Does your church limit women’s roles?

Look up your church

Nearly 600 churches in the Church of England have passed PCC resolutions to limit the things women can do and many other churches limit women’s roles without passing resolutions. These churches include some of the biggest in the country. Some don’t allow female priests to bless the bread and wine; some don’t allow women to preach; some don’t allow female priests to apply to be their vicar.  WATCH believes that people have the right to know whether their churches and bishops limit women’s ministries or do not fully accept women as priests and bishops. 

There are eight serving bishops who do not fully accept women’s ministries : the Diocesan Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Philip North, and the Diocesan Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Revd Martin Warner; the five Provincial Episcopal Visitors who are the Bishops of Beverley (Stephen Race), Ebbsfleet (Rob Munro), Fulham (Jonathan Baker), Oswestry (Paul Thomas) and Richborough (Luke Irvine-Capel); and the Suffragan Bishop of Lewes (Will Hazlewood.).

According to General Synod, from 2019-2023, the average total spend on four bishops who have been appointed for the 5% of churches who do not accept female priests (Beverley, Ebbsfleet, Oswestry and Richborough), was £497,000 per annum plus housing costs. This does not include the cost of Suffragan bishops who do not fully accept women’s ministry (Fulham and Lewes.)

There are a further thirteen retired bishops who are Honorary Assistant Bishops and do not accept the ordination of women: John Gaisford (Chester); John Ford (Chichester); Dr John Hind (Portsmouth); Martyn Jarrett (Southwell and Nottingham); Roger Jupp (Southwell and Nottingham); Robert Ladds (London); Michael Langrish (Bath and Wells); Peter Ramsden (Carlisle); Nicholas Reade (Chichester); Tony Robinson (Chelmsford); Glyn Webster (York); Peter Wheatley (London); and Lindsay Urwin (Southwark.)

We publish here a list of the churches who have passed resolutions to limit women’s roles. We are collating information on churches that have NOT passed resolutions but still limit women - please help us by letting us know about these and we may publish a supplementary list later.

The list has been compiled using information from the websites of The Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda (a network of churches and clergy who do not accept the ordination of women): the Bishop of Ebbsfleet (who has oversight of churches who do not believe women should have positions of leadership over men in the Church); and information provided directly by church members.

Search by diocese to find out if your church has passed a resolution limiting women’s roles.

Join WATCH and our campaign to help bring equality for women in the Church of England.