Contexts

The UK government's Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) is preparing a framework for interfaith working, for which a consultation document is currently in circulation (see Face-to-Face, Side-by-Side: a framework for inter faith dialogue and action).

As part of that process, CLG has commissioned the Faith Based Regeneration Network (FbRN) to report on faith based social action and regional activity. This paper reports on the faith based social action dimension of this work.

The report is intended for use by government officials and Ministers in their preparation of the framework. It will also be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in faith based settings, and their partners, outside of government.

Questions, Processes and Methods

The questions addressed in the paper were agreed in consultation with CLG and are specific to them. They are:

What is the scale and scope of faith based social action?
What is the relationship of faith based social action to the ideas of social capital?
What is the relationship between faith based social action and contact theory?
What Government interventions are effective in supporting bridging and linking social capital?
How does faith based social action relate to wider community and civil society? What do faiths bring?
What evidence is there for faith based social action accessing non-faith specific Government funding streams?
What support mechanisms are there for faith based social action?
What is the role of Government, national, regional and local, in relation to faith based social action?

We have addressed these questions in four broad categories:

The scale and scope of faith based social action
The relationship of faith based social action to wider civil society
Support mechanisms for faith based social action
The role of government

We have taken the following approaches:

Overview of relevant literature to inform structured interviews with key individuals to produce initial findings and observations (see Appendix A for interview schedule)
Review of literature and online sources
Search for and review of grey literature and other material held at community and neighbourhood levels
Further and extended telephone interviews with key actors in local faith based social action (see Appendix A for interview schedule)
Telephone interviews with key actors in national, regional and local government. (see Appendix A for interview schedule)
Liaison with Community Development Foundation over the use of material emerging from the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund
Analysis of grant awards from selected non-faith specific government funded grant programmes to establish the patterns of access by faith based groups; followed by interviews with key actors to establish what are the factors that influence a positive pattern

A Note on Definitions and Terms

It should be noted that the key ideas underpinning this report mean different things to different people. It is crucially important to acknowledge this, both for the sake of clarity within this report but more importantly in terms of how these ideas are put into practice in the inter faith framework. The terms in question are:

Faith based
Social action
Inter faith

In particular, 'faith based social action', which is the remit of this report, is not necessarily the same thing as the 'inter faith dialogue and social action' referred to in the title of the consultation document. This is because inter faith social action is distinct from faith based social action, which may or may not be inter faith. These categories carry a high degree of practical meaning in faith communities. The framework must be crystal clear whether it means one or the other or both.

Our conversations with people of faith tell us that the idea of 'faith based social action' is preferred because it includes inter faith social action as well as social action initiated in single faith settings.

It should also be noted that even in single faith settings, there can be, and often is, significant bridging and linking activity with others in wider society. It has been observed therefore that

“Members of single faith groups were often from different parts of the same town, of different ages, different genders, different sub-religious groups or different national or sub-national ethnic groups”

(James 2007 p70).

This is often overlooked because of suspicion that single faith groups are motivated by an unchecked desire to evangelise. Experience shows that this is rarely the case in relation to social action. Indeed, in addition, beneficiaries of activities arising out of single faith settings frequently include people of other faiths and none. Therefore, as well as inter faith social action, activities arising out of single faith settings should also be regarded as an important and legitimate part of faith based social action.

Another key issue here is that 'dialogue' is a distinct activity from 'social action' and the relationship between the two varies widely. In some cases the one is rooted in the other. Elsewhere dialogue and social action are completely unrelated. While the two may overlap, complement or coincide they can at the same time be quite distinct and happen independently. Both social action and dialogue are beneficial and many faith groups say that they value the space to engage in dialogue as a basis for their social action. Where reflection does not happen it is often as a result of lack of resources and it is widely felt that potential for social action is unfulfilled in consequence.

Debates about the use of these terms and the contexts in which they are deployed range around the following summary of arguments:

The 'usefulness' of faiths is a key starting point of the public policy view
Faiths have a long tradition of being 'useful' but they also see themselves in terms of the experiences lived by individuals and groups standing in a tradition of their own. They feel strongly that this should be understood and respected
That one defining characteristic of faith is belief, an obvious factor but one which is often overlooked - the starting points and values of belief must be respected as well as what faiths can 'offer'
That the idea of 'faith' takes some additional starting points which may be unfamiliar to a policy audience

'faith' is about stories, experiences and values and these may be expressed in their own distinctive 'language'
fellowship and worship are important aspects of faith as well as the practice of social action. Many see the one as rooted in the other

That talk of a 'faith community' belies the sheer diversity of faiths, within and between traditions. Faiths can differ within and between one another in important ways - we cannot talk of one 'faith community'

That there can be discontinuity as well as continuity between the various 'parts' of faith communities - leaders, representatives, projects, volunteers and worshippers may or may not have very much to do with one another even though they are all based within the same church, mosque or other religious centre. The meaning of 'faith based' is therefore debated - based in what aspect of faith and/or what part of the faith community?
Similarly the relationship between 'dialogue' and 'action' is not always clear
And there are many very good examples of faith based social action which is NOT inter faith, even though it may benefit or work with people of other faiths or none.

In terms of social action, there are also debates:

That social action can be quite challenging, perhaps politicised, on the one hand or may be very locally focused, practical and pragmatic on the other
That most faith based social action consists somewhere in between the challenging and the locally practical
At the same time, faiths have shown a capacity for politicised perspectives on poverty and disadvantage, for example in 'Faith in the City' the Church of England report on urban priority areas
That policy makers should be ready to hear the critical perspectives of some faiths and make room for faiths to be 'critical friends'

For the purposes of this report, we chose a pragmatic and relatively broad definition which sees faith based social action as projects, programmes or aspects of work undertaken by organisations or groups with a direct relationship with faith communities that intend to achieve positive benefits for the welfare of faith communities and/or wider social groupings.