Church blogs

Read a selection of blogs from churches and faith communities.
  1. Marylebone

    ‘Use the power the church has, but use it well’

    16/02/2021

    The Archbishops’ Housing Commission is encouraging churches to promote the voices of their community - whether through existing structures or establishing something new. The example of St Paul's Marylebone shows how this can done without seeking to take control, by listening well and working with the local community. 

    4 min read
  2. Stamford 2 man at coffee table

    You are invited to the housing-themed Project Lab 2020 Final on 9th November

    26/10/2020

    This year everyone is invited to join in the online Project Lab 2020 final on 9th November at 7:30pm – a chance to find out about and support five church-led projects that are meeting local housing need in creative and effective ways. Please register here.

    3 min read
  3. York artist impression

    Neither up nor down – how the Dean encouraged compromise in York

    15/10/2020

    In 2016, the Right Revd Viv Faull, then Dean of York, was appointed as the chair of a Community Forum to steer the planning of the ‘masterplan’ for York Central. By the time Viv left York, the community forum had made decisions on key areas, and the planning application was being finalised.

    4 min read
  4. Almshouses

    Almshouses for the twenty-first century?

    30/09/2020

    The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community is looking at various different ways in which churches can meet housing need. This week, Mark Bennet, Team Rector at Thatcham in Berkshire, explains why we should hold almshouses in a higher regard.

    5 min read
  5. Together Leicester picture

    Consultation, consultation, consultation: why churches should make their voice heard in planning

    24/09/2020

    The Archbishop of Canterbury's Housing Commission believes that churches should engage with the planning system. When the Diocese of Leicester replied to the Leicestershire Strategic Growth Plan they found that it was very beneficial for them.

    3 min read
  6. What will you do logo

    What will you do to end homelessness?

    06/09/2020

    We need to reimagine how we respond to homelessness. It’s key that this discussion is led by those with lived experience of homelessness, and that’s why it’s great to see that the Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptists, URC, Methodists and Church of Scotland are inviting them to the centre of their discussions.

    3 min read
  7. southampton rent deposit scheme

    Breaking down the barriers to housing: churches preventing homelessness in Southampton

    21/08/2020

    One of the biggest barriers to housing is the tenancy deposit. Churches realised that for relatively little money they could help a lot of people at risk of homelessness, by setting up the Southampton Churches Rent Deposit Scheme.

    4 min read
  8. Nightstop two ladies having breakfast at kitchen table

    Would you take in a stranger?

    11/08/2020

    Our houses are more than just financial assets. They’re more even that just our homes. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community believes that they’re valuable tools given to us by God. Nightstop is one way to do that.

    7 min read
  9. WLM 4 people

    From the old we travel to the new: West London Mission and changing responses to homelessness

    11/08/2020

    West London Mission (WLM) has been empowering people affected by homelessness, poverty and trauma since 1887. Recently, though, an element has changed. Where previously they were just responding to crisis need, they’ve expanded to have a more preventative approach.

    4 min read
  10. Parsonages of the future? How to create sustainable clergy houses

    Parsonages of the future? How to create sustainable clergy houses

    04/08/2020

    As explored last week by Professor Tim Gorringe, sustainability is crucial to the Christian vision for housing being discerned by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community. We hear from Mark Wild on how the Diocese of Worcester responded.

    5 min read