C4: How to work with Councils, Developers and other Stakeholders

Biblical/Practical Intro

Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. Luke 22:25-26 NIVUK

At a glance

Approach your council or other stakeholders with Christlike humility and genuinely offer to serve.
Immerse yourself in the community before it is even built!
Plan to love and serve the whole community; not just secure a space for Christians and Church activities.
Be informed about terminology and language.
Be prepared to invest time and whatever resources you have before expecting support from others.
Have the right people in place.

Key Points

Building up relationships with the council, developers and other stakeholders is key to being able to serve a new community effectively. This needs to start long before the houses are built: start as soon as you find out about the proposed new housing.

Approach your council or other stakeholders with Christlike humility and genuinely offer to serve.

It is essential as with all aspects of new housing engagement to approach these relationships with a Christlike attitude of serving rather than seeking to gain inroads to power.

Honestly modelling Christ’s attitude of servanthood also makes an impression on stakeholders. One minister responded to news from the council that there was going to be a large new estate near their village, by asking what they, as Churches Together in the area, could do to help. This was the only positive response the council had received; they got in touch with the minister and a fruitful relationship began. Local people will always be included in housing consultation, so share the vision with Christians who are local to the new housing.

Immerse yourself in the new community before it’s even built! [See also How to Unconditionally Bless the Community.]

Ali attended every community meeting during the planning stages. Sue was employed before a house was built to engage with developers. Penny sat on the development board.

Plan to love and serve the whole community not just secure a space for Christians and Church Activities

Often Stakeholders assume that Christians are just like any other group or club who want to serve their own needs. If you are genuinely going to serve the whole community of all faiths and none, do make that clear. Ali explained to the housing association that they were going to deliver Welcome Baskets and listen to the community rather than bring a set agenda. This made a huge difference and the housing association decided to partner with the work practically and financially.

Be Informed!

Use language that relates to industry and community development. Use terms such as ‘place-making’, Section 106 money, stakeholders, social capital, flourishing communities, wellbeing and community development. Understand the difference between outputs and outcomes. Ditch all Christian jargon! For example, Ali, whilst ‘called to bless’ used the term ‘serve and love’ the community whilst building relationships with stakeholders. One developer repeatedly mentioned the importance of placemaking and the desire to partner with churches, but felt that this wasn’t something churches were currently discussing.

Be prepared to invest time and whatever resources you have

Once churches have established activity and ‘proved themselves’, funding becomes more likely. One developer stated that ‘money follows activity’. He felt some churches were waiting for funding before starting anything. The developer had money, but it was public money so they had to see evidence of activity in order to be confident that a church would deliver what they were offering. Penny started a coffee morning: ‘The [denomination] underwrote it so we could open every week even at the beginning, now the developers’ fund it’. All the stakeholders that were interviewed for this project expressed enthusiasm for partnering with Churches/Christians/Faith Groups. They just wanted the partnership to be viable and successful.

Have the right people in place

Pioneers

Interestingly, one developer noted a difference between working with pioneers and Christian leaders with a church to lead. They stated, ‘because you’re a pioneer, you haven’t come with the baggage of a church to maintain’, and ‘we need to work with people who have time to work on an area’.

One Voice

Both developers and council noted the importance of one voice speaking for the churches in a particular development. For example, in Lincolnshire, the ecumenical administrator for Churches Together in All Lincolnshire has established good relationships with the local councils, and this has proved to be really helpful in creating initial contacts.

Grassroots people

One council is exploring a Church/Council Charter. The council was intentional about wanting to engage locally. ‘Churches have a unique ability to bring people together’. The council and the church brought together people who genuinely led within that place. Find out if your council wants to bring local people together and offer to help.

Activists who live locally

One council stated that activists can pull things together on a local level, ‘you need activists who live in community; those people are really important’. Ali found that when her stakeholders knew she was moving in, they engaged with her seriously in a way that they hadn’t with the Church as an organisation.

Learning Points

Sometimes there was lots of talking about strategy but not any actual action. We just need to be active and show how to make a difference by loving, serving and building community.
There was some reticence about funding churches for community activities as there was a lack of clarity about the church’s finance. We need to be open and be willing to use our own money before asking for more.
Making friends locally and engaging at a grassroots level doesn’t cost anything, so even with no finance, start actively serving the community.
The Church needs to be clear to stakeholders that we are actively placemaking.
‘If you hammer home your faith, you risk developers never working with Christians again’.

Engaging With New Housing