England’s churches can survive – but the religion will have to go| Simon Jenkins

The buildings are beautiful, but too many remain empty. They will regain their focus only if they convert to a communal role

England’s biggest, most plentiful, most beautiful buildings are its churches. They are also its emptiest. There are some 16,000 churches in total, and every now and then their owner and janitor, the Church of England, utters a howl of pain. This month a church report points out that more than a quarter of churches have fewer than 20 worshippers on a Sunday – fewer than 1...