Anglicanism

Size

The Anglican Communion has ~85M members in 42 provinces (self-governing member churches) 33. The Church of England had 1.009 million regular worshippers and an average Sunday attendance of 581,000 (2024) 10.

Who's in charge

The monarch is Supreme Governor (the formal head) of the Church of England; the Archbishop of Canterbury leads the church and is the Communion's focus of unity.

Chosen by

Hereditary succession.

Removable by

Parliament, by statute.

Money in one line

The money comes from a published £11.6bn endowment (end 2025) 21, the parish share paid to dioceses for clergy stipends (the clergy's pay) and housing, and statutory fees for weddings and funerals.

Leaving in one line

Leaving is free for lay members; for clergy, losing a licence (the bishop's formal permission to minister in a post) can mean losing home, income and vocation at once.

The unanswered question

Who, fully outside the church, now holds the power to compel it on safeguarding?

Disclosure scorecard

• P
  Accounts publishedPartial5
• P
  Leaders' payPartial(national stipend levels are published; senior pay is not)
• P
  Safeguarding policyPartial
• P
  Police firstPartial(the Code of Practice Measure, church law passed after IICSA 1, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) 2
• P
  Removal procedurePartial(the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 allows removal from office; not used against an archbishop on this page's record) 31
• P
  Replies on recordPartial

• name: Clare
• when: A Tuesday in Advent
• where: A rural benefice (a group of parishes served by one priest) of six parishes in the East of England

1. Morning Prayer is at seven, in the one church that still has heating. Two parishioners come, and the dog of one of them. She loves this more than any service in the diary, and would not be able to explain that to the diocese.
2. The parish share letter arrives: the six parishes owe more than they raised last year. The letter is kind and mentions "sustainable patterns of ministry", which everybody knows means merging with the next benefice.
3. At eleven she does safeguarding training on a laptop in the vicarage kitchen. The module references the Makin Review 3, the independent review of how the church handled John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men connected to church camps. She thinks about the boy from her own university years who went to those camps, and stops thinking about it.
4. She has lunch with a churchwarden (an elected lay officer of the parish) who wants the roof fixed and the parish share cut, and who asks, not unkindly, whether the vicarage could be sold.
5. At two she takes the funeral of a man who had not been in church since his wedding. The family are grateful and pay the statutory fee, and she means every word of the committal.
6. In the evening her husband asks what happens to them if the benefice merges. She says the diocese will find something. He asks where. She realizes she does not know whose decision the house is, and that it is not theirs.

Clare is a composite drawn from documented patterns. No real person is depicted.

The unanswered question

The strongest objection, answered

• Attack: "The church has apologized, commissioned reviews, and an archbishop resigned. What more do you want?"
• Concede: The church has done more than most institutions in this book, and that is recorded on this page as a strength.
• Answer: The answer is independent oversight. The 2024 Jay review (Professor Alexis Jay's independent review of how the church's safeguarding should be run) recommended it 8; the church chose to introduce it in phases (2025) before approving a new independent charity (2026) 8.

• The church is governed by elected synods (church councils) that include a House of Laity, the elected lay members. This is some of the most democratic church governance in this book.
• Accounts are published at national and diocesan level. The Church Commissioners publish the accounts of the endowment 5, and in 2023 they published research tracing part of its history to the slave trade 6.
• The ordination of women as priests (1994) and bishops (2014) was achieved by synodical vote.
• An established church commissioned, published and acted on reports that condemned it 422, and its most senior archbishop resigned 3.
• There is no shunning (cutting off those who leave) and no compulsory giving.
• In July 2025 Synod approved a £150m independent redress scheme for abuse survivors 9. It is expected to open in the latter part of 2026, once remaining parliamentary steps are complete 34.

The church was formed when Henry VIII broke with Rome (Act of Supremacy, 1534), made the English crown head of the church, and dissolved the monasteries (1536–41). Doctrine was settled under Elizabeth I (1559 settlement; Thirty-Nine Articles, 1571, the church's founding statement of doctrine). The church spread with the British Empire. The worldwide Communion took shape through the Lambeth Conferences (gatherings of Anglican bishops called by the Archbishop of Canterbury) from 1867. The member churches are autonomous: the Archbishop of Canterbury is a focus of unity, not a pope.

Timeline

Moments in the room

The church has evangelical, catholic (Anglo-Catholic, the wing closest to Catholic worship and teaching) and liberal wings. The GAFCON / Global South realignment since 2008 has seen some provinces break or impair communion (formally restrict shared worship and recognition) with Canterbury over sexuality.

Size and shape

• adherents: The Anglican Communion has ~85M members in 42 provinces 33. The Church of England had 1.009 million regular worshippers and an average Sunday attendance of 581,000 (2024) 10.
• regions: The church is concentrated in England; in Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, the largest provinces by active membership; and in Australia, Canada, the United States (the Episcopal Church), South Africa and South Asia.
• branches: The church has evangelical, catholic (Anglo-Catholic) and liberal wings. The GAFCON / Global South realignment since 2008 has seen some provinces break or impair communion with Canterbury over sexuality.
• trend: The church has declined over a long period in England and is growing in parts of Africa.
• participation: In England, affiliation is mostly nominal, with occasional use (baptisms, weddings, funerals, schools). The machinery bears on clergy and on children in church settings far more than on the average affiliate.

Authority

• The monarch is Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Diocesan bishops are appointed by the Crown on the Prime Minister's advice, after nomination by the Crown Nominations Commission (a church committee of bishops, clergy and lay members that selects candidates). OFFICIAL POLICY
• General Synod (houses of bishops, clergy and laity) passes Measures that become law once Parliament approves them and they receive Royal Assent. The laity have a genuine elected voice, and a real check. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Twenty-six bishops sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Parish clergy hold office under Common Tenure (the terms on which most clergy have held office since 2011). A bishop's licence governs their ministry, their stipend and usually their home. OFFICIAL POLICY

The top of the chain

The apex combines an elected legislature, a crown and a primate who resigned. It has been corrected from within, which is why its unfinished corrections are fair to name.

Who holds what

Who can compel an answer

IICSA 1 could, and it has concluded. The Charity Commission can over church charities, employment tribunals and courts over clergy, the police and statutory agencies on allegations, and Parliament on Measures.

Where it comes from

• The Church Commissioners manage a historic endowment of £11.6bn at the end of 2025 (£11.1bn a year earlier) 215. In 2024 it contributed around 20% of the Church of England's running costs; the accounts are published 5. FINANCIAL RECORD
• Parishes pay a "parish share" (common fund) to their diocese, largely to fund clergy stipends and housing. Dioceses publish accounts. FINANCIAL RECORD
• Statutory fees for weddings and funerals are set by a Parochial Fees Order. OFFICIAL POLICY
• In January 2023 the Commissioners published research (by Grant Thornton) finding that Queen Anne's Bounty, a forerunner of the endowment, had invested in the South Sea Company while it traded enslaved Africans, and announced a £100m fund 6. In March 2024 an independent oversight group urged a £1bn target, to be pursued in partnership with others, which the Commissioners accepted 7. Some historians dispute the research's framing 6. FINANCIAL RECORD OFFICIAL POLICY

Follow the money

Money in numbers

• Distributions: Over £3.5 billion has been distributed since 2009 20.
• Slavery-linked history: A £100m fund was announced in 2023, and an oversight group urged £1bn in 2024 67.
• Redress: Synod approved a £150m independent redress scheme for abuse survivors in July 2025 9; it is expected to open in the latter part of 2026 34.

1. Establishment - Origin: It began with the Act of Supremacy (1534). OFFICIAL POLICY - Then: It served a crown asserting sovereignty against Rome, and national unity through one church. - Expired? Most English people are not Anglican. Establishment now buys seats in Parliament, a coronation and civic presence for a minority institution. - Benefits now: It benefits the bishops in the Lords and the church's civic standing.
2. The tied house and the licence - Origin: It comes from the parson's freehold (a parish priest's tenure of the post for life) and glebe (land held to support the priest), reformed into Common Tenure (2011). OFFICIAL POLICY - Then: It gave clergy independence. A priest who held the freehold was hard to remove. - Expired? Common Tenure kept the house but made the licence the lever. - Benefits now: It strengthens diocesan authority over clergy who cannot easily afford to dissent.
3. Deference to rank - Origin: It grew from hierarchical ecclesiology (the theology of church order) and from class. ACADEMIC SOURCE - Then: It served order and stability. - Expired? IICSA 1 and Makin 3 found it protected abusers and silenced victims. It is now a documented harm. - Benefits now: Senior figures have benefited, historically.

Information

• It is not a closed information system. Theological debate is open, reports are published and the press is free. That is to its credit.
• The documented information failure is institutional. IICSA 1 and Makin 3 found knowledge held and not acted on, and records not shared with the authorities. GOVERNMENT REPORT INVESTIGATIVE REPORT · church-commissioned

Children

• Church of England schools educate about a million children in about 4,600 schools 11; faith-based admissions criteria operate in voluntary-aided schools (state-funded schools in which the church appoints most governors and sets admissions). OFFICIAL POLICY
• Abuse in church settings (parishes, choirs, camps connected to church networks) and the church's handling of it were examined by IICSA 1 and by the Makin Review 3. GOVERNMENT REPORT INVESTIGATIVE REPORT · church-commissioned
• In Canada, the Anglican Church ran residential schools for Indigenous children; the church apologized in 1993 18. GOVERNMENT REPORT · Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Bodies

• Women can be priests and bishops, but the "five guiding principles" (2014) let parishes request male-only oversight, so a woman's ministry can be formally declined by a parish. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Many Communion provinces do not ordain women. OFFICIAL POLICY

LGBTQ+

• Clergy may not enter a same-sex marriage under House of Bishops guidance. A priest who did was refused a licence; the Court of Appeal upheld the refusal under the Equality Act's occupational-requirement exception (Pemberton v Inwood [2018] EWCA Civ 564) 14. COURT RECORD
• Prayers of Love and Faith (2023) allowed blessings of same-sex couples in some services, prompting a realignment threat from GAFCON provinces. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Some provinces have backed criminalizing laws: the Church of Uganda welcomed the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, while opposing its death penalty 15; the Archbishop of Canterbury publicly criticized that support 15.

Thirty named techniques from domestic-abuse and social-psychology research, applied to institutions, in the eight stages of the cycle. Each carries an evidence grade for this tradition.

All thirty at a glance

Stage 1 · Idealize

Stage 2 · Hook

Stage 3 · Devalue

Stage 4 · Confuse

Stage 5 · Isolate

Stage 6 · Extract

Stage 7 · Discard

Stage 8 · Replace

What they say, what the record shows

Accountability or theatre?

• Last ran: An independent review found senior leaders knew of serious abuse and did not act for years. The Archbishop resigned.
• Chair now: The chair is now held by Archbishop Sarah Mullally 13 and by the governance of the new national safeguarding charity 8. The charity, the Church of England Independent Safeguarding Authority, was still in the planning phase after a public consultation that closed on 17 May 2026 35; this page records no start date.
• Predict: Fully independent safeguarding will be promised again, phased, and partially delivered.

Words used here

What leaving costs

• For lay members, there is no formal exit cost. There is no shunning doctrine, no membership roll with sanctions, and giving is voluntary. That is a strength.
• For clergy, leaving or losing a licence can mean losing home, income and vocation at once, because clergy housing is tied to the post. OFFICIAL POLICY
• For families in church schools, admissions criteria can favor worshipping families, creating an attendance incentive tied to a child's school place. OFFICIAL POLICY

The ledger of exit

How the cost is denied

Who benefits

• The institution benefits from its establishment status: bishops in Parliament, coronation, civic ritual, and about 4,600 schools in England educating about a million children 11. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Senior clergy and the diocesan apparatus benefit, historically protected by a culture of deference that two independent reviews named. GOVERNMENT REPORT
• Endowment beneficiaries benefit, including from the historic investment returns now acknowledged as linked to slavery. FINANCIAL RECORD

Money out, leverage back

• Establishment gives the church a legislative voice and civic role disproportionate to its active membership. OFFICIAL POLICY
• The tied house makes clergy dissent expensive. OFFICIAL POLICY
• Church schools make worship a school-admissions asset in some areas. OFFICIAL POLICY

Who pays

• Children abused in church settings pay when their reports are not acted on, as IICSA 1 and the Makin Review 3 found. GOVERNMENT REPORT INVESTIGATIVE REPORT · church-commissioned
• Survivors pay, having waited years for a response and redress. GOVERNMENT REPORT
• Clergy pay, because their homes depend on a bishop's licence.
• LGBTQ clergy and couples pay, as the licence refusal recorded in section 11 shows 14.
• Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools paid. GOVERNMENT REPORT
• The descendants of enslaved Africans pay: the South Sea Company, in which Queen Anne's Bounty invested, traded them, and that investment lies behind part of the endowment's historic returns 6. FINANCIAL RECORD

Where the weight lands

The costs in section 15 do not fall evenly. They fall hardest where a person has the least power inside the institution and the fewest places to go outside it: on survivors whose reports went unanswered 13, and on clergy whose home, pay and ministry hang on one licence. The table names who carries the most, how, and what makes it worse.

Most of the institution's work is done below the bishop, by people who see the decisions without making them. Safeguarding advisers, archdeacons, churchwardens and PCCs, and diocesan secretaries each carry part of the load, and each stands at one point where the next decision could be declined. The table sets out what each tier does, what it sees, what it is asked to do and where it could refuse.

1. IICSA 1 — The Anglican Church investigation report (2020). The statutory inquiry found that the church had failed to protect children and had put its reputation first 1. GOVERNMENT REPORT
2. Makin Review 3 (2024) — It examined the church's handling of a barrister's abuse of boys and young men connected to church camps, and it led to the Archbishop's resignation. INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
3. Gibb, An Abuse of Faith (2017) — It reviewed, at the church's commission, the handling of Bishop Peter Ball, who was convicted in 2015 of misconduct in public office and indecent assaults 4. INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
4. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Australia) — Its Anglican data recorded 1,082 complainants and 1,115 alleged incidents (1980–2015), and 22 of 23 dioceses received complaints 17. GOVERNMENT REPORT
5. Pemberton v Inwood [2018] EWCA Civ 564 — The Court of Appeal upheld a licence refusal after a same-sex marriage 14. COURT RECORD

It has been broken before

What would change this page

Statutory, fully independent safeguarding oversight would revise the page's central finding.

• Jasvinder Sanghera and Steve Reeves. They were members of the Independent Safeguarding Board, and the Archbishops' Council (the church's national executive body) ended their contracts in June 2023. Sanghera told Synod: "We were too independent. We did our job too well." 2324
• The survivors of John Smyth. Their persistence produced the Makin Review 322, which examined the church's handling of Smyth, a barrister who abused boys and young men connected to church camps, and which led to the Archbishop's resignation.
• Jeremy Pemberton. He is the priest who was refused a licence after marrying his male partner, and he took the case to the Court of Appeal 14.
• Archbishop Michael Peers. He apologized to Indigenous peoples on behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada in 1993 18.

In closing

1. The Church of England's own synods voted to ordain women, and the church published reports that ended an archbishop's tenure. That is more self-correction than most institutions in this book have managed. It is also why the standard is fair: the church has shown it can do this, so the question is only whether it will finish.
2. You can love your parish and still ask where the parish share goes. You can sing Evensong and still ask why a survivor waited years for an answer. That is Anglican. The tradition's own genius is argument in synod.

Practical guidance, not legal advice.

1. For lay members, leaving costs nothing formal. There is no shunning doctrine and giving is voluntary. This is a strength, and it is recorded here.
2. For clergy, losing a licence can mean losing home and income together; take advice before you resign.
3. Church school places may depend on worship attendance; check a school's admissions criteria.
4. If you were abused, go to the police first. You can also contact the church's safeguarding team, and, once it opens (expected in the latter part of 2026), apply to the national redress scheme Synod approved in 2025 934.
5. Find support that is independent of the church 2728.

Checked 2026-09-27.

1. Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), The Anglican Church Investigation Report, Oct 2020. https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/anglican-church.html — 390 convicted clergy or people in positions of trust (1940s–2018); failure to take abuse seriously.
2. IICSA, "Inquiry's Anglican Church investigation leads to Church reform and new law." https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/inquirys-anglican-church-investigation-leads-church-reform-and-new-law — the Safeguarding (Code of Practice) Measure.
3. Keith Makin, The Makin Review (independent review into the Church of England's handling of John Smyth), published 7 Nov 2024; the Archbishop's resignation announced 12 Nov 2024. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/independent-learning-lessons-review-john-smyth-qc-november-2024.pdf. Summary: Wikipedia, "Makin Review" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makin_Review (reference summary only).
4. Dame Moira Gibb, An Abuse of Faith: The Independent Peter Ball Review, Jun 2017 (commissioned by the Church of England). https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/report-of-the-peter-ball-review-210617.pdf
5. Church of England, "Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 10.3% return in 2024." https://www.churchofengland.org/media/finance-news/church-commissioners-england-endowment-fund-delivers-103-return-2024 — £11.1bn at the end of 2024; about 20% of running costs. The end-2025 figure is in source 21.
6. Church of England, "Historic links to enslavement — FAQs." https://www.churchofengland.org/about/governance/national-church-institutions/church-commissioners-england/who-we-are/historic-links-enslavement/frequently-asked-questions — the Grant Thornton research and the £100m fund. Critique: History Reclaimed, https://historyreclaimed.co.uk/church-commissioners-slavery-reparations/ (balance).
7. Church Commissioners, Oversight Group Recommendations (Mar 2024). https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/church-commissioners-for-england-oversight-group-report-to-the-board-of-governors.pdf — CNN, 4 Mar 2024: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/04/business/church-of-england-slavery-fund/index.html
8. Church of England, "Synod votes on next steps for independent safeguarding," Feb 2025. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/synod-votes-next-steps-independent-safeguarding — and Episcopal News Service, "Church of England's General Synod approves motion to strengthen safeguarding," 11 Feb 2026. https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/02/11/church-of-englands-general-synod-approves-motion-to-strengthen-safeguarding/
9. Anglican Ink, "Church of England General Synod approves £150 million redress scheme for abuse victims," 14 Jul 2025. https://anglican.ink/2025/07/14/church-of-england-general-synod-approves-150-million-redress-scheme-for-abuse-victims/
10. Church of England, Statistics for Mission 2024 press release. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/attendance-church-england-churches-rises-fourth-year-row (final figures, Oct 2025)
11. Church of England, "Church schools and academies." https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools/church-schools-and-academies
12. Episcopal News Service, "GAFCON says its members will leave Anglican Communion to form rival network," 17 Oct 2025. https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/10/17/gafcon-says-its-members-will-leave-anglican-communion-to-form-rival-network/ — the GAFCON announcement of 16 Oct 2025.
13. Episcopal News Service, "Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally installed…," 25 Mar 2026. https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/03/25/anglican-leaders-gather-for-installation-of-archbishop-of-canterbury-sarah-mullally/ — and Religion News Service, 3 Oct 2025: https://religionnews.com/2025/10/03/in-historic-appointment-sarah-mullally-will-be-the-first-female-archbishop-of-canterbury/
14. Pemberton v Inwood [2018] EWCA Civ 564 — summary: Law & Religion UK, 23 Mar 2018. https://lawandreligionuk.com/2018/03/23/same-sex-marriage-and-c-of-e-clergy-pemberton-v-inwood/ — judgment: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2018/564.html
15. Archbishop of Canterbury, "Statement on the Church of Uganda's support for Anti-Homosexuality Act." https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/news-and-statements/statement-church-ugandas-support-anti-homosexuality-act — Episcopal News Service, 31 May 2023: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2023/05/31/anglican-archbishop-thanks-ugandas-leaders-for-nations-harsh-new-anti-lgbtq-law/
16. Church Times, "Independent Safeguarding Board disbanded and its members sacked as Church 'resets'," 23 Jun 2023. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/23-june/news/uk/independent-safeguarding-board-disbanded-and-its-members-sacked-as-church-resets
17. ABC News (Australia), "Anglican Church 'deeply ashamed' about 1,000 complaints of child sex abuse, royal commission hears," 18 Mar 2017. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-18/anglican-church-ashamed-child-sex-abuse-royal-commission/8363126 — the Royal Commission's figures as reported at its hearing.
18. Anglican Church of Canada, "Full text … of the 1993 Apology to Native Peoples" (Archbishop Michael Peers, 6 Aug 1993). https://www.anglican.ca/reconciliation/accountability/apology-1993/
19. Church of England, "Church Commissioners reports strong financial returns in 2021 of 13.3%" — £10.1bn at end-2021. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/church-commissioners-reports-strong-financial-returns-2021-133
20. Church of England, "Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 4.1% return in 2023" — £10.4bn; over £3.5bn distributed since 2009; £1.2bn in 2023–25. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/finance-news/church-commissioners-england-endowment-fund-delivers-41-return-2023
21. Church of England, "Church Commissioners for England endowment fund delivers 8% return in 2025" — £11.6bn at end-2025. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/finance-news/church-commissioners-england-endowment-fund-delivers-8-return-2025
22. Church of England, "Independent review into Church's handling of Smyth case published" (7 Nov 2024). https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/independent-review-churchs-handling-smyth-case-published
23. Archbishops' Council, "Statement from Archbishops' Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board" (June 2023) — contracts of Jasvinder Sanghera, Steve Reeves and acting chair Meg Munn ended. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/statement-archbishops-council-independent-safeguarding-board
24. Religion Media Centre, "'Watershed moment' as sacked safeguarding board members tell synod what went wrong" (10 July 2023). https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/news/sacked-safeguarding-board-members-address-synod-in-watershed-moment
25. House of Lords Library, "Lords spiritual in the House of Lords explained." https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/lords-spiritual-in-the-house-of-lords-explained/
26. Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, section 79 — abolition of the common-law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/4/section/79
27. NAPAC — 0808 801 0331. https://napac.org.uk/calling-our-support-line/
28. Faith to Faithless (Humanists UK) — helpline 0800 448 0748 (freephone; Monday 10:00–13:00, Wednesday 10:00–13:00, Thursday 16:00–19:00 UK time). https://humanists.uk/faith-to-faithless/helpline/
29. SNAP — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. https://www.snapnetwork.org/
30. Recovering from Religion — (844) 368-2848. https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/
31. Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/2003/3/contents), and IICSA, The Anglican Church Investigation Report, B.3.2, "Procedure under the Clergy Discipline Measure" (https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/anglican-church/part-b-church-england/b3-clergy-discipline/b32-procedure-under-clergy-discipline-measure.html) — the Measure applies to bishops and archbishops; tribunal penalties run from a rebuke to removal from office and prohibition from ministry.
32. Law & Religion UK, "Complaint against Archbishop of Canterbury dismissed," 12 Mar 2026. https://lawandreligionuk.com/2026/03/12/complaint-against-archbishop-of-canterbury-dismissed/ — a complaint under section 8 of the Clergy Discipline Measure, dismissed by the President of CDM Tribunals on 12 Feb 2026 as vexatious.
33. Anglican Communion, "Member Churches." https://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/member-churches.aspx — 42 member churches (provinces); about 85 million people.
34. Church of England, "Redress scheme." https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/redress-scheme — the Redress Scheme Measure received Royal Assent in Dec 2025; some parliamentary processes remain; the scheme is expected to open in the latter part of 2026.
35. Church of England, "Safeguarding Structures Reform Programme" (Independent Safeguarding Authority). https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-structures-reform-programme — Synod approved the plans in Feb 2026; public consultation ran 16 April to 17 May 2026; the authority is still in the planning phase.
36. Episcopal News Service, "Little evidence so far that Anglican leaders plan to join GAFCON in leaving Anglican Communion," 23 Oct 2025. https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/10/23/little-evidence-so-far-that-anglican-leaders-plan-to-join-gafcon-in-leaving-anglican-communion/ — the statement was signed by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda as chair of the GAFCON primates' council.

• 2026-10-03: Corrected the removal rules for the Archbishop of Canterbury (a written procedure exists), the church's size and money figures (£11.6bn at end 2025), the description of the GAFCON announcement, and the status of the redress scheme and the new safeguarding charity, neither of which is open yet. Fixed source labels and links, the question about the slavery fund, two loop summaries and several technique grades; added six sources.
• 2026-09-27: Added Branches, Law & state, Money in numbers (endowment 2021–2025), Voices from inside, four regional cards, Leaving safely and Where to get help; the Makin Review now cites the published report.