Faith Forum Meeting Recap
- alexfisher36
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
From the in-person Faith Forum at Christ the King Church on 13th May
The Faith Forum meeting held on 13 May 2025 focused on discussing the representation, collaboration, and impact of faith-based organisations within the community. Key objectives included addressing communication challenges, exploring opportunities for partnership and strategising ways to enhance the faith sector's role in addressing social issues such as poverty, mental health, and community support.
The meeting emphasised the importance of trust-building among faith groups, adopting a kingdom perspective for broader impact and leveraging partnerships with secular organisations to address capacity gaps. Actionable steps included creating a centralised communication platform and exploring training opportunities for volunteers. Additional discussions highlighted the need for improved representation in public health and council dialogues and the potential for replicating successful collaboration models like the Community of Practice (COP) to encourage relationship building.
👉 Key Takeaways
Audit Highlights Faith Sector’s Contribution: An audit conducted in November 2023 revealed that faith groups contribute approximately £8 million annually in social action and an additional £8 million in volunteer or employment efforts. This significant contribution underscores the sector’s critical role in community support. See below for the report:
Communication Challenges Identified: A recurring theme was the difficulty in communication within the faith sector. Many organisations struggle to connect with others due to a lack of centralised information-sharing platforms.
Community of Practice (COP) as a Model for Collaboration: The COP, a network initiated 12 years ago, serves as a successful example of fostering collaboration among community organisations. It has grown to include 50-60 organisations per meeting and demonstrates the value of shared resources and unified efforts. The key take away from the COP as a model is the development of meaningful relationships and an opportunity to come together to share knowledge.
Faith Sector’s Unique Strengths: Participants emphasised that faith-based organisations often operate with humility and a focus on service rather than self-promotion. This ethos differentiates them from secular organisations but also presents challenges in securing funding and recognition.
Representation Gaps in Faith Sector: Concerns were raised about the lack of unified representation for faith groups, particularly Christian organisations, in public health and council discussions.
Need for Multi-Faith Collaboration: While some multi-faith initiatives exist (e.g., addressing climate change), there is a lack of broader collaboration across different faiths to address shared social issues.
Importance of Building Trust: Trust between faith groups is essential for effective collaboration. Concerns were raised about territorialism and fear of losing members when referring individuals to other organisations.
Role of Faith Groups in Social Support: Faith organisations fill critical gaps left by public services, offering emotional and practical support that secular agencies often cannot provide. However, this reliance on churches raises questions about capacity and sustainability.
Call for Centralised Communication Hub: A centralised platform for sharing information about events, resources, and services was proposed to improve coordination among faith groups. This would help smaller organisations connect with larger networks.
Kingdom Perspective Emphasised: Participants highlighted the need to shift from a 'faith sector' mindset to a 'kingdom' mindset, focusing on unity, spiritual leadership, and addressing deeper societal issues through prayer and action.
Challenges in Capacity and Professionalism: Many churches face limitations in capacity and expertise to handle complex social issues like mental health crises or domestic abuse. Collaboration with secular organisations was suggested as a way to address these gaps.
Faith Sector as a Trusted Resource: Despite challenges, faith organisations remain a trusted first point of contact for many individuals seeking help. Their ability to provide emotional support, time, and a sense of community is unmatched by secular agencies.
🎯 Decisions
Agreement to prioritise building a centralised communication hub for faith-based organisations to address communication challenges and improve collaboration.
Decision to focus on building trust between faith groups as a foundational step towards greater collaboration and resource sharing.
Our next Faith Forum will be held online on 4th June 2025 in the evening. Join us once again to help stimulate conversations like today's and network with other like-minded organisations and individuals in the Faith sector.
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