Report: Christians investing millions in community transformation

Christians are making a remarkable contribution to the social welfare and transformation of their local communities, according to a new report launched yesterday.

The report, two years in the making, is the joint project of the Churches Regional Commission in Yorkshire and the Humber and Faithworks.

The charities looked at 19 'presences', or expressions of Christian work, to find out what makes or breaks an effective Christian presence in the local community. They discovered that churches are making a substantial financial contribution to their communities to the tune of £2.9 million.

The report, funded by governmental agency Yorkshire Forward, also identified seven key components of an effective Christian presence. These included partnership or collaborative working between organisations, team work and simply "keeping the fire alive".

It added that volunteers were "crucial" to effective community engagement, but added that, "Churches need to [get] better at managing them."

Liz Carnelley, Chief Executive of the Churches Regional Commission for Yorkshire and the Humber, was at the launch along with Malcolm Duncan, leader of the Faithworks movement, and Fran Beckett, head of Church Urban Fund.

Carnelley said the report's findings were of national significance when it came to promoting the effectiveness of Christian engagement in local communities.

"We can learn from what has made these presences effective, and there are real lessons here that churches need to hear," she said. "Lives are being changed and communities transformed by what Christians are doing across the region."

Duncan, meanwhile, paid tribute to the work of the projects featured in the research, which included church-run Fairtrade cafes, conference and drop-in centres, after school clubs, and alcohol and drug abuse recovery programmes.

"In these 19 presences we see true examples of Christian-motivated community work that are demonstrably making a tangible difference to the lives of all kinds of people," he said.

"Through this report we hope to highlight these projects, as well as drawing attention to the thousands more who are putting their faith into practical action for the benefit of their communities."