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Local Government Association Talk

Talk to the Local Government Association on 14 October 2003 by Jenny Bond, CTE Field Officer for the North and Midlands and kindly reproduced here with her permission.
 

How well do Local Authorities engage with Christian communities?  There’s not a simple answer – it’s like the curate’s egg, excellent in parts. But I can offer a few reflections.
 

The Christian Churches have an image problem. Think church and you think Miss Marple or Midsomer Murders – without the murders. Very pretty, rather dotty and completely unreal. An excellent reason for not engaging with the Church! But those of us in the know realise that Miss Marple is not at all wishy-washy and amateur. She is extremely in touch with people and with reality. In the same way, those of you who engage well with the Christian Churches know that they are first class professional partners in the business of regeneration and community effort.
 

If I had longer than five minutes, I would give you examples of the many projects and activities which the Churches run and support. I would talk about the ways in which the Churches work with young people and old people, in urban settings and in the depths of the countryside. I would show you the reports and unveil the statistics that show the extent of volunteering which Church people undertake, within and outside church boundaries. I would give you examples of good practice where Local Authorities have worked (sometimes to their own surprise) enthusiastically and fruitfully with the Churches. I would remind you that Christians believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ is about the whole of life – and therefore about the quality of human life and the quality of the communities in which people live. But I can’t do that in the time I have. I can just offer a few reflections.

Forget Midsomer and think McDonald's. The Churches have more outlets than McDonald's. We have prime sites in virtually every community in the country and many of them are already used by the whole community to some extent, not just by church people. But our buildings may well be available for other schemes and projects – don’t discount them!
 

Churches have long-established and deep roots in local communities. Our volunteers and paid workers not only work in the most deprived areas of the UK but live there too. In the countryside the Churches are woven directly into the fabric of the rural community. The Churches are there at the grass roots, they listen to people, they are the people in those areas and they often know what works and what doesn’t. You, as Local Authorities, have to work through those who are relating to people face to face so that trust and confidence can grow. And the Churches are one partner in that task.
 

But in a culture that suggests that if it hasn’t been measured, it doesn’t exist, the Churches struggle. Maybe you shouldn’t think McDonald's too much, because we are not used to measuring what we do, not used to repackaging things in language which you understand. For example, practically every church in the UK runs a mother and toddler group. The bishop of St Albans said, ‘I sometimes think if we called them women’s empowerment units, we’d get financial support right, left and centre!’ The Churches don’t want special treatment, but we don’t want to be written off as other-worldly either. And if you want to harness the potential in your areas, you need to overcome the image problem, the misunderstandings, and reach out to the Churches as partners in community building.
 

The Churches need encouragement in all this. For some, it is new territory. In the past, when you wanted to contact the Churches, you defaulted to the Anglican bishop or to the vicar. Now, thank goodness, you know it isn’t that simple and you have to work with all the Churches – and we, for our part, are working better together so that it is easier for you to do so. But hold onto that one – Christian doesn’t just mean Church of England!

You also need patience. Unlike McDonald's we’re not geared up for fast delivery. We tend to work more collaboratively (which takes longer but lasts longer too) and our ministers, our full-time staff, are busy, over-stretched and under-resourced. They are also extremely meeting-resistant! You need to overcome that and harness their energies and resources.
 

So I would urge you to get on with it! Learn from the many places where partnership between the Churches and Local Authorities is thriving. Overcome negative images and recognise the reality of the contribution that the Churches do and can make. Encourage us to be full partners and help us to learn your language and way of operating. Church people have been in the forefront of social change and community building in the UK for centuries. Use that energy and help the Churches to work in partnership with the whole community in the new structures of local government.’

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