Sharing God's love or meeting government goals? Local churches and public policy implementation

Set within the context of the growing expectations on faith organisations in the UK to be involved in public policy implementation, this article considers the capacity of churches to contribute to implementation of the twin public policy themes of delivering public services and encouraging community engagement. Building on an empirical study, it suggests that churches can make an important contribution to the implementation of the twin policy agenda but that their theological underpinnings and organisational characteristics also raise questions about their suitability to play a major role in public policy implementation. The implications of the findings for the broader 'faith communities' policy agenda are discussed.