Why the Church of England Shouldn’t Be Run Like a Business

In her Premier Christianity article, Michele Guinness critiques the Church of England’s growing reliance on corporate business models to address spiritual and numerical decline. She explores the increasing tension between ministry and management, arguing that running the church like a company has led to ineffective reforms, misplaced priorities, and weakened pastoral leadership. The article traces these shifts back to Archbishop George Carey’s creation of the Archbishops’ Council in 1999, and to Archbishop Justin Welby’s business-minded reforms influenced by his corporate background.

The push for measurable growth through Strategic Development Funding (SDF) and SMART goal-oriented Mission Action Plans mirrors the expectations placed on businesses rather than churches. While some projects have succeeded, the majority failed to meet numeric targets. Meanwhile, local parishes struggle with funding and maintenance, often left out of national strategies. Guinness highlights that pastoral ministry now demands not just spiritual leadership but also competence in HR, legal compliance, building management, and technology—far more than many ordinands are trained to handle.

She also questions the use of HR-driven models for selecting bishops, citing the post-HSBC leadership recommendations from Lord Green and the bureaucratic talent pool process. These models, she argues, fail to prioritize theological depth, spiritual calling, and pastoral sensitivity. In fact, key leadership roles have become increasingly bureaucratized, leaving little room for diverse or Spirit-led individuals to rise.

Adding to these concerns is the Church’s refusal to outsource safeguarding oversight to an independent body—a decision critics see as a missed opportunity to restore trust after high-profile failures in abuse cases.

Guinness concludes that revitalizing the Church requires more than imported business strategies. It demands bold spiritual leadership, external accountability, and renewed investment in local ministry training—blending structural reform with the work of the Holy Spirit.

For more details, refer to the original article on Premier Christianity.