It has become such a lucrative operation that organised criminals are thought to be using Google Earth and drone technology to survey targets before removing the lead.
More than 200 churches reported thefts in two months over summer alone, according to The Independent.
Some churches are even warning that they could face closure because their insurance cover does not match the cost of the repairs.
Police say a number of recent attacks have shown a lot of sophistication, including the use of drones to pick out churches with the most lead in their roofs.
At one church in Northamptonshire thieves cut through two padlocked gates, chopped down a hedge and laid down boards to access the nave.
All of the lead was removed.
Sargent Sam Dobbs from Northants Police said that: "Community is at the heart of our rural policing role.
"Parish churches are the physical and spiritual centre of that community, whether people go to church or not.
"In each of the parishes attacked there has been shock and revulsion at the desecration of what is a place of worship, a living museum, and a symbol of stability for hundreds of years."
Sargent Dobbs estimated that the average loss per church is in the region of £30,000.
There have been a number of moves aimed at combatting this crime; in 2011 the government set up the National Metal task force to co-ordinate police efforts.
The Scrap Metal Dealers Act was also passed meaning all dealers need a license to operate.
Since the end of 2012 it has been illegal to take cash payments for scrap metal.
Angus Brown, a director at E-Bound, a church security firm says that: "The changes in the law resulted in opportunist thieves going elsewhere.
"Recently, the churches have been carefully chosen.
"Well organised, disciplined teams of people have come in working fast and removed large amounts of lead and copper before disappearing."
Police are meeting with church leaders and security experts later in the month to discuss how to better solve this issue.
