The issue is being discussed on the final day of the Church's parliament, the General Synod, in York.
"We can kick people out, but we have no power to stop them from wearing dog collars and behaving like priests and calling themselves priests, so maybe we have to have a discussion with the secular powers about all of it," said Synod member Revd Canon Jonathan Ford to Premier:
"It's not a question that we can directly do something about it, we're going to have to ask others to do something about it because these things are civil liberties areas.
"It is true that clergy can be completely thrown out of the Church of England and still call themselves reverend and still behave as if they were still part of our organisation, and actually get quite lucrative work doing funerals.
"They'll get paid about £150 a funeral, they'll have contact with vulnerable adults and vulnerable children in some cases, and there's nothing we can do about it.
"We're going to take legal advice as to whether we can actually do anything about it," added Canon Ford.
The issue was raised after the General Synod voted to introduce changes to child safeguarding at its gathering in York.
The changes introduced make it easier to suspend church workers suspected of child abuse, and remove time limits on abuse allegations which meant some historical ones were never considered.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd Justin Welby, is also reported to have promised the Church would launch an independent inquiry into child abuse, if a current State investigation, led by Justice Lowell Goddard does not look into the Church's conduct over the issue within six months.
