The Church in Wales

What The Church in Wales does

The Church in Wales is a non-profit Anglican province established by Royal Charter in 1919 and disestablished from the Church of England in 1920, headquartered at 2 Callaghan Square, Cardiff. It operates a national religious network across six dioceses (St Asaph, Bangor, St Davids, Llandaff, Monmouth, and Swansea and Brecon), comprising over 380 parishes, approximately 1,500 churches, and 650 parsonage houses, with roughly 251–500 employees at the provincial level. Governance is shared between the Governing Body (143 members: 6 bishops, 51 clergy, 86 lay representatives) and the Representative Body, which holds approximately £700 million in investments in trust. The organization delivers pastoral services, sacramental ministry, church schools inspection, and community programs, and maintains bilingual Welsh and English liturgy tied to Welsh cultural heritage.

The Church's core products and digital footprint include the Digital Lectionary (web and smartphone app for daily Bible readings), Online Giving via Gift Direct, a Membership App, the My Church People church management platform, a Find a Church locator, and safeguarding tools. It also publishes a portfolio of liturgical books, lectionaries, prayer manuals, service registers, and certificates through external publishers (Y Lolfa, Canterbury Press) priced from £1.20 (certificates) to £40 (Holy Eucharist Altar Edition). The Representative Body's investment portfolio funds clergy pensions and mission activity, while the £100 million Church Growth Fund (launched October 2023) is allocated to evangelism grants over 10 years. Revenue is generated through voluntary giving (recommended 5% of members' take-home pay), investment income, and publication sales; pastoral services such as weddings, baptisms, and funerals are provided free of charge.

The go-to-market is community- and event-driven: engagement is orchestrated through parish priests and vicars, seasonal courses (Advent, Lent, pilgrimage), and life-event touchpoints (baptisms, weddings, funerals), with the Church Growth Fund supporting evangelism and local innovation. Distribution is geographic, running from parish to diocesan to provincial level, supplemented by external publisher channels for printed materials. The organization serves church members, local Welsh communities (including deprived and rural areas), Church in Wales schools, and the general public seeking pastoral care; it is also a member of multiple ecumenical bodies (CYTŪN, CTBI, CEC, WCC) and holds full-communion relations with Lutheran, Old Catholic, and Mar Thoma churches.

Name

The Church in Wales

Legal name

The Representative Body of the Church in Wales

Website

https://churchinwales.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Church in Wales is a non-profit Anglican province headquartered in Cardiff, serving Welsh communities through six dioceses, 380+ parishes, and 1,500 churches. It delivers pastoral care, sacramental ministry, bilingual Welsh/English liturgy, publications, and digital tools, funded by member giving, investment income, and a £100 million Church Growth Fund for evangelism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious Music & Worship Broadcasting (MPABALAN)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Pastoral care
• Anglican worship
• Liturgical publications
• Bilingual ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Giving/Tithes: Members are encouraged to give 5% of their take-home pay to the Church, with Online Giving through Gift Direct enabling regular donations to parishes and the church.
2. Investment Income: The Representative Body manages approximately £700 million in investments, generating income used to support mission and ministry across dioceses and fund clergy pensions.
3. Publication Sales: Sale of liturgical books, lectionaries, certificates, and religious education materials through external publishers like Y Lolfa and Canterbury Press.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Church in Wales delivers Anglican pastoral care, sacramental ministry, and life event services through a network of over 380 parishes and six dioceses across Wales. It provides baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations, and Christian worship in both Welsh and English, alongside publishing bilingual liturgical resources, lectionaries, prayer manuals, and service registers. Its digital platforms (Digital Lectionary app, Online Giving, Membership App, My Church People) support community engagement and member administration.

Product overview

The Church in Wales operates as a unified religious organization offering a portfolio of digital products and published resources. Digital offerings include the Digital Lectionary (web/smartphone app for Bible readings), Online Giving by Gift Direct (donation management), Membership App, My Church People (church management), and Find a Church locator. The publication portfolio centers on liturgical materials published primarily through Y Lolfa, including the bilingual Lectionary, Daily With God prayer manual, service registers (Marriage, Funeral, Services), official certificates (Baptism, Confirmation, Godparents), and various liturgical texts (Book of Common Prayer, Holy Eucharist, Daily Prayer, Times and Seasons). The Church also provides safeguarding resources and education guidance. All publications are available in Welsh, English, or bilingual formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 380 parishes serving communities across Wales
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Welsh Covenant Churches (Presbyterian, Methodist, United Reformed, Covenanted Baptist)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1975Since 1975, the Church in Wales has been in covenant with national Presbyterian, Methodist, United Reformed and Covenanted Baptist churches in Wales. In 2004, they re-dedicated to fuller sharing in ministries, joint evangelism, and pooled resources.
• Anglican CommunionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1920The Church in Wales is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, in full communion with the Church of England and other Anglican provinces. The Archbishop of Canterbury is recognized as the spiritual leader of Anglicanism.
• Porvoo Agreement Partners (Lutheran Churches of Scandinavia and Baltic Countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull communion relationship established through the Porvoo Agreement, including Lutheran churches of Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, and other European churches.
• Old Catholic ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull communion relationship with the Old Catholic Church through international Anglican-Old Catholic dialogue.
• Mar Thoma Church (India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull communion relationship with the Mar Thoma Church of India through the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and related agreements.
• CYTÛN (Churches Together in Wales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical body bringing together Christian churches in Wales for joint worship, witness, and service. Many parishes participate in local CYTÛN groups.
• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CTBI, participating in ecumenical dialogue and cooperation across Britain and Ireland.
• Conference of European Churches (CEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CEC, participating in European ecumenical dialogue and church cooperation.
• World Council of Churches (WCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of WCC, represented at the 2022 General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, participating in global ecumenical dialogue.
• Meissen Declaration Partners (Church of England, German Evangelical Churches)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed the Meissen Declaration with the Church of England and German Evangelical Churches, striving for full visible unity based on common history and heritage.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/churchinwales
• Instagraminstagram.com/churchinwales
• Xx.com/ChurchinWales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Church in Wales