The Church of England could administer personality tests for trainee priests amid fears it appoints too many narcissists.

The Church is examining ways to analyse the personalities of new priests to in an effort to understand the types of people it is attracting.

New tests set to be considered by bishops next year could also measure how well a trainee copes with stress and being in a position of authority.

Julian Hubbard, director of the Church's Ministry Division, said the tests could also be a "useful tool in helping candidates grow in self-awareness".

He said the church was "considering the use of psychological assessment as part of the process of discernment for those seeking ordination in the Church of England".

The news comes as experts have raised concerns that narcissistic people are more likely to be attracted to ordained ministry.

A recent book by North American researchers R. Glenn Ball and Darrell Puls concluded that more than 30 per cent of ministers in a mainstream Protestant church in Canada met the criteria for a diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Mark Vernon, a psychotherapist and former Church of England priest, said narcissists were drawn to positions of power in order to "lord it over others".