about what it means to be an English people in times of great transition. Its greatest historical strength has resided in holding together a wide variety of disparate theological views in loose coalition. Within radically polarizing social discourses, the ability to stand back, listen, take a via media, and be a container for widely divergent views takes on an urgent political and cultural significance.

Fourth, give away power to gain greater influence. The future credibility of the Church lies in giving away resources—buildings, finance, people—to meet community needs rather than gathering people into Church structures. The call from our report is for a massive injection of resources and moral vision into creating a new national network of ‘community owned and created children’s centres and hubs’ with priority given to those areas with the highest rates of child poverty increase. Such moves would restore trust and credibility where reputation has been damaged by the inability to deal effectively with child and adult sexual abuse.

Fifth, create new coalitions across faith and secular partners. The Church’s public leadership role needs to reflect the decisive shift in how policy now regards faith. Faith communities are now seen as indispensable partners for government resilience planning and healthcare (as examples). The Church still has enough skin in the game to become a key generator of relationships across difference, facilitating and strengthening these relationships as a contribution to weaving more cohesive communities.

Paradoxes Confronting the New Archbishop

Our report concludes that Bishop Sarah faces several paradoxes that may frame her mission priorities. Loss of identity within the English nation is yet in a context of pockets of spiritual and religious revival, and a renewed search for meaning, especially amongst younger generations. Whilst there appears apathy towards some expressions of institutional Christianity, interest in faith from government has rarely been so marked. Trust in centralized authority is debased, yet the search for local solidarities across difference is vibrant and innovative.

The glass, perhaps, is more than half-full. The future, though fraught and appearing fragile, is also one of opportunity for forging new connections and discovering new forms of public leadership. In doing so, the Church might rediscover its own rootedness and identity as it leads others in the same search—benefitting the Church whilst helping ensure stability and space for many more expressions of English identity to emerge, creating as they do a culture of hope, pride, and innovation.

By Chris Baker, Director of Research at the William Temple Foundation.

Read ‘Towards the Conversion of the Church of England by the Rest of England’ Temple Book here.

Sign up for our online book launch, featuring Linda Woodhead and John Denham, here. 7-8.15pm 28 October 2025.

---