In Depth:  Evangelical Alliance

Ground-breaking new research has been released on the state of faith and perceptions of Jesus in the UK.

A startling 45% of UK adults claim they believe in the resurrection. This is just one of many fascinating findings from ‘Talking Jesus’ research which was released today (28 April) as en came out.

The Evangelical Alliance is launching a new three-year initiative to help people think Biblically about what it means to be human.

The ‘Being Human’ project aims to inspire and equip everyday Christians to be able to ‘understand, articulate and participate in the Biblical vision of humanity’.

The Evangelical Alliance (EA) has been busy during the pandemic and is now helping churches gear up for the aftermath, a statement from the organisation says. A spokesperson for EA writes:

The EA has been looking into the impact of the pandemic on 20s and 30s, long known as the ‘missing generation’ in churches. One in two young adults had attended a service (online or offline) during the pandemic, according to a survey by Durham University last year, but there’s still many who are unreached. To equip ministry in this area, the EA launched the new resource Changing Church – Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? with accompanying research.

The Evangelical Alliance announced in July that Gavin Calver will be its new Chief Executive Officer. He will succeed general director Steve Clifford, who announced in April that he is stepping down.

Dr Tani Omideyi, chair of the Evangelical Alliance’s board of trustees, said: ‘With a strong field of applicants, Gavin impressed the board with his extensive expertise and his vision for the future, and he left us with a sense of excitement and great expectation. We came out of the process feeling confident that we have found someone chosen of God for this new season.’

The Evangelical Alliance launched its Great Commission evangelism website on 26 October to help Christians share their faith, and to show people that Jesus is changing lives in the UK today.

New video stories will be released each week on the site, sharing how people have come to faith across the UK. There will also be inspiring accounts of Christians and churches.

People feeling at a loss regarding the challenges faced by Christian families in the education system, often wondering why the church doesn’t provide more help (beyond suggesting home education as a solution), may find that a new guide published in February plugs a gap.

You’re Not Alone: a guide for the Christian family in education was launched to help parents take a more active role in the education of their children and to encourage churches to support those parents. The resource, together with an accompanying website (educa-tion.eauk.org), seeks to inform Christian parents of their rights and responsibilities in education, and it challenges the idea that the state should have the final word on decisions about how children are educated.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published the results of their largest ever public consultation regarding the day-to-day experience of believers in Britain.

It has shown that many Christians fear their faith is losing its place in society and in particular in their workplace. Christians – the largest group to respond to the consultation – reported that they felt discriminated against when expressing their beliefs at work.

The evangelical charity Home for Good, reported on in en June 2013 was launched on September 1 as an independent charity to rescue Britain’s vulnerable children.

With one child every 20 minutes being taken into care the UK, and another 6,000 children already waiting for adoption, there appears to be a crisis in child care in the UK. The Evangelical Alliance is persuaded that if at least one family per evangelical church open their homes, this crisis would be resolved.

Evangelical Christians are moving with the times and using modern technology to help them in their daily spiritual walk, a new survey has found.

More than a third are using Bible apps on mobile devices, with 60% saying that praying on the move helps strengthen their prayer life. This is according to a new survey by the Evangelical Alliance, titled ‘Time for Discipleship?’. While a busy rush-hour bus or train may not be the first place you think of for a quiet time, growing numbers of Christians are taking their faith on the move and setting aside these moments in their day to concentrate on God. The Church of England has recognised this growing trend, having recently launched texts from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer on an app.

At an event at the Palace of Westminster on November 28, a youth project leader and the pioneer behind a debt-advice counselling centre were named as two of the winners of the 2013 Inspire Awards for unsung Christian heroes whose work has helped to change lives in their communities.

Hannah Gibbons, a financial adviser, won for her work in setting up and running the Christians Against Poverty centre that Gillingham Community Church, Dorset, had been longing to start. They have helped over 400 people since starting in 2008.