The Christian response to David Cameron's 'Big Society'

Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance

“Churches are already the life blood of communities and the lifeline for many on the edge of society. We are delighted that the Prime Minister has recognised the incredible work community groups are already doing, and want to enthusiastically encourage churches to accept his invitation to get stuck in. We must not pass by on the other side when our neighbours may suffer through funding cuts. Churches and Christian charities can step in by approaching their local council to ask how they can best respond to the needs of those around them.”


Steve Chalke, founder of Faithworks and Oasis

This is what the church has always been about so there are enormous opportunities for churches in all of this – not because they are delivered by a coalition government but because this has always been what the church believes. The church should be the hub of its local community, that’s its task. The great thing is that that’s acknowledged.

Eric Pickles said the other day that any discrimination of faith groups is over. That’s all really helpful. What the church needs to say is that we want to cooperate with the government and work alongside it. We don’t want to be co-opted by it – we are the church. We are not the Conservative Party or the Lib Dem Party or any other party.

We want a relationship of strength and we will serve as part of a Big Society because that’s what we’ve been doing for hundreds of years as we run churches, schools, and projects with people in need. We will continue to do what we are doing and we will redouble our efforts.


The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester

“We welcome the idea of the ‘Big Society’ and a freer society where people are enabled to work for their local communities. Christians and Christian churches have always been at the forefront of work in the community. However, it is more and more important that in the delivery of what is needed by local communities, their beliefs and conscience are respected.”


Pastor Ade Omooba, founder of Christian Victory Group

“Up and down the country, churches and Christian groups are already active in a wide range of projects to serve their local communities. In fact, the church is probably the biggest provider of such projects that benefit all sorts of people, especially the young and the old. But more and more of these organisations are finding that they are discriminated against by government because of their distinctive Christian character. This issue was not adequately dealt with by the previous government. It must be addressed now if the ‘Big Society’ is to deliver what is being asked of it.”


Adam Bonner, interim director of Community Mission at leading Christian
charity Livability

''We welcome the idea that the voluntary sector should become even more
involved in building inclusive, thriving local communities. Through its Community Mission team, Livability is already involved in social action and community development at grass roots level.

This new emphasis on community work could prove a great way to highlight
and develop the existing long term work many churches and Christian projects are already doing and present further opportunities for further
involvement.

It remains to be seen, though, whether there will be enough funding and support offered to implement this Big Society initiative. The voluntary sector itself is already struggling financially after the recession. Short-term funding provision is already a challenge that many voluntary organisations have to contend with.

Churches and Christian projects should welcome the renewed emphasis on
local interventions for community cohesion whilst being careful about
taking on contracts that may end up diverting their mission aims.''


Gosia Shannon, founder of the Polish and Eastern European Christian Family Centre

“Haringey Council threatened to withdraw funding from our project because of its distinctive Christian ethos. The Council would have been successful had I not resisted the pressure, taken legal action and told the story to the newspapers. Many people would not have taken such action, which brings with it considerable stress and attention. Many people simply withdraw because of how difficult it is to maintain a Christian ethos and as a result many social action projects suffer. The Big Society idea is a great opportunity for the new coalition government to get this right so that projects like ours can flourish.”


Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of Christian Concern for Our Nation (CCFON)

“History tells us that again and again Christians have been at the forefront of projects that have helped and transformed their local communities and indeed society as a whole. At the ‘Big Society’ level, we need to do everything that we can to protect and promote those projects that are undergirded by Christian values. This is an ideal opportunity for Government to identify and remove those policies that discriminate and effectively bar Christians, motivated by compassion and concern, from greater involvement in society. At CCFON, we look forward to working with government to address some of these issues so that together we can move toward a more community-orientated society.”