Dear Prime Minister,
Let me offer my congratulations on behalf of the Evangelical Alliance on becoming prime minister. We are praying for you and your incoming government at this time, and especially that the burden of responsibility will be met with wisdom and a commitment to justice. The Evangelical Alliance is committed to seeing this country thrive as we share our hope in Jesus, serve our communities locally and uphold the dignity and value of every human being.
With a membership representing almost half a million evangelical Christians, we have always sought to build relationships with the government of the day, bringing the church’s perspective into public life. Over the past few months, we have held many productive meetings with Baroness Sherlock, Anneliese Dodds, Vidhya Alakeson and other members of your team, and look forward to developing these relationships further in the months to come.
The church is a gift to the nations and a beacon of hope to the world. We want to help you find common ground with the church in the UK and work for the country’s common good as you establish the next government. We are encouraged by your commitment to ensure strong partnerships with faith communities and welcome your commitment to appoint a government minister to lead on engagement with faith communities. As churches continue to serve their local communities, the Evangelical Alliance is committed to ensuring our beliefs are recognised as vital to the work that we do and are not minimised or maligned.
In every community of the UK, churches are dedicated to tackling poverty, ending loneliness, supporting young people, caring for the elderly and so much more. Churches unite across social divides to see creation cared for, the most vulnerable in our world protected, and refuge given to those in need.
We encourage you, ministers and MPs to continue to connect with churches and organisations across the UK to understand their beliefs, their commitment and how their work can be supported. We need more integrity in public life, we need truth to be the foundation on which trust is built. We want to see religious freedom upheld and promoted across the world and the UK to have a leading voice. We look forward to working with your special envoy for freedom of religion or belief.
There will be points in the years ahead where we will disagree with the government’s direction and will challenge policies and decisions. Any moves that disempower and harm the most vulnerable in society will be met with a robust response from evangelical Christians across the UK. Our heart is to serve and advocate for those most in need and to encourage the government to do the same.
The source of our hope is not found in politics but in Jesus Christ. However, many of our members are politically engaged on behalf of those on the margins. It is crucial that the role of faith in public life is maintained for the benefit of everyone. I look forward to introducing you to some of the churches in our membership working every day for the renewal of our nations.
Our prayer for you is rooted in Psalm 72, that God will give you the gift of wisdom and justice as you serve as prime minister; and that you will stand up for the poor and help those most in need.
Every blessing,
Gavin Calver
CEO
Evangelical Alliance
