Evangelical Alliance on Changing Church 2025

The Evangelical Alliance UK has published a report – Changing Church 2025 – based on a survey of ‘more than 300 church leaders and nearly 1,000 church members’.

Following an earlier report published five years ago after the ‘significant disruption brought on by Covid-19’, the Evangelical Alliance ‘surveyed church leaders and individuals to find out what has changed since the pandemic, and compared the findings to previous surveys’.

Some of the questions they set out to explore include:

• How has church attendance changed?

• Are people coming to faith?

• What’s the picture for children and youth ministry?

• Is there a crisis of volunteering for churches? Is this affecting the role of churches in their communities?

• Has giving to churches kept pace with rising costs?

More information is available here and here, and a pdf of the report is available here.

Visions of Justice and Hope

The One People Commission of the Evangelical Alliance UK have published a short report on race and justice.

From the website:

‘The One People Commission and South Asian Forum are proud to release Visions of Justice and Hope, a vital new resource exploring a pressing question of our time: What does it mean to be human and a Person of Colour? Inspired by the Evangelical Alliance’s report on race, this resource offers an insightful, guided journey into racial justice, experiences of racism within the church, and practical steps for fostering healing and meaningful dialogue.’

More information is available here, and the report can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on Thinking Faithfully about Politics

The Evangelical Alliance UK has produced a report, following a survey of 1,300 people, on what they call ‘a snapshot of how evangelicals think and act as they engage in politics’.

More information is available here, and a pdf of the report can be download here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on Friendship

Evangelical Alliance UK has produced a helpful set of resources to go with the book by Phil Knox, The Best of Friends: Choose Wisely, Care Well (London: IVP, 2023).

A five-part video series for use in church or small groups is available from here.

A study guide containing questions and activities for small groups is available here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on Being Human

Evangelical Alliance UK has pulled together what looks like a helpful set of resources to go with the release of the book by Jo Frost and Peter Lynas, Being Human: A New Lens For Our Cultural Conversations (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2023).

The portal is here.

A six-part video series for use in church or small groups is available from here.

Each film also includes a downloadable study guide with questions for reflection and ideas on how to respond.

Evangelical Alliance on Work

The Evangelical Alliance – in conjunction with the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship – has produced a new suite of resources on ‘Living for Jesus at Work’.

More information can be found here, and several resources are available, including a research report, a collection of advice, wisdom and guidance, a practical pocketbook, with reminders and reflections for each day of the week, and a Bible study guide.

Talking Jesus Report 2022

The ‘Talking Jesus’ report for 2022 has recently been published.

Borne out of a partnership between Alpha, the Evangelical Alliance, HOPE Together, the Luis Palau Association, and Kingsgate Community Church, it seeks to show ‘the state of faith in the UK, how people come to faith in Jesus and how we, as the church, can talk about Jesus more effectively with our friends and in our community’.

Further information is available from here, the report is available to download from here, and a video of the launch is available here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on Following Jesus

What kind of follower?, produced by the Evangelical Alliance UK, is ‘a reflective, easy-to-follow study guide to inspire every believer to have the space for honest conversations about walking with Jesus and help navigate the main challenges we face as we try and live as followers of Jesus in this generation’.

The four-session study guide can be downloaded as a pdf here, and the four accompanying films can be viewed here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on the Missing Generation

The Evangelical Alliance UK has just released a report on the ‘missing generation’.

Some paragraphs from the Introduction set the scene:

‘They are known as the connected generation, the snowflake generation, the generation most talked about and talked to. Throughout coronavirus they have been criticised for their lack of social distancing and commended for their compassion and creativity. They are often at the forefront of the clamour for change in society and will be amongst the most affected by recent events.

‘Equipping the church to reach this generation of young adults and championing intergenerational unity is vitally important. We believe the whole church is stronger, healthier and richer when filled with all ages, and we tell a powerful story to the world when we model a united church of young, old and everyone in between.’

Further interviews and articles are available from here, and a pdf of the report is downloadable here.

Evangelical Alliance on Changing Church: A Report on Churches Responding to the Coronavirus

The Evangelical Alliance UK has published a report – Changing Church – based on a survey of nearly 900 churches and Christian organisations. It looks at how ‘they have changed how they operate while maintaining their core mission and vision’, and showing that ‘throughout lockdown and the wider challenges, the church has shown great agility and creativity’.

A pdf of the report is here.

Christianity in the Workplace: An Employer’s Guide to Christian Beliefs

ADF International, the Evangelical Alliance UK, and the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship have produced what looks like a helpful booklet, Christianity in the Workplace: An Employer’s Guide to Christian Beliefs.

According to the ADF International website:

‘It aims to be a useful and informative reference for employers in the United Kingdom, encouraging them to cultivate an inclusive work environment and giving specific examples on how that might be achieved. It also seeks to equip and inspire Christians with confidence and knowledge of the current legal freedoms they enjoy in the workplace.’

There is more information here, and a pdf of the report can be downloaded here.

The Evangelical Alliance UK on the Discourse of ‘Spiritual Abuse’

The Evangelical Alliance UK has published a report, which is critical of the term ‘spiritual abuse’ as well intended but not fit for purpose.

Revd Dr David Hilborn, Chair of Evangelical Alliance Theology Advisory Group which produced the report, said:

‘We take the harm caused by Emotional, Psychological and other forms of abuse in religious contexts very seriously indeed. The Alliance has worked closely with its partner organisations and member churches in this area. However, we are deeply uneasy about increasing usage of the unhelpful and potentially misleading term “Spiritual Abuse”. We believe the existing legal frameworks of Emotional and Psychological abuse are sufficient and need to be enforced in religious contexts, as in other contexts. However, creating a special category of “Spiritual Abuse” just for religious people potentially singles them out for criminalisation. As such, it carries the risk of religious discrimination, and threatens social cohesion. As a diagnostic term, “Spiritual Abuse” may be well-intended, but this report shows that it is not fit for purpose.’

The executive summary is available as a pdf here, and the full report here.

Speak Up

The Speak Up resource, produced jointly by the Evangelical Alliance and the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, ‘seeks to help Christians understand the broad freedoms that we currently have under the law to share our faith in different contexts’.

A short and long version of the resource are available to download here, via The Great Commission, a new project from the Evangelical Alliance.

The short 16-page booklet (available as a pdf here) ‘outlines the key aspects of the full report, setting out the freedoms we have in different parts of our lives, from talking about Jesus in our homes, to street evangelism, to sharing our faith at work or online’.

The full report is available as a pdf here.

Talking Jesus

‘What do English adults know and believe about Jesus Christ? What do they really think of his followers? How often – if ever – do Christians talk about their faith in Jesus? How do both Christians and non-Christians feel about those conversations?’

A joint initiative by the Church of England, the Evangelical Alliance, and HOPE commissioned Barna Group and ComRes to conduct some research on those and similar questions, in order to investigate perceptions about Jesus, Christians and evangelism in England.

More information is available here, including a downloadable report here, and a short animated video here.

Evangelical Alliance on Poverty

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about poverty.

The full report – Good News for the Poor? – is available as a pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘Our latest research contains fascinating details on what evangelicals think are the causes and potential solutions for poverty, and how they and their churches are personally responding to the realities of poverty both at home and abroad.

‘Our survey of more than 1,600 evangelicals found that many are directly involved in tackling poverty; donating to food banks, volunteering with poverty projects or supporting people they know who are struggling financially.

‘But others admit that they or their churches are not really living out their beliefs; often being too concerned for their own needs or treating poorer people differently. In fact, two thirds think that churches in the UK are not very good at discipling and sharing their faith with the poorest...’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.

Evangelical Alliance on Politics

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about politics.

The full report – Faith in Politics? – is available as a (8.7 MB) pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘Our latest research explores the political views of UK evangelicals and how engaged they and their churches are in politics. Our survey of more than 2,000 evangelicals found that many are disillusioned with UK politics, with less than one in 10 (six per cent) believing that politicians can be trusted to keep their manifesto promises. But evangelicals are also much more likely to be interested and engaged in politics and to prioritise the common good of society above personal gain.

‘The issues that concern evangelicals are quite different from those that concern the general public. Evangelicals care far more about poverty and inequality than immigration – ranking this the single most important issue facing the UK today. And the key issues that will affect their vote are religious liberty and freedom of expression, poverty alleviation, human trafficking, same-sex marriage and euthanasia.’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.

Evangelical Alliance on Discipleship

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about discipleship.

The full report – Time for Discipleship? – is available as a pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘This report has found that evangelicals see God at work in their lives, are using smartphone technology to help them read the Bible on the go, and really value their Church and home groups. But the research shows that challenges remain; including low prayer levels, a widespread feeling that churches are not doing well at discipling new Christians, and evangelicals saying they do not feel equipped to share their faith.’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.

Evangelical Alliance on Work

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about work.

The full report – Working Faithfully? – is available as a pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘This report provides fascinating insights into evangelicals’ experiences and opinions of the world of work, including views on the living wage, job satisfaction and perceptions of discrimination in the workplace. It also explores whether the Church really supports working people and cares about the unemployed.’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.

Evangelical Alliance on Life in the Church

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about the church.

The full report – Life in the Church? – is available as a pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘This report reveals fascinating details about church life, including how we get involved, what we look for in a church and how we feel about our church leaders. It also explores the experiences and feelings of church leaders, our views on church discipline and the reasons why we move church.’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.

Evangelical Alliance on Education

The latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals Series from the Evangelical Alliance UK highlights research about education.

The full report – Do We Value Education? – is available as a pdf here.

This is what the EA says:

‘This research looks at how evangelical Christians are involved in education, what motivates them to learn, and their values and priorities for both their own learning and that of the next generation. It also explores what influences evangelicals when choosing schools for their children, and their views on the place of Christianity in schools, and the practices and politics of education in the UK today. It shows how churches are already involved in schools and examines the challenges and opportunities for Christians to make a difference in the sphere of education.’

PowerPoint presentation and discussion questions for churches are linked to from this page.