Divest your church with our step-by-step guide and interactive map

The Bright Now campaign calls on Churches across the UK to divest from fossil fuels, as a powerful, practical way to speed up the transition to a brighter, cleaner future.

We are part of Operation Noah, a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on climate change.

Check out our interactive map below to see which churches have already divested! You can zoom in and click on the crosses for information on how and when each church divested.

A list of UK Church divestment commitments by denomination can also be found at the bottom of this page.

Green crosses indicate divestments from all fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas); amber crosses indicate partial divestments, usually from coal and tar sands.

Want to get your church on the map?

Why not raise the issue with your congregation and join the movement for fossil free Churches:

Speak with other members of your church about climate change and the importance of fossil fuel divestment
Ask your church minister or treasurer if the issue can be discussed at your next church council or PCC meeting
If your church commits to divest, let us know and communicate the decision to national/regional Church investors in your denomination
Join the next global joint divestment announcement for faith organisations in April 2023. Watch this space (or follow us on Twitter and Facebook) for further details!

Even if your church doesn’t currently hold any investments in fossil fuels, it can send out a strong message by pledging not to invest in fossil fuels in the future.

Making a divestment commitment does not require your church to change its bank account, though you may need to find a different investment manager if your current one doesn’t offer a fossil free fund.

Find out more

Download our step-by-step guide on how to divest your church, including examples of churches which have already done so, here:

Download Divest your church

Download our Fossil Free Churches report for more information about divestment and how the Church can respond to the climate crisis here:

Download Fossil Free Churches report

Download our Church investments in major oil companies: Paris compliant or Paris defiant? (2020) report for more information about the gap between the business plans of major oil companies and the Paris Agreement targets:

Download Church investments in major oil companies report

Building momentum

The global divestment movement now comprises more than 1,500 institutions with more than £29 trillion of assets under management, including the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Church in Britain, Quakers in Britain and the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

For a full list of divestment commitments worldwide, visit this page on the Fossil Free website.

Operation Noah has organised several joint divestment announcements for Churches and other faith institutions:

In April 2023, 31 faith institutions from six countries – including seven Church of England dioceses, two Catholic dioceses and six Church of England Cathedrals, including Canterbury Cathedral in the UK; – made a global divestment announcement.
In July 2022, 35 faith institutions from seven countries – including five Church of England dioceses, two Catholic dioceses in the UK and a Church of England cathedral – announced their divestment from fossil fuel companies.
In October 2021, 72 faith institutions, including 37 from the UK, announced their divestment from fossil fuels. Participating institutions include the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, 15 Catholic dioceses in the UK and Ireland, and the Church of England Dioceses of Truro and Sodor & Man. The UK Churches and dioceses involved in this announcement represent nearly 2,000 local churches.
In May 2021, 36 faith institutions joined together to announce their divestment from fossil fuels including the Church in Wales, the Diocese of Bristol and the Diocese of Oxford, the first Church of England dioceses to fully divest, as well as the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
In November 2020, a record 47 institutions from 21 countries announced their divestment, including five Catholic religious orders in the UK and two United Reformed Church Synods.
In May 2020, a global coalition of 42 faith institutions divested from fossil fuels, including the Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, the Jesuits in Britain, three United Reformed Church (URC) Synods and three Methodist churches.
In January 2020, the Epiphany Declaration for Fossil Free Churches involved twenty churches, Synods, dioceses and religious orders – including the first two Catholic dioceses in England and Wales to divest.
In September 2019, a global coalition of 22 faith institutions announced their divestment from fossil fuels, including the United Reformed Church and St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh – the first cathedral in the world to divest.
In April 2019, the Easter Declaration for Fossil Free Churches involved eight more churches and the URC Synod of Yorkshire.
In October 2018, as part of the annual Season of Creation, three churches made decisions to divest.
In December 2017, three churches and a URC training college made divestment commitments.

UK Church divestment to date (Full divestment unless otherwise stated)

Church of England

Church of England (National Investing Bodies: Church Commissioners; Church of England Pensions Board; CCLA’s Church of England (CBF) funds)
Diocese of London
Diocese of Canterbury
Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Bristol
Diocese of Sodor and Man
Diocese of Truro
Diocese of Norwich
Diocese of Durham
Diocese of Birmingham
Diocese of Durham
Diocese of Leicester
Diocese of Newcastle
Diocese of Worcester
Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Manchester
Diocese of St Albans
Diocese of Gloucester
Diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Rochester
Diocese of Ely
Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Diocese of York
Diocese of Southwark
Diocese of Guildford
Canterbury Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral
St Edmundsbury Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
St John’s Waterloo
Society of St Francis (European Province)
All Hallows, Leeds
St Chad’s, Sutton Coldfield
St Hilda’s, Ashford
St John’s, Hartley Wintney
St John the Evangelist, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Mary’s, Hornsey Rise
St Peter’s Maney, Sutton Coldfield
St Stephen’s with St Julian’s, St Albans
St Luke’s Holloway, London
Pudsey Parish Church, Leeds
The churches of the Parish of Alston Moor, Cumbria – St Augustine of Canterbury, Alston; St John the Evangelist, Garrigill; St John the Evangelist, Nenthead; Holy Paraclete, Kirkhaugh, St Jude, Knaresdale and St Mary & St Patrick, Lambley
St Peter and St Pauls, Chaldon
St Mary’s Walthamstow
The churches of the Parish of Whitchurch with Tufton and Litchfield – All Hallows Church, Whitchurch; St James the Less Church, Litchfield; St Mary’s Church, Tufton
St Thomas Church, Pendleton, Salford
Holy Angels Church, Salford
St Aidan’s Church, Lower Kersal, Salford
St Mary’s Church – Kelling
St Martin’s Church, Liskeard
Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock
St Paul’s Church, Marylebone
St Paul’s Church, Rossendale
St Andrew’s and All Saints, Skegby with Stanton Hill
St Katherine’s Teversal

Catholic Church

Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Archdiocese of Glasgow
Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh
Archdiocese of Birmingham
Archdiocese of Southwark
Diocese of Middlesbrough
Diocese of Lancaster
Diocese of Arundel & Brighton
Diocese of Hallam
Diocese of Aberdeen
Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
Diocese of Dunkeld
Diocese of Galloway
Diocese of Leeds
Diocese of Motherwell
Diocese of Paisley
Diocese of Portsmouth
Diocese of Brentwood
Diocese of Northampton
Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Diocese of Salford
St Mary’s University, Twickenham
Passionists in England & Wales
Religious Sisters of Charity, English/Scottish Province
Franciscan Sisters Minoress
Congregation of Jesus, English Province
Presentation Sisters, English Province
Jesuits in Britain
Sisters of St Joseph of Peace, UK
Congregation of Our Lady, Canonesses of St Augustine
Mill Hill Missionaries (British Region)
Sisters of the Holy Cross (English Province)
Society of the Sacred Heart (England and Wales Province)
The Sisters of St Andrew in England
Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux
Institute of Our Lady of Mercy (UK)
Religious of the Assumption – England
The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, Province of Rosalie Rendu (Britain and Australia)
Sisters of the Cross and Passion
Columban Missionaries Britain
Daughters of the Holy Spirit (England and Ireland Province)
Laudato Si’ Group Jersey (Caritas Jersey)
Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth Generalate(UK)
Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth Generalate
Friars Minor in Great Britain

Methodist Church

Methodist Church (National)
Methodist Church in Ireland
The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church
Methodist Central Hall, Manchester
Birmingham Methodist Circuit
South Worcestershire Circuit
Gloucestershire Circuit
Ivybridge Methodist Church, Devon
Stirling Methodist Church
Lancaster Methodist Church
Stroud Methodist Church
Banner Cross Methodist Church
Wellspring Wirksworth
Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford
Bath Road Methodist Church, Swindon
Baildon Methodist Church

United Reformed Church

United Reformed Church (National)
United Reformed Church South Western Synod
United Reformed Church Synod of Scotland
United Reformed Church Synod of Yorkshire
United Reformed Church Synod of Wales
United Reformed Church Synod of Wessex
United Reformed Church West Midlands Synod
United Reformed Church Northern Synod
United Reformed Church Mersey Synod
United Reformed Church Southern Synod
United Reformed Church Thames North Synod
United Reformed Church Eastern Synod
United Reformed Church Western Synod
United Reformed Church Midlands Synod
Scottish United Reformed & Congregational College
Northern College, Manchester
Beulah URC, Cardiff
Brighthelm URC, Brighton
Bush Hill Park URC, Enfield
Tavistock URC
The Vines Church, Rochester
Vine URC, Ilford
Lavington URC, Bideford
Redland Park URC, Bristol
Trinity United Church, Ringwood
Westminster College, Cambridge
St James Church, Woolton (Methodist/United Reformed Church)

Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland (National: Fossil free – excludes future investment in oil and gas companies not aligned with 1.5°C target of Paris Agreement)
Selkirk Parish Church
Dunscore Parish Church

Church in Wales

Church in Wales (National)

Scottish Episcopal Church

Scottish Episcopal Church (National: coal and tar sands)
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh

Quakers in Britain (Religious Society Of Friends)

Quakers in Britain (National)
Bristol Quaker Area Meeting
Chilterns Quaker Area Meeting
Ipswich and Diss Quaker Area Meeting
Kendal and Sedbergh Quaker Area Meeting
Lancashire Central and North Quaker Area Meeting
Leeds Quaker Area Meeting
Leicester Quaker Area Meeting
Mid Somerset Quaker Area Meeting
Mid Thames Quaker Area Meeting
Norfolk and Waveney Quaker Area Meeting
Sussex East Quaker Area Meeting
North East Thames Quaker Trust
York Quaker Area Meeting
Hereford Quaker Local Meeting
Friends Provident Foundation

Baptist Union

Baptist Union (National)
High Street Baptist Church, Tring
Devonport Baptist Church, Plymouth
Oasis Churches and Global Charity
Dronfield Baptist Church

Unitarian and Free Christian Churches

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (National)
Cardiff Unitarians/Undodiaid Caerdydd

Congregational Church

Wimbledon Congregational Church

Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Church of Wales
Presbyterian Church of Ireland

Independent Evangelical Church

Woodlands Church Family

Bright Now