It is time for society, government and the church to acknowledge and celebrate the positive transformational change that the Christian faith brings to individuals and communities, according to the leader of the 20,000-strong Faithworks Movement.
Addressing the movement's London-based conference of Christian social activists on Saturday, Rev Malcolm Duncan said that there has never been a greater need for faith in society and local communities than there is today.
He declared it is the job of the local church to demonstrate mercy and compassion to those around them, and said the work of Christians is distinctively different to that of other service delivery organisations because their faith holds a vision of a different future.
"We are determined to see a difference – determined to see change happen," he told the conference.
"So we have rolled up our sleeves and plunged our hands - and our hearts - into the pain of the communities that we are part of.
"We know that the future of our communities is different to that which often seems inevitable. We are motivated by hope and not cynicism, by faith and not despair."
Rev Duncan stressed that he was not calling for a place of privilege for faith in society, but said that without a recognition of the value and role of the church, community cohesion would never be achieved.
"You can no more create community cohesion without the participation of local churches and faith groups than you can describe the Union Jack through using red and white, but not blue. It is a recipe for disaster."
He continued: "Some of the services we now call the welfare state have only been delivered by the Government for 60 years.
"They have been delivered by the church for more than 1000! We much recover our moral and social centre. We must argue for our place, not within government, but within the public and civic life of Britain.
"Our faith works – it always has."
My Faith Works
To this end, a new campaign called My Faith Works was launched at the conference. Featuring ordinary people who are living out their faith to serve and love those around them, My Faith Works aims to help society understand the central and motivating place of faith in Christians' lives and work, and to encourage the church by celebrating its faith at work.
"Whether you are called to be part of a local project run by a local church or you are called to be an accountant or a stay-at-home dad – your faith works," said Faithworks. "You can have confidence in your faith and its impact on your life and the lives of those around you. My Faith Works is not about forcing our faith on others, or telling others that we are better than they are. Instead, it is about celebrating the motivation and the power of our faith in our own lives and in the communities that we are part of."
