Social Responsibility in Religious Organisations: The Case of the Church of England

This developmental paper addresses the issue of social accounting in religious organisations. While existing research studies have mainly focussed on the tension arising from the application of accounting principles to the sacred context, this research aims to investigate the issue of social responsibility of religious organisations. Recently, within the Church of England, which serves as a case study for this research, a move towards social responsibility targeting the local community could be identified. However, the understanding of social responsibility within the Church of England remains questionable and the involvement of the Church of England in Wonga and Credit Unions raises serious questions on the Church’s motive to engage in social responsibility practices. This study seeks to problematise the social responsibility practices within the Church of England.