THE Church of England will cease to exist in recognisable form in 50 years without urgent action, according to a report published today.

Called to Account, by the Social Affairs Unit, a right-wing think-tank, calls for an independent audit of the Church to review its falling membership and growing financial problems.

The report is published four days before the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is enthroned, and coincides with the start of the three-day meeting of the General Synod in Westminster, which he is due to address.

The Rev Peter Mullen, the Rector of St Michael’s, Cornhill, in the City of London, and joint editor of the report, said there had been a “catastrophic decline” in the number of Sunday church-goers and people using the Church for services such as baptism and marriage.

The decline runs parallel to a loss of income, both from people in the pews and from the Church’s investments, as well as to the liturgical revisions of the past 35 years.

Mr Mullen said: “One recommendation . . . is that those bishops and senior lay people in the Church’s government — that is, those who have inflicted their tired liberalism on the Church and presided over its continuing decline — should finally take respons- ibility and resign forthwith.”

Although other denominations have struggled, the Church of England is unique in experiencing decline on all significant fronts, the report says. It adds: “There is one figure which has gone up. There are now double the number of bishops and dignitaries that there were when the Church was more than twice its current size.”

Digby Anderson, director of the Social Affairs Unit, said: “The Church itself should commission a full, independent audit of its current state and face, rather than evade, the truth.”

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