Hierarchy of the Church of England

From the 6th century until the 16th century, the Archbishops of Canterbury were in full communion with Rome. During the English Reformation the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. The monarch has, since then, been the “Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England”. Since the English Reformation, the Church of England has been more explicitly a state church and the decision maker has, since then, been legally that of the Crown. The Church of England is made up of 108 bishops. The Archbishops' Council co-ordinates, promotes, aids and furthers the mission of the Church of England. It is composed of 19 members and 7 directors whose task is to give a clear sense of direction to the Church nationally and support the Church locally. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England. He is Primate of All England and the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Today the choice of the Archbishop of Canterbury is made by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who receives a short list of two names from a committee called the Crown Nominations Commission. With the Archbishops of York and London, he sits on the Privy Council (the Queen's body of advisers). He is joint president of the Council of Christians and Jews. He has a leading role in nurturing Anglican relationships with other churches worldwide and at home. He is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion and is recognised as first among equals of Bishops worldwide. He is engaged in worship and holds academic positions. The current archbishop is Justin Welby. His enthronement took place on 21 March 2013. He is the actual head of the church in the name of the monarch.

Religion in today’s Britain

Although Britain has historically been Christian, it is today a multi-faith country as a result of immigration. In a diverse and complex religious make-up of 170 distinct religions, everyone in the UK has the right to religious freedom. The European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 guarantee this freedom. Religion in Britain has suffered an immense general decline since the 1950s. Between 1979 and 2005, half of all Christians stopped going to church on a Sunday. All indicators show a continued secularisation of British society in line with other European countries. In the twenty years between 1980 and 2000 the Church of England suffered a 27% decline in church membership. The Roman Catholic Church suffered a similar decline in the same period in mass attendance. Methodists, Baptists and other churches also suffered decline. The only institutional church that has continued to grow has been the Orthodox Church mainly because of immigration from Orthodox countries such as Russia. The 2011 Census considered as the most complete source of information about the population shows that minority and alternative religions are steadily growing. It also shows that less than half of the British people believe in a God. Ignorance of religion The British public, both adults and children, are almost wholly ignorant of the basic facts surrounding Christianity and other world religions. The Report on Religious Education in Schools 2007 states that there is a problem even with teachers' insufficient knowledge of religious education at primary schools. Church attendance is low in the UK 10% of the UK adult population go to church at least weekly. 15% attend church at least monthly. 26% attend church at least yearly. 59% never or practically never go to church. Decline in religious observance In five decades, the number of people with no religion in Britain has grown from just 3% of the population to nearly half. If the trends continue the Church of England will face massive decline by the end of the century. There is a mass move towards atheism and agnosticism in Britain. The average age is highest for Anglicans (53.7 years) and lowest for those with no religion, (43.3 years). The churches do need to find a way to keep their young people if they are going to survive.

Historical background

Britain used to be a Roman Catholic country under the authority of the Pope in Rome. The church in England

was, then, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1533, during the reign of Henry VIII, England broke from

the Roman Catholic Church to form the Anglican Church, but why? King Henry VIII wanted a son and his

wife only gave birth to daughters. He wanted divorce and asked the Pope for permission, but the Pope refused.

Henry VIII decided to make his own church. He created the Anglican Church and became leader of the Church

of England. He had the Bible translated to English and the people who believed in this new religion were called

Protestants (Anglicans).

In 1553, Mary became Queen. She changed the country back to Catholicism and burned Protestants who

wouldn't change.

In 1558, Elizabeth I became Queen. She changed the church back to Anglicanism.

The historical dominance of Christianity led to its full institutionalization. Christianity is the established

religion of the UK. Today much of this has been changed, but some oddities still remain. The Sovereign holds

the title Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Britain is the only country in

the democratic world that allows clerics to sit in its legislature. Bishops still sit in the House of Lords. There are

many examples of the relationship between the established Church and the State. Archbishops and bishops are

appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who considers the names selected by a Church

Commission. They take an oath of allegiance to The Queen on appointment and may not resign without Royal

authority.

The official religion of England is Christianity, as practised by the Church of England (Anglican Church). The

Church in Wales is also Anglican. In Scotland, the Church is Presbyterian. These are Protestant Churches.

In the UK, there are other non-protestant Christians like the Roman Catholics, the Methodists, the Presbyterians,

the Baptists.