Page 50 - 3.faith-ministry

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One respondent outlined the prevalence of blasphemy and an ignorance of the
meaning of true faith within the service.

Question 16 - How would you define faith ministry?

This question is entirely subjective and the responses are therefore extremely varied.

Faith ministry was described as in general terms as offering practical and spiritual
support, advice and welfare care in line with scripture, assisting and guiding people
to make faith based decisions, and being a listener and someone who understands
others. Ministry was likewise about being a witness, an example, a good Samaritan,
a living expression of Christ’s life within, and having an outward looking personal
commitment to demonstrating faith to others. It is about living and walking the faith
one believes in. Ministry is viewed as a service, concerned with reaching out to
others with the Good News, listening without judging, and helping people understand
their faith, and its values. Ministry is about interpreting scripture and religious reading
materials.

A multi-faith or ecumenical perspective was highlighted with ministry seen as
encompassing all faith groups by allowing the different faiths to come together, and
providing an opportunity for faith development and sharing.

A theological understanding of ministry is also apparent in that ministry was seen as
being about the development of the whole person, about the spirit of God being
placed within us, rooted in prayer and a personal relationship with God. Ministry was
also identified as a charism, about being more about having the right gifts rather than
simply fulfilling a role. A concern was raised that ministry should not be too
aggressively evangelical.

Question 17 - How could faith support within the police service be improved?

The responses to this question again were varied but some key themes did emerge.

Support for Christians – It was felt there should be more recognition for Christian
staff, and that opportunities could be provided to allow those of faith to speak with
each other. Better links with the CPA could be established, and chaplaincy could be
extended to include non-conformist Christian leaders with a view to establishing a
dialogue to ascertain how they can help the police service achieve its aims. It was
suggested that as a faith Christianity is currently overlooked by the service in favour
of the needs of those of Islamic faith. The CPA prayer chain could be better
advertised.

Support for Other Faith Groups – In contrast to the above it was suggested that the
constabulary has a Christian bias and needs to be more open to faiths other than
Christianity. Faith groups should likewise be given greater prominence.

Awareness – A significant proportion of respondents highlighted the issue of a lack
of awareness of existing faith support mechanism. It was suggested that a better
education or awareness of faith support needs to be fostered, and the mechanisms
of faith support need to be better co-ordinated. Better advertising for faith support is