Churches to quiz Communities Minister on what makes a healthy community

Church leaders and Christian activists are being urged to voice their commitment to being agents of change to the Cabinet Minister responsible for the government's community agenda, at the Faithworks Conference when it takes place from 1 to 3 November.

In an opportunity to gain the latest insights on the government's views on the role of faith groups, the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will address the conference about what makes a healthy community and explore issues around inclusion before taking questions from the floor.

The session is a late addition to the conference programme, in response to perceived rising levels of gang culture and community breakdown. It also follows the Cabinet's Third Sector Review, in which the Government praised churches and faith groups as "agents of change" in community development, and pledged to work more closely with them.

The Leader of the Faithworks Movement, Rev Malcolm Duncan, said that in the face of the Government's clear recognition of the role played by faith groups, it was vital for the church to play its part in engaging with the policy makers.

"The church has a huge role to play in engaging with the disaffected and marginalised, and we already have a huge network of bases across every community in this country, meaning we can reach places and people that many statutory agencies can't," he said.

Gordon Brown, in his first speech at the Labour Party Conference, used the biblical rhetoric of inclusion and non-discrimination to outline clear commitments to a fairer society.

"We welcome the commitments to inclusion and diversity laid out by Gordon Brown, as well as the government's recognition of our role in building a better world, but this also presents the church with a challenge," said Duncan.

"Many of us need to raise our game and take on new attitudes towards partnership working, putting our differences aside for the sake of the common good. But most simply we need to take the time and effort to engage with government, to make our voices heard about the issues and challenges we face, and to listen to the responses. This session with Hazel Blears is an outstanding opportunity to do this."

The conference, entitled Change Agents: Sustaining Transformation, aims to help groups and individuals explore how they can be part of God's vision for social and spiritual transformation, inspiring and equipping them to bring long-lasting, sustainable change to their local areas.

With practical training from leading agencies, inspiration from visionary leaders, free resources, networking opportunities, time to worship God and a stimulating fringe programme, it takes place at London's City Temple.

Other speakers include the Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, Dr Patrick Dixon, Europe's leading futurist, Joel Edwards, leader of the Evangelical Alliance, and Fran Beckett OBE, CEO of the Church Urban Fund.

The session with Hazel Blears takes place at 9.15am on Friday 2 November.