A third of churches questioned for a new survey say they don’t have enough money to reduce their climate impact.

The study, by Ecclesiastical Insurance and The Bible Society found that while four out of five churches (79 per cent) polled believe it is important to make changes, financial struggles are holding them back.

28 per cent of those surveyed also said planning laws are restricting them because of their building’s listed status.

73 per cent said reducing the climate impact was part of the mission of the church, with three in five (63 per cent) saying it was the right thing to do for the environment.

Ecclesiastical says that many churches are already taking practical steps to reduce their climate impact including switching to LED lighting (53 per cent), reducing paper usage (49 per cent), training volunteers to help reduce the carbon footprint (33 per cent) and switching to a renewable energy supplier (30 per cent).

However, almost half of churches said they had used reserves to pay for these changes. Almost a quarter (22 per cent) had used donations while nearly one in five (19 per cent) had applied for grants.

Ecclesiastical Insurance has now produced a Green Guide to support churches in their mission to meet net zero carbon targets.

Helen Richards, the company's church operations director said: “We know there are churches all around the country already working to reduce their climate impact as part of their mission to protect God’s creation, and many of them are taking steps to reach net zero.

 “We also know that budgets are limited and it can be daunting knowing where to start on the fundraising journey to raise vital funds for these projects. Our church fundraising hub has a tools, tips and ideas to help churches to thrive and help preserve their amazing buildings from climate change for generations to come.”