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07 October 2013

Press release

Protestant work ethic is alive and well

Evangelical Christians are hard workers, with many working long hours. Some 37 per cent of them work more than 40 hours per week – rising to over 50 per cent among men; and seven per cent work more than 60 hours.

Some 35 per cent regularly bring work home with them, and only 59 per cent feel they achieve a good work life/private life balance (compared to 67 per cent of civil servants). Just over half (53 per cent) feel they have an acceptable workload – a lower proportion than the 61 per cent of civil servants.

Working faithfully? – the latest research report by the Evangelical Alliance – also found that evangelicals are very committed to their jobs, with 47 per cent having been in their job for more than 10 years and 27 per cent of these for more than 20 years. Some 62 per cent have never been made redundant or lost their job.

Evangelicals enjoy the work they do ­– 93 per cent are interested in their work, and 84 per cent feel valued for the work they do (compared to 59 per cent of civil servants). Only 11 per cent often get bored and fed up with their work.

For evangelical Christians, feeling fulfilled and helping others are more important factors in a job than making money – only 22 per cent said a good rate of pay was very important to them when looking for a job. Sixty-nine per cent feel a strong sense of calling to the work they do, and 59 per cent said an opportunity to serve and help others in their work was very important to them.

Evangelicals also care about unemployment, with 82 per cent saying that the government should do better to ensure there are enough decent jobs for those who want to work. Three-quarters agreed that the law should be changed to ensure everyone receives a living wage.

It was Evangelical Alliance member organisation the Salvation Army who opened the nation's first ever Labour Exchange in 1890. Now 40 per cent of evangelicals say their church offers practical support to unemployed people in the community, and churches across the country are running innovative projects to help people into work.

One example is Glenwood Faith Community, set up by Glenwood Church, Cardiff, which runs Vocate. Vocate offers a range of internships and apprenticeship programmes, one-to-one mentoring schemes and volunteering opportunities to members of the community.

John Kirby, founder of Christians Against Poverty said "This year Christians Against Poverty has launched its new CAP Job Clubs initiative, making it easier for churches to help people practically by giving them the skills and confidence to find employment."

Media Enquiries

Daniel Webster - info@eauk.org

020 7520 3830 or 07766 444 650

Notes to Editors

21st Century Evangelicals
21st Century Evangelicals is a series of research booklets produced by the following group of organisations: Care, Christians Against Poverty, Compassion UK, CWR, Evangelical Alliance, Mission Aviation Fellowship, Open Doors, Prospects and Wycliffe Bible Translators. Its purpose is to study the beliefs, habits and practices of evangelical Christians in the UK.  In January 2011 the first publication of 21st Century Evangelicals was a groundbreaking survey of more than 17,000 respondents. The follow-up surveys will help us move forward and delve deeper in to understanding more fully the beliefs and practices at the heart of evangelicalism.

Previous issues in the series are: A snapshot of the beliefs and habits of evangelical Christians in the UK, Does belief touch our society?, Are we communicating?, The World on our doorstep?, How's the family?, Does money matter?, Confidently sharing the gospel?, Do we value education? and Life in the church?

The Evangelical Alliance
We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK's two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society.

We're here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it's celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society.

From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, more than 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.