Bread of Life Community Church has been issued with a Community Protection Notice that seeks to control their street evangelism.
What’s at stake?
- Churches and evangelists should be free to spread their life-giving message in public spaces
- The Community Protection Notice (CPN) doesn’t only seek to restrict the church’s use of amplification but the content of its message
- Wardens claimed that biblical teaching about hell would cause “harassment, alarm and distress”
- Warning the public about God’s future judgement should not be conflated with public order offences
- There is a long, fruitful history of street ministry in the United Kingdom – it should be encouraged rather than penalised
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Case overview
Council wardens in Colchester have issued a CPN against Bread of Life prohibiting the church’s use of amplification during its weekly outreach. Breaching the notice is a criminal offence, meaning Pastor Stephen Clayden and his council could face prosecution simply for continuing their long‑standing ministry.
Wardens repeatedly demanded cessation or reduction of amplification despite the current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) containing no prohibition on amplified sound.
Wardens then raised concerns not only about volume, but about the content of the preaching, including theological references to judgment and hell, which the council claimed might distress some listeners.
The church has now formally appealed the notice, and the case will be heard at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 1 May 2026, in a hearing expected to have wide‑ranging implications for freedom of religion and expression in the UK.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Bread of Life Community Church argues that the issue is not disturbance but discomfort with the message itself, something expressly protected under Articles 9 and 10 of the Human Rights Act.
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