While we are all used to roof fundraisers and campaigns for organ repairs, Gloucestershire's fabulous wealth of 380 churches face a growing and invisible challenge which has today been highlighted by research from insurers Ecclesiastical.

One in three rural churches have so far missed the boat when it comes to adopting a tap-to-pay digital pathway for income, the research reveals, while their financial predicament is being made worse still by internet connectivity issues and the loss of easy, local banking.

Gloucester-headquartered Ecclesiastical Insurance found:

● 32% of rural churches that aren't using digital donations, citing poor lack of internet connectivity in their area, leaving them reliant on cash donations.

● Mobile phone networks switching off their 3G networks by 2025 presents a looming problem.

● Only three in five (60%) UK churches are receiving digital donations – with 76% of those accepting contactless donations and 65% taking donations online, but in rural settings such as the Cotswolds and Berkeley Vale, digital donations drop to just 55% of churches.

Helen Richards, church operations director at Ecclesiastical, said: "As our banking habits have changed, churches have had to adapt to make sure they're keeping up. By embracing digital donations they're able to safeguard their income generation, which is great news - helping to preserve the church now and into the future.

"There are challenges ahead though, not least the issue around rural connectivity issues and bank closures. It's a concern that so many respondents to our survey said they don't have a fundraising plan in place. From a future resilience of the church perspective this exposes them to risks - such as the loss of one revenue stream in cash donations."

The insurer has now launched a church fundraising hub to give churches and their volunteers tools and advice on how to effectively fundraise for major projects they're working on or to help with running costs.

Ms Richards added: "A fundraising plan can help to galvanise support within the congregation and community, giving clear targets for the community to work towards, and we'd encourage churches to use the resources available to help them."

A disproportionate number of bank closures in rural areas is another issue for rural churches to navigate. Government data reveals a 44% drop in the number of banks in the UK between 2010-2022 with further closures announced by major banks since.

Almost all (95%) of rural churches said they take cash donations compared to less than three quarters (70%) in city centre churches. With cash more difficult to access, churches in rural areas are experiencing more difficulty in generating vital funds than their urban peers.

Despite these rapidly emerging challenges, when asked whether they had a fundraising plan in place almost half (48%) of churches said they didn't with over half (54%) in rural areas saying they didn't. When asked why, half responded to say they didn't need a formal plan while over one in ten (13%) said no-one wanted to take responsibility.

● Ecclesiastical's research also found the most popular form of donation to churches was through monthly direct debits (94%) with cash donations a close second (91%) followed by bank transfers (77%).