18th December 2006

St. John’s Blackpool and Liberty Church

Church Society Trust are one of the patrons of St. John’s Church, Blackpool. St. John’s premises in the centre of Blackpool have been recently redeveloped to allow rooms to be let for community purposes. It appears that in order to fund this enterprise the PCC of St. John’s Church sought money from secular bodies with conditions attached, in particular that in letting the premises they should not, in the eyes of those making the grants, discriminate on certain grounds.

The rooms owned by St. John’s are now being let for various purposes one of which is for use by Liberty Church a ministry self-consciously aimed at those who consider themselves to be homosexual. Liberty Church does not appear to teach what God has revealed in His Word that sexual intercourse belongs solely within the lifelong union of marriage between a man and woman. As such it is deceiving people and leading them to destruction.

Church Society Trust as one of the Patrons of St. John’s has protested against this use of the buildings and requested the PCC to dissociate from Liberty Church and terminate the letting. The PCC has declined to do this.

We have no wish to discriminate against those who believe themselves, rightly or wrongly, to be of a homosexual orientation. However, we do wish to uphold the standards of conduct and teaching set out in Holy Scripture.

We believe that St. John’s PCC is therefore failing to uphold Biblical standards. This case also highlights the folly of churches seeking secular funding where unrighteous conditions are imposed.

David Phillips
Secretary, Church Society Trust
On behalf of the Directors of Church Society Trust
December 2006