Open letter to UK Government

Join the 73 Ministers and 35 Supporters who have already signed. Add your support below.

The ‘Conversion Practices’ Draft Bill was published in June 2026, and a call for evidence was issued on 26th October 2026. The Bill represents a grave threat to Christian churches and their ministry, and to Christian families. Its vague and poorly defined language would make the teaching of normal, historic Christian doctrine and ethics on marriage, family, sex and morality a criminal offence. If passed into law it would inevitably lead to parents, churches and church leaders being made criminals for ordinary conversations expressing an orthodox Christian view of marriage and sex. It effectively establishes a speech crime of expressing views contrary to LGBTQ+ ideology. The Bill’s backers have been clear that they want the normal views of mainstream Christian churches to be criminalised.

The letter below has been written by the Greater Love group of Clergy, Ministers, Pastors and Pastoral workers. We invite anyone working in Church ministry in one of those capacities to add their names to the letter as a signatory.

If you are not currently working in church ministry then you may also sign as a ‘supporter’.

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Dear Minister for Equalities

We are clergy, ministers, pastors and pastoral workers from a wide range of Christian churches. We hold in common that we are faithful to the historic, universal Christian understanding of marriage, human nature and sexual ethics.

We are dismayed and baffled by the draft Bill on so-called ‘conversion practices’ currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny. None of our churches would ever condone abusive practices of the kind which advocates for this bill have implied take place in Christian churches, and which are thankfully already illegal. Nevertheless, as drafted this bill would criminalise normal, healthy Christian ministry, along with normal, responsible Christian parenting.

Because of its very high view of the value of human beings and God’s design for the human body, Christianity has always taught the goodness of marriage (the sexually-faithful union of one man and one woman for life), its importance for family life, and the moral duty to keep sexual intimacy for marriage. Christianity has also understood, along with almost all people throughout history, that sex cannot be changed. These Christian teachings are very good and are more needed than ever in our day of vast family breakdown and ever-growing mental health problems among the young. Christianity has always taught, following the words of Jesus himself, that it is in denial of self for the sake of God and others, not in fulfilling the desires of the self, that people are able truly to flourish. 

For two millennia Christians have found these things to be gloriously true. Yet for Christian ministers to teach them to their congregations, and for Christian parents to teach them to their children, would inevitably be interpreted by some as attempts to ‘change’ their ‘orientation’ or ‘identity’.The Bill creates a speech crime, and those who teach mainstream, historic Christian doctrine would inevitably be judged guilty of it. Needless to say, we will not cease to fulfil our duty to God to teach his ways faithfully, even if an unjust law should make us criminals for doing so.

Conversion is a core Christian concept which describes turning, in obedience to Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, from self, sin and pride to humble trust in God. By appropriating this Christian language as a label for an ill-defined and wide-ranging criminal offence, the draft Bill is not only grossly offensive to Christians but will inevitably catch genuine, faithful, historic Christian ministry and Christian parenting in its scope. Indeed, it seems designed to do so.

The Bill appears to be motivated by assumptions about Christian ministry which are unrecognisable to us. We are unaware that any attempt has been made in drafting this Bill to speak to leaders of normal, orthodox Christian churches. The result is that responsible Christian parents and pastors will be criminalised by the draft Bill, in direct violation of human rights law on family life, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. We urgently request that you abandon this Bill, and that you meet with us to gain a better understanding of historic Christian teaching, to avoid a disastrous legislative misstep.  

Yours faithfully,

Revd Dr Thomas Brand  (Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches)

Revd Ray Brown (Baptist)

Revd Clare Hendry (Church of England)

Dr Julie Maxwell  (Church of England)

Revd Dr Ian Paul  (Church of England)

Revd Dr Matthew Roberts  (International Presbyterian Church)

Revd Tim Vasby-Burnie (Church of England)

Of the Greater Love Writing Group

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Names of signatories and their churches will not be published by us online. They will be provided to the government along with this letter. We do not expect that the government will themselves publish this information and that has not been normal practice in the past, but signatories should be aware that it could choose to do so.  

Clergy, Ministers, Pastors and Pastoral Workers in church settings are invited to sign. If you don’t fall into one of these categories, you may add your name as a supporter.

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