Prophet or Provider: The Hook Lecture 2025

Churches are increasingly being called upon to meet the urgent needs in our communities. But how do we balance this important work with the Christian call to be a prophetic voice for change?

Are handouts really the answer? How do we find time while pulling people out of the river, to go upstream and find out who is pushing them in?

For this year's Hook Lecture, we welcome Jon Kuhrt to Leeds to explore our theme: is the church called to be 'Prophet' or 'Provider'?

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Jon Kuhrt is the Chief Executive of Hope into Action, a national Christian charity partnering with churches to provide homes for people who have been homeless.

He has worked with people affected by homelessness for 30 years, and has written a blog for the last 14 years on faith, transformation, and social justice called Grace + Truth. He is particularly interested in how practical social action links to social justice, how it empowers authentic change, and how it maintains a confident Christian distinctiveness.

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The Hook Lecture is an annual public lecture on the ways faith interacts with public life.

It is jointly organised by Leeds Church Institute, Leeds Minster, and the Centre for Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds.

This talk is free of charge and open to everyone. There will be an opportunity for questions from the audience after the talk.

Leeds Minster is wheelchair accessible, with two gender-neutral toilets. A link for live auto-generated subtitles will be provided. We are delighted to confirm that this event will be BSL interpreted throughout by Mark and Anna Smith, experienced professional interpreters.

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