Logo

 

Banner Image:   National-News-banner-Purple
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

Public 'don't trust' church service provision

“Churches must do more to win public confidence and equip themselves for public service” says new report

FaithinPublicServiceWhile Government has reiterated its commitment to putting faith and voluntary groups at the heart of the Big Society, the general public fail to share the enthusiasm for this shift in service provision, according to new research from the Oasis Foundation, the new research and policy unit of the Oasis group of charities and social enterprises.

The Foundation's Faith in Public Service report found Britons have serious reservations about the ability of faith groups to deliver mainstream public services: 65 per cent of respondents had concerns about the involvement of faith in health care, and another 55 per cent were reluctant to see church groups increase their role in education.

However, when it comes to less complex community services such as food-banks, youth groups and debt advice, 65 per cent of the public would trust church groups to deliver.

The report found that a perceived lack of skills, training and expertise is the biggest barrier to trust in church-led service provision, with 58 per cent of respondents citing this as a factor. However, 37 per cent were concerned that churches would use service delivery as an opportunity to attempt to convert people and over a quarter (26 per cent) had concerns that minority groups such as LGBT people would be excluded. 

These concerns were significantly more pronounced among young people with 55 per cent and 41 per cent of 18-24 year olds respectively perceiving the risks of proselytism and exclusion to be a barrier to church-led delivery of public services.   

Regardless of public perception however, the report cites evidence of the difference that local church-led social action is making to vulnerable communities across the UK. It and argues that the Church is well placed, nationally and locally, to play a more significant role in public service delivery.
 
Baptist minister Steve Chalke, Founder and Global Leader of Oasis said, 'Leading experts and thought leaders continue to articulate the opportunity for churches and groups of churches to step forward confidently into the space that is increasingly being vacated by the state and to deliver inclusive, integrated public services within their communities.

'Increasing numbers of churches are doing just that, but if the Church is to truly embrace this opportunity and deliver more complex public services on a national scale it still has a big job to do in managing perceptions and winning over the trust of the general public.'

The Oasis Foundation officially launched at a reception at the House of Lords on 25 April.
 



 

Baptist Times, 29/04/2016
    Post     Tweet
The 2025 Sam Sharpe Lecture
This year's lecturer Dr Selina Stone brings a prophetic and deeply theological lens to the Sharpe legacy of "liberation from below”, writes Wale Hudson Roberts
Fresh Streams calls Baptists Together to a day of prayer and fasting
Fresh Streams is inviting Baptist churches, ministers, and individuals across the UK to unite in a dedicated day of prayer and fasting on Thursday, 25 September 2025
'A thank-you—from those taught, challenged, and inspired by her ministry'
The Revd Dr Karen E. Smith was surprised with the presentation of a new volume published in her honour at this year’s Baptist Historical Society Summer Conference
Calling previous members of the Joppa Group
Were you a member of the Joppa Group? Do you have historic papers about it? An invitation-based roundtable event is being co-convened to mark the 40th anniversary of the group's founding. Paul Weller explains more
Ripples of Change - a service of celebration and thankfulness
A service has been organised to mark the role Jane Day served in our Baptist family as Centenary Enabler, combining thankfulness for the progress made, as well as a time of lament for many of the findings of Project Violet. Lisa Kerry explains more
I Will...Leave a lasting legacy
The Baptist Union of Great Britain with BMS World Mission have now launched a new church resource to help those considering an ongoing blessing to support God’s mission both in the UK and overseas
     Latest News 
    Posted: 29/07/2025
    Posted: 04/06/2025
    Posted: 21/05/2025
    Posted: 07/01/2025
    Posted: 07/01/2025
     
    Text Size:  
    Small (Default)
    Medium
    Large
    Contrast:  
    Normal
    High Contrast