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Urban Affairs

The Church of England is urbanised and urbanising. As a national Church the Church of England maintains a presence through the parish system in every community. That presence enables the church to engage with the lives of our towns and cities in both rich and poor neighbourhoods. Urban Mission has its roots in the cities of the industrial revolution when the challenge of crowded new areas of population led to the creation of new parishes, the building of churches, as well as the development of new forms of engagement in the lives of the community. New work was particularly apparent in the university settlement, religious communities and the work of the Church Army. In the twentieth century the development of industrial mission and local project work enabled the church to understand and meet better the needs of many in industrial and poor communities.