People who do not identity as Christian were more likely since the COVID-19 pandemic to agree with the statement that the church in the UK is making a positive difference in the world, according to a new poll.
The Savanta ComRes poll found that 25 per cent of people agreed with the statement now compared with 19 per cent three years ago. The survey of more than 2,100 UK adults also showed that 36 per cent of the total UK population agreed Christian churches are making a positive difference in the world while 42 per cent agreed local Christian churches were making a positive difference in their community.
St Pauls’ Cathedral, London, seat of the Dame Sally Mullaly, the Bishop of London for the Church of England, and among those church leaders supporting the YourNeighbour initiative. PICTURE: Seoyeon Choi/Unsplash
When asked what community needs Christian churches could provide for, 24 per cent of respondants said ‘events for the elderly’ and and equal percentage indicated ‘homeless services’. Twenty-two per cent picked ‘shelter for the homeless’ and 20 per cent said ‘food/clothes/toy collection and distribution’.
The poll was commissioned by UK church network YourNeighbour and World Vision, and comes as YourNeighbour has launched a new Lenten campaign called ‘Give Hope’ which aims to showcase and resource the ongoing work of local churches in supporting and caring for their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of that campaign has already involved supporting churches, particularly in Black communities, to to tackle misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines.
The campaign has the support of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as well as Christian leaders from across denominations including Anglican, Methodist, Salvation Army, Baptist, Pentecostal, and evangelical representatives.
Pastor Agu Irukwu, senior pastor of Jesus House, is among them.
“Tens of thousands of local churches across the UK have been at the frontline of the community response to the COVID pandemic, and it is encouraging to see that the impact of that work is improving public perceptions of the church,” he said. “But there is still a lot of work to be done to fully reveal the pivotal role the church continues to play in modern society.”
For more information on YourNeighbour, head to www.yourneighbour.org.
