Faith in the City is a landmark research and engagement programme - delivered in partnership with the City of London Corporation - to understand the faith and belief needs of the Square Mile and put forward ideas for the future.

The City of London has a unique community with unique faith and belief perspectives and needs. In addition to its 8,600 residents, the City community encompasses 678,000 workers – drawn from diverse communities across London, the UK and around the world. City workplaces are eager to support staff of all faiths, and rely on a wider ecosystem and community to do so. 

As the historic centre of the capital, the Square Mile is home to 42 churches and the oldest operational synagogue in the UK. However, the extent to which these meet the needs of the modern City community needs to be explored. In particular, how can the Square Mile meet the needs of a wider variety of faiths? 

Larger City businesses often have their own faith networks – including groups for individual faiths. Their prevalence and the support they receive needs to be explored. We aim to increase the confidence with which corporate leaders feel able to deal with faith matters – identifying challenges and opportunities for improved support and information. This work will also support the City of London Corporation in the development of City Belonging Networks for faith groups across the Square Mile. 

Crucially, this project will put forward and consult on potential options for future provision. University campuses, Canary Wharf, Heathrow Airport and others have multifaith chaplaincy provision, including physical premises. As one of the largest and most international business centres in the world, it is hoped to learn from best practice globally and create world-leading solutions that match the needs of our community. 

The programme will be launched at a breakfast event at Mansion House, the home of the Lord Mayor of London, on 3rd February. Details of which will be circulated shortly. 

The Faith in the City programme is being delivered in partnership with the City of London Corporation through its City Belonging Project initiative - and has been funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund.

How can you and your organisation get involved?

  • Host a focus group. We are looking for premises to host physical focus groups for up to fifteen people to explore issues related to this study.

  • Share the Faith in the City survey. We want to ensure maximum uptake of our quantitative survey, to gain the most accurate snapshot of religious life in the Square Mile as possible.

  • Arrange an informal call. The Faith and the City team would be delighted to hold an informal call online with members of your staff networks to discuss their perspectives and needs.

  • Attend the launch event on 3rd February at Mansion House, 8am to 10am. Each workplace will be asked to send representatives to our launch event, which may include senior leaders and those from faith networks.

Meet the Co-Convenors

  • Sughra Ahmed

    Sughra works at the nexus of academia, policy and communities, specialising in religion, culture and community development. Previously she was Associate Dean at Stanford University, is a Yale Greenberg World Fellow and now delivers the cultural strategy for the city of Peterborough.

  • Rabbi Alex Goldberg

    Alex has a career in community development in the public, private and voluntary sectors, fostering inclusive communities across Europe, most recently as Dean of Religious Life at the University of Surrey, a UN Faith4Rights Executive Group member, Oxford University tutor and Inaugural Co-Chair of the Faiths Forum for London. 

  • Michael Wakelin

    Michael is Executive Chair of the Religion Media Centre, Executive Producer at TBI Media and a founding partner of the Religion and Belief Literacy Partnership. He was formerly Head of Religion at the BBC, and is one of two Christian Advisors to the Football Association and is Chair of the Reckitt Trust.