Community & Urban Affairs
The Church of England is urbanised and urbanising. As a national Church the Church of England maintains a presence through the parish system in every community. That presence enables the church to engage with the lives of our towns and cities in both rich and poor neighbourhoods.
The Church of England has a fundamental concern about the quality of life in community. This has lead the Church to commision a number of reports on the experience of urban congregations and communities.
The work of the National Adviser on Community Urban Affairs is complimented by that of the Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, currently the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop designate of Southwark.
The Urban Bishops Panel acts as a point of reference for concerns and policies affecting urban communities and congregations, by drawing on members experience as bishops in urban areas and their engagement in diocesan and regional strategies.
Reports
In the autumn of
1985 the report, Faith in the City. A Call to Action by
Church and Nation, was published by the
Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Urban Priority Areas. The
report came in the wake of much concern about what was happening in
British inner city and outer council housing estate communities.
Faith in the City was crucial in sparking new awareness of
the emerging gaps in society and the Church, and the setting up of
the Church Urban
Fund.
Faithful Cities: A call for celebration, vision and
justice was the 2006 report from the Commission
on Urban Life & Faith. The report considered the impact of
regeneration, immigration and changing economic structures on the
lives of towns and cities. The report also considered the
contribution of faith communities to the lives of their
neighborhoods, and called on government to work closely with
churches and other faith communities to create a flourishing
society in which all are valued.
