Sadly, it is sometimes necessary to acknowledge that a church building is no longer needed as a place of regular worship. If this is something that your PCC is considering, please contact Eleanor Glennon at the earliest opportunity to discuss your options.
Some buildings used for worship that are not consecrated are the responsibility of the PCC. These can be closed with the Bishop’s permission and marketed. The M&P team can provide advice on how best to go about this.
Consecrated buildings (parish churches and chapels of ease), which form the vast majority of our places of worship, cannot be closed for regular public worship without a formal legal process that involves Diocesan Committees and the national Church Commissioners. The formal process to close a church for regular public worship can be both emotional and time consuming, so the decision is never taken lightly.
The main steps in the process to close a church for regular public worship are shown in this flow chart.
Further information is also available from the national church: Closed churches | The Church of England