The Need for a Vision for Church Land Use
As we reach another World Environment Day, the recent spell of very warm weather has brought into clear focus the importance of our work addressing the climate crisis and recognising how our land is impacted by extreme weather as well as being an important ally: providing shade, storing water and sequestering carbon. After a year of engagement across denominations, we wanted to share an update on responses to the campaign.
Last World Environment Day we approached national church leaders across nice denominations calling them to adopt our Church Land Use Vision, which suggests targets for 2030 as well as interim targets for churches just starting this journey. Since then, we have mainly focused on nationally owned land as this is where the largest areas of land are managed by churches, and where the biggest impact can be made for climate and nature. However, many of the denominations we approached do not own land at a national level. Where this was the case, we have still sought to engage with teams who are involved with land use, but the scorecard was less useful in these cases.
The seven areas in the Vision are included on our Church Land Use Progress Report, and there is scope to rate the progress made on each aspect as Progressing Well (Green), Some Progress (Amber) and Stalled or No Progress (Red). The scorecard also includes a brief explanation for the progress rating.
We know that UK denominations own very different amounts of land and have different resources in terms of the people managing this land. For example, we know that the Church of England owns over 100,000 acres of land including some large agricultural estates and sustainable forestry. As this land counts as a significant part of their asset portfolio, the Church Commissioners have a team of experts overseeing this land use and engaging with their farming tenants.
In contrast, land in the Church of Scotland is overseen by the General Trustees. They reported they owned 12,500 acres in 2021 but many areas of glebe land have been sold since this time. The Church in Wales owns around 1,200 acres which is overseen by their Head of Property services, and the Quakers in Britain nationally own three estates including land around two centres and an area of farmland. While initial progress has been slower from the Church of Scotland and Church in Wales, we recognise that the alternative route of selling land has mixed consequences. Land sales may generate funds much needed for local churches including net zero adaptations. However, new landowners may not have care for creation such as climate or nature issues within their remit.
National Church Land Use Progress Reports
The Church of England holds land which is nationally managed by the Church Commissioners. We gave a detailed report of their progress from 2022 to2025 in our previous blog: Celebrating Changes in Church of England Land Use – Operation Noah.
We recognise significant changes since the publication of our 2022 report. However, we are keen to see more progress. There are opportunities at the upcoming General Synod in July to address emissions from church land by including this in net zero targets. We would also like to see stronger aims to restore biodiversity including setting ambitious area-based targets for contributing to the UK Government’s 30by30 commitment – and this will be addressed in a Private Members’ Motion.
The Church in Wales owns a lot less land than the Church of England, and correspondingly has much lower staff resources to address how it is being managed. We have seen some progress in the Church’s partnering with Caring For God’s Acre to boost biodiversity in churchyards, and one recent tenancy change allowed the selection of a new tenant with aims to farm regeneratively.
There are plans to review the landholdings more thoroughly but we understand this may be with a view to selling some glebe land.
We were glad to be invited to an Eco Church Wales event which showcased some local good practice.
We have had good conversations with the Faith and Public Life team at Church of Scotland and were pleased to be invited to deliver a webinar as part of their Faith Action Programme. Church Land in the Church of Scotland is managed by the General Trustees and we have not received formal responses from them.
We are pleased to hear that a new post of Net Zero Implementation Director in the Office of the Assembly Trustees is anticipated to be filled in the near future. We understand that this person will have something more of a remit for church land and we are looking forward to working with them.
We took longer to catch up with the Quakers in Britain due to some personnel changes, but we have heard some positive examples from their sustainability strategy and information about their landholdings available online.
They own a small amount of land nationally but there are some encouraging things taking place, including a determined effort to plant trees even though the hot weather over recent years has made this rather more difficult.
We are hoping that they will share more of a case study around their tree-planting in due course, which will be helpful for other churches and groups wanting to plant trees.
The Scottish Episcopal Church does not own any land nationally. We have had positive conversations with them including their active Net Zero Team and we were pleased to offer a webinar as part of their net zero programme which is available to view online.
There are some positive stories of local church land use shared on their Net Zero Action website.
The Baptist Union does not own any land nationally. They have been in a fallow year without a president, welcoming a new president Alex Afriyie in mid May 2026.
The Baptist Union Environmental Network shares a range of resources and video stories on their website.
The United Reformed Church does not own any land nationally that isn’t attached to a building (manse, meeting house, offices). We led a positive webinar with their Green Apostles group and have been pleased to hear of further conversations taking place with Synod property officers. There is an aim to talk with each other to share ideas and information and to coordinate on some of their wider net zero work as they develop their Environmental Policy into a strategic plan. They have a range of resources on their website.
The Catholic Church in England & Wales does not own any land nationally, although we know that some dioceses do own land. The Diocese of Salford has shared a range of resources linked to their Guardians of Creation project.
We have also had a positive conversation with the Ecological Conversion Group who are supporting the network of Diocese Environmental Leads.
The Methodist Church does not own any land nationally. We have had positive meetings with their Director for Social Justice and Social Action and their Director of Environmental Engagement. They have a range of resources and stories on their website.
What next?
Going forward we are keen to keep engaging with national church land managers as well as raising the challenge of caring for church land at a regional level. We know that some dioceses own significant areas of land and so we would like to see them respond to the Church Land Use Vision and consider what their own scorecard could look like. If you’d like to ask your regional church to respond by setting some targets for sustainable land management, why not complete some of our postcards at a church event, and use them to raise the issues with your regional church leaders.
If you are part of the Church of England, please consider contacting one of your representatives on General Synod to ask them to support Revd Val Plumb’s Private Members’ Motion about 30by30, as well as being part of the discussions on Net Zero updates and the Faith and Order Commission’s new paper on the environment – Hope for All Creation.
