Listening to civic leaders, joined up thinking and telling the story of our churches in London
A Huge Opportunity
The London Movement Summit 2025, held on 14th October at St Paul’s Hammersmith, was a landmark gathering bringing together over 200 leaders from churches, charities, and civic organisations representing every London borough. Organised by the Movement for Recovery and hosted by Andy Frost and Catherine Healey, this event embodied unity, purpose, and action. The summit’s vision was clear: to explore how faith and civic sectors can work more effectively together for the wellbeing of the city.
The theme of the summit, “Mapping London Together”, reflected a shared aspiration — to understand the city’s needs and assets more deeply, and to amplify the Church’s contribution to the common good. Throughout the day, participants engaged with keynote speakers, artistic reflections, data-driven presentations, and borough-level discussions that bridged insight and inspiration.
“This event is not political; it’s about people from every borough, every background, working together for the good of our city.” – Andy Frost
Read the full Summit Report here
Aims of the Day
The summit’s programme centred around three guiding aims:
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- To help civic and church sectors understand how they can better collaborate for the sake of the city.
- To explore the potential to map London in terms of need and what the Church is already delivering in public service.
- To highlight the work of local churches and unity groups across the capital as they serve their communities.
These aims set the framework for the day, shaping plenary talks, breakout sessions, and reflections that emphasised both strategy and story.
Incredible Services and Big needs
Roger Sutton (CEO, Gather Movement) illustrated how the Church, as one of the UK’s most deeply embedded social networks, plays a crucial role in addressing need and nurturing community resilience.
“The Church is one of the UK’s most powerful networks of love and service. When we connect that to civic strategy, transformation follows.”
Derek Holl (Jubilee Church, Bromley) and Mark Cowling (Movement for Recovery) presented the pioneering Bromley Mapping Project. Their research showed that churches run 921 community services and 180 of those initiatives serve children, youth, families, and those facing mental health challenges. The project demonstrated how data can reveal both the scope and potential of church-based service delivery.
“The strength of churches lies in their relationships — they reach into communities where councils often can’t go. That’s partnership at its best.” – Charles Obazuaye, Assistant Chief Executive, Bromley Council
The mid-morning session shifted to the citywide picture, with three key civic leaders sharing their perspectives:
Superintendent Angela Gentry (Metropolitan Police), Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard (Deputy Mayor for London), Professor Nick Harding OBE (Royal Society of Public Health) who shared the complexities and challenges of building safe, healthy and thriving communities in the city, emphasising the need for relational partnership and trust. We really saw the need to listen well to our civic leaders and appreciate the wisdom and insight they offer as we seek to serve our communities.
Participants reflected that the talks offered both realism and hope — a recognition that the capital’s biggest challenges can only be solved through shared effort.
“The police can’t do it alone, the NHS can’t do it alone, and the Church can’t do it alone. But together, we might just get there.” – Delegate reflection
The Challenge to Invite
Short keynotes and discussion times gave space for a deeper look at specific issues in the city. Safe Families & Home for Good led a session on Social Action, unity group leaders from across London shared on Partnerships that Work and National Academy for Social Prescribing shared how the church can partner with the NHS on Social Prescribing.
“Belonging changes everything. The Church exists to ensure no one is left unseen, unloved, or unsupported.” – Tania Bright
Breakout Discussion in boroughs revealed a dynamic landscape of ideas and action points including mapping in more boroughs, practical plans for engaging with civic systems, identifying shared challenges of funding and volunteer fatigue and the need for visible unity. Some Hub leaders were amazed to see the reach of the church, especially with young families, and admitted they had never thought of working with the churches before.
“The Church is the glue that holds many communities together. Our buildings and people are already there – now we must connect them strategically.” – Delegate, Ealing
The summit was interwoven with powerful artistic moments that gave emotional depth and pause to the day’s discussions. Poetry and spoken word by Naimoi Hutchinson and Ty’rone Haughton brought the human heartbeat of the movement to life, reminding attendees that transformation begins not only with policy or data, but with empathy and imagination.
Mapping More Boroughs, and more…
The closing session invited reflection and action. Delegates committed to concrete next steps:
– Develop Borough Mapping Frameworks with Gather Movement support.
– Host Local Faith–Civic Summits to continue dialogue and planning.
– Appoint Borough Champions to coordinate mapping and partnership.
– Share Data and Stories to highlight impact and invite support.
– Continue in Prayer and Presence, keeping compassion at the movement’s core.
“This event felt like the culmination of years of relationship building, prayer and dreaming about what could happen if church and civic worked more collaboratively.” – Andy Frost
It was a really catalytic moment where we were able to see the disproportionately positive impact which can happen when we collaborate. We’re excited to see so many boroughs taking up the idea of mapping as a next step. We believe the ideas that each borough identified will start a powerful connection between the churches and civic systems for the sake of London.
If you want to find out more about Your City, Your Summit, visit our Summit Page for more information.
