Archbishop Stephen spoke of the contribution that churches make to social cohesion in an address to the Great Expectations conference in central London on the future of church buildings.
And he called on the Government to make the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme – covering VAT on repairs – to be made permanent, saying that churches are ‘incredibly anxious’ about the future of the ‘lifeline’ scheme.
He said churches are not only places of worship but centres of social support, working with or providing a ‘staggering’ number of social action projects – more than 31,000 – building coalitions of goodwill with people of all faiths and none, hosting services such as food banks, warm spaces, drop-ins and debt counselling.
He added that churches provide places of creativity and platforms for the arts – both sacred and contemporary, enriching lives and lifting spirits.
Church buildings, as well as telling the story of faith, are places of encounter, hospitality, and refuge, with many of them opening their doors daily to all people, where they can listen and encounter each other, he said.
“There are virtually no other places in our communities today that do this, especially not in rural areas,” he continued.
“To lose them, to hamper our ability to renew and restore them, to diminish them, will cause irreparable damage not just to brick and stone, but to hearts and minds, because our church buildings matter, because the church matters, because community matters, and ultimately, because people and human flourishing matter.”
He added, “In a world where we too easily become too polarised, too separate from each other, and store up all these divisions, surely we should be strengthening those places which bring us together.”
He said there continued to be a need to ‘make the case’ to the Government over the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme, which provides grants covering the VAT on repairs of more than £1,000. He said this had been a ‘lifeline’ since it was first introduced more than 20 years ago by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown,
“We know that churches are incredibly anxious about the future of the listed places of worship grant scheme," he said.
“We urge the heritage minister, Baroness Twycross, to recognise that this vital scheme has been a lifeline for church and cathedral buildings for over 20 years, and we want to make it permanent.
“Churches are already doing all they can to fund urgent repairs, accessibility works and sustainability improvements to keep churches watertight and warm for the people they serve.
“And we welcome an ongoing partnership with the government, church and state, playing its part together for these places of community.”
The Archbishop was among a number of speakers to address the conference, including actor Hugh Dennis and barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder.
The Bishop of Ramsbury, Andrew Rumsey, the Church of England’s lead bishop for church buildings and Emily Gee, Director of Cathedral and church buildings, took part in panel discussions, and Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova MP, also delivered a video message.
The LPWG scheme gives grants covering the VAT on repairs of more than £1,000 for listed places of worship. In January, the Government announced a one-year extension of the scheme but reduced the total amount of money available and introduced a £25,000 cap on the amount that can be claimed by a place of worship.
