Why work with other faiths?
Surrey and its surrounding areas have an increasingly multi-faith population. It’s important for Christians to remain present in areas of diversity and to build positive relationships with other faith leaders. This can have many mutual benefits for faith groups and the wider community:
- It can create opportunities for shared resources to grow and maintain vital social action projects.
- By working and meeting together we learn more about what we have in common than what is different about our beliefs.
- It helps to dispel myths that different faith groups cause dissension in communities. By working together positively, we are a witness that our presence actually has the opposite effect.
National work
The national Church of England supports interfaith work though its Presence & Engagement network, which offers advice and information. Its Guidelines on some common issues is especially helpful, offering downloads to help with circumstances Church leaders may come across quite often, from interfaith marriage to use of Church halls for other faith’s events.
The Lambeth Conference has also called on working with other faith leaders to help tackle some of the world’s biggest issues.
Local work
There is a small Interfaith Advisory Group, which has some overlap with our overseas links, and which meets to discuss interfaith work. Phil Simpson is the Diocesan Interfaith Adviser.