Theos Annual Lecture 2024 with Archbishop Justin Welby

Beyond bricks and mortar: the case for building communities - Theos Annual Lecture with Archbishop Justin Welby

We have great pleasure in inviting you, on behalf of Theos and CCLA, to the Theos Annual Lecture 2024, which will be delivered by The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury on Tuesday, 26 November. This year’s lecture will explore the theme of housing.

Complimenting his 2021 Coming Home report, the lecture will be a plea for a more holistic approach to homebuilding, that doesn't simply prioritise profit.

Following the lecture, there will be reflections from activists and policymakers on housing, including Kwajo Tweneboa before Archbishop Justin is interviewed by housing journalist Vicky Spratt.

About the lecture

This year’s lecture will be on the theme of housing. Around eight million people in England are living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable housing, according to a recent report by the National Housing Federation. This number is likely to have risen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Whole sections of our society, including people of all ages, are affected by the housing crisis, but those caught in poverty bear the brunt of this injustice. The scale and consequences of the housing crisis have been further exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is a national scandal.

In response to this crisis, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York commissioned the 'Coming Home' report in 2021. This report sets out vital actions for the Church, Government and other Stakeholders to take with a focus on building better communities and more truly affordable homes, not just houses.

The lecture will explore these themes and more, and include conversation with influencers and stakeholders in housing policy.

About Archbishop Justin Welby

The Most Revd Justin Welby was ordained in 1992 after an 11-year career in the oil industry. He spent his first 15 years serving in Coventry diocese, often in places of significant deprivation. In 2002 he was made a Canon of Coventry Cathedral, where he jointly led its international reconciliation work. During this time he worked extensively in Africa and the Middle East. Archbishop Justin has had a passion for reconciliation and peace-making ever since. He was Dean of Liverpool from 2007 to 2011 and Bishop of Durham from 2011 to 2012, before being announced as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in late 2012.

About Vicky Spratt

Vicky Spratt is an award-winning journalist, author, and housing rights advocate. Her book Tenants was a Financial Times book of the year in 2022. She is a columnist and housing correspondent at The i Paper where her work has seen her nominated for a British Journalism Award and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. In 2017, her campaign succeeded in getting letting fees banned. Since then, she has given evidence in Parliament and been name-checked by ministers on the floor of the House of Commons because of her reporting on homelessness. Her work has contributed to several other major policy changes. Vicky has presented documentaries for Radio 4 and the BBC. She has also regularly appears on flagship news programmes such as Newsnight, the Andrew Marr Show, and BBC News and is a regular contributor to Radio 4, LBC, and the Newsagents podcast. Vicky has also hosted panels and workshops on topics ranging from housing to the economy, from ethical skincare to women in sport for organisations such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Resolution Foundation, and brands such as Nike and the Body Shop.

About Theos

Theos is the UK’s leading religion and society think tank. We exist to tell a better story about Christianity in particular and faith in general, both in the sense of more accurate and honest but also more appealing and attractive. We believe that religious faith is a gift and not a threat, and properly understood has the potential to inform and enrich our societies.

We believe that Christian ideas about human flourishing, honed over many centuries, can help us as a society navigate through some of the most challenging issues of our time.

We are delighted again to partner with CCLA for this lecture. CCLA is the UK’s leading fund manager for charities, faith and public sector organisations with a long history of managing assets for Christian organisations; and, this year, it will be possible for individuals to invest in their newly launched Better World fund. CCLA also provide the Secretariat for the Church Investors Group, that helps Christian investors world-wide develop and implement investment policies based on their faith.

Further details

The event will be held on Tuesday, 26 November, at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP. The venue is accessible. Doors will open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start, and the lecture will be followed by a drinks and canapés reception.

The lecture will not be livestreamed but will be filmed and available to watch following the event. Full information on getting to the venue and access can be found here.

Host or Publisher Theos, sponsored by CCLA