Our schools are being targeted and exploited by evangelical groups as part of their missionary work.
We help parents challenge these attempts at indoctrination.
The legal obligation on all state schools to provide a daily act of worship provides a foot in the door to organisations with evangelistic intentions.
The ambiguity about the specific aims and purpose of religious education, and its low status in schools, also creates an ideal environment for evangelical groups to exploit.
- In our survey of 300 schools, only 16% of schools had a policy or policies concerning the partisan promotion of religious or political beliefs by external speakers.
- No policies of schools surveyed requires parents to be informed of visitors in advance, and no policies clearly prohibited religious proselytising.
Schools which invite external evangelists may have good intentions, but are often unaware of the group's agenda and unprepared to set appropriate boundaries. Our research has found only a minority of schools have adequate policies in place to ensure inappropriate evangelism doesn't take place. Meanwhile, parents are too often not informed of the visits of the backgrounds of evangelical groups.
External groups can make a valuable educational contribution to schools. With the right boundaries in place, staff and parents can be assured of no inappropriate proselytising.
Take action!
1. Challenge inappropriate evangelism in your school
Is evangelism happening at your school? Read our guide to challenging proselytisation.
2. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to support a code of practice so external groups can contribution to schools without evangelism or proselytization.
3. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
4. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Suspect fundraising methods of evangelical church under spotlight again
Posted: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 15:16
The head of the UK fundraising watchdog has demanded a meeting with the British leaders of a Brazil-based evangelical church after an investigation uncovered complaints about its fundraising activities dating back to 2009.
According to an investigation by The Times newspaper, the Fundraising Standards Board is investigating complaints that the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), conducted street collections in London without a licence.
There have also been "dozens of complaints" to the Charity Commission that UCKG doesn't always make clear when asking for money that it is a church – and has even sometimes used the logos of other charities. There was also a failure to explain what they intended to do with the money.
According to the article, members of the UCKG went house-to-house raising funds at Christmas claiming it was to "keep the church doors open". But accounts filed last month showed that the church has £2.7 million in the bank. Globally it is worth hundreds of millions of pounds – one of the wealthiest evangelical churches in the world.
The Times says the British arm of UCKG has sent hundreds of thousands of pounds to Brazil to help to build an "exact replica" of the biblical temple of Solomon at a cost of £130 million.
The church's founder, Edir Macedo, was cleared of fraud and corruption charges and is thought to be one of Latin America's richest men.
The Times reports that over Christmas fundraisers were found inside branches of Marks & Spencer and Tesco collecting donations or packing bags for money, although both supermarket chains said that the activities contravened their rules.
Tesco issued a statement saying: "We have a long history of working with local charities to fundraise in our stores. In this case, the community voiced strong concerns about the UCKG, so we have removed them from our list of approved groups".
The Times writes: "UCKG was set up by the self-appointed "Bishop" Macedo in 1977 and has expanded rapidly across Europe, Africa and North America. Critics have accused it of preying on the vulnerable by encouraging members living in poverty to donate what little they have and then using the cash to invest in property. The Church insists that it offers solace to the poor and puts forward its outreach work as an example of the good it does".
A previous Times investigation in 2010 highlighted the UCKG's activities in Britain and found that it was encouraging its members into debt in order to donate to the Church.
In 2010, the Church benefited from more than £8 million in taxpayer subsidy through the Gift Aid scheme.
The UCKG confirmed to the paper that it holds an annual fundraising drive in December and said that its members were carefully trained to observe UK laws before going out fundraising.
It said that it obtained permits to raise money, that bag packing was done by agreement with shop managers and that funds were needed to improve its Finsbury Park venue, but declined to comment on reserves held.
Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "We have seen numerous exposés of this church and its dubious financial activities but the Charity Commission seems reluctant to act, despite all the complaints. It is time that UCKG was made to demonstrate and prove it has public benefit. Otherwise how can taxpayers be sure that their contribution of millions of pounds through Gift Aid is to a bona fide charity and not to a scam? Let us hope that the Fundraising Standards Board has a more robust approach – although it has no teeth and as a self-regulating body few sanctions that would worry the UCKG".
School takes action to combat evangelism from external religious visitors
Posted: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 12:25
The board of governors of a community school in Sheffield has voted to strengthen its existing policy on religious visitors following concerns about the agenda of external visitors to the school.
All religious visitors will now be expected to abide by a code of conduct which expressly prohibits prosetelysing or the repeating of religious phrases.
The move follows a lengthy dialogue with school concerning the "long-standing relationship" the school had with the evangelical Christ Church Fulwood, and its role in school activities.
The school's new policy states that no faith, or non-faith (eg. humanist) group will be allowed in to the school more than once in any academic year. Christ Church Fulwood will be still be able to visit the school to lead 'collective worship' once a year in place of the current 6-8 times a year.
The school will continue to provide a 'broadly Christian' worship (as required by law), but this will be provided by school staff in most cases. The school has also made firm commitments to balance the attendance of Church of England Christian faith groups by having Jewish, Muslim and Quaker attendees once a year too.
The school has issued a letter to all parents making clear that the school is a non-faith school and that no special relationship will exist with any Church.
Saul Freeman, a parent with a child at the school, said: "We are very pleased that the school has now adopted an objective, equitable and transparent policy on religious visitors and that an evangelical church will no longer enjoy such easy access to children. But we remain very concerned that the issue had to be pursued at the level of the school. All children, particularly in non-faith schools, should be protected from religious groups seeking to gain influence and converts. This should be a clear and transparent matter of educational policy to ensure that the rights of all children are respected."
Mr Freeman has been invited to a meeting with the Director of the Local Education Authority to discuss what lessons can be learned. Mr Freeman said he will press the LEA to issue clear guidance on external visitors to Sheffield schools.
Saul Freeman's experience with the school was featured in a recent National Secular Society report on evangelism in schools, which called the role of external religious visitors in schools into question.
Responding to the report, Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, ruled out national guidance, saying schools should be "trusted to observe best practice". She said parents with concerns should raise them with the school and with Ofsted.
Stephen Evans, campaigns manager at the National Secular Society, said: "We commend the school for taking the necessary steps to try and ensure that the education they provide does not run counter to parents' religious and philosophical beliefs. We hope other schools and local authorities will now question the appropriateness of allowing their schools to be used to further the missionary objectives of religious groups.
"We also congratulate the parents for raising this issue with the school. For too long parents have put up with religion being imposed upon their children, against their wishes. The rights and wishes of all parents are best balanced by schools providing objective education about religion and belief in a religiously neutral environment.
The National Secular Society's report, Evangelism in Schools, can be read here.
More information
Evangelism In State Schools report (PDF, 493 Kb)Read our 2013 report on the activities of evangelical organisations in state schools.
