The Evangelical Alliance, which says it is passionate about helping Christians connect their faith with their daily life, has launched a Job Creation toolkit, and is sharing inspirational stories of Christians working to build businesses that glorify God and create jobs.
It has encouraged Christians to focus their prayers on this area of need in our society, and will continue to offer resources and signpost ministries and organisations that can further equip Christians to create jobs.
This comes as the UK is being hit by an unemployment crisis and the pandemic continues to take its toll on the UK economy. As the furlough scheme is phased out, fears remain that unemployment could still shoot up; the BBC reports that the Bank of England expects the unemployment rate to reach around 5.5% in the autumn.
This has a deep impact on our communities, as Jo Evans, the Evangelical Alliance’s advocacy co-ordinator, explains: ‘Work is an intrinsic part of human dignity, and chronic unemployment can lead to depression, addiction, and domestic abuse. Our prayer is that Christian employers would join the dots and view job creation as a way to love their neighbours and a direct outworking of their faith.
‘The church has always responded with compassion and conviction to help those in greatest need. We believe there is an equal role for Christians to play in creating jobs that will help people out of poverty and provide economic stability.’
Most people do not work for huge companies; small businesses, with fewer than 50 employees, account for two-thirds of the UK’s private sector employment, nearly 17 million jobs. If one in three small businesses created one new job it could eliminate unemployment in the UK.
‘Our ultimate prayer is that as God’s people strive to bring hope to many through employment, His character will be revealed and many more will come to know Jesus for themselves,’ says Jo.
