We are very grateful for your time, Nat. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

My father is a Chinese pastor and church-planter. My parents moved over from Hong Kong in the 1970s. I was born here and grew up in London and Milton Keynes. I went to a state school, then Oxford University. From there I went into business and then social enterprise.

More recently, I felt an urge to get involved in social reform. Today I have the joy of being able to do this in the House of Lords and more widely through various networks.

You were instrumental in founding the Shaftesbury Partnership, a practice of professionals dedicated to social reforms. How did this come about?

I spent three years launching Teach First, an educational charity, which recruits talented graduates to teach for two years in inner city schools. I also read about the Christian social reformers in Victorian times and felt a strong affinity with their 'hands-on' vision. So I set up the Shaftesbury Partnership in 2005. As other avenues opened to me, I eventually stood down from the Board, but I am still closely involved.

How did you come to make the move from business to politics?

It had always seemed to me that if you're in government, it's very difficult to make real change on the ground. But politicians have become more interested in what's going on at street level. Three years ago, I was contacted by David Cameron and his team, who were interested in the work I was doing. They wanted to learn how it could apply to their social policy thinking. I was invited to get involved in the House of Lords and to advise them.

Groups like Christian Concern are increasingly vocal against the perceived marginalisation of Christianity today. Others say this is a chance for the Church to get back to the task of evangelism. Where do you stand on that?

The churches in the Book of Acts followed Jesus in a culture where they were the minority. They loved each other, served the poor and the needy, and shared their lives. They lived out the kingdom of God right there, visibly, in the midst of the secular culture of the day.

We need to get back to the original heart of the Church. I see unprecedented openings. Will we as Christians find the desire and harness the opportunity? I sense that an increasing number of Christians, particularly the young, do want this.

Until recently you were the Prime Minister's advisor on 'Big Society'. Perhaps you could unpack this from a Christian standpoint. The Evangelical Alliance has produced a pamphlet, 'Big Society, Kingdom Opportunity'. Is this how you see things?

A door is opening for churches to help to shape this country in a way that hasn't been possible for decades. Ever since the Second World War, people have looked to the government to solve every problem. For centuries, though, local people would come together to sort issues they care about, and the government wants to restore some of this common-sense approach.

Also, the UK has vast assets, far more than the government will ever have, and a lot of it is just sitting there. I have ideas for how people could invest it better, to aid positive social change. They might not get the same return as from a hedge fund, but they could be making a real difference in the local community. This would mean government money could go further and be more strategic.

In the Bible, God rarely chose the powerful to do His will. He usually chose people with few resources but who were ready and humble enough to be used by Him. Some parts of the Church are recognising that they can partner with others and deliver something meaningful, but they doubt they're ready. Yet frequently God called His people to do things when they didn't feel ready. Israel had to leave Egypt with barely the full quota of belongings.

Can you give us any examples of initiatives that Christians have come up with which are making an impact on their wider community?

A vicar in a poor community in the North of England has created a free marriage course. If a couple attends the course and learns about committed relationships, the church arranges the wedding and someone to take the photographs. It saves the couple hundreds of pounds. This encourages people with low income to get married and stay committed, which in turn benefits their children. And through the marriage course, they make friends with Christians from the church and learn right moral foundations for life.

Maybe what's missing in the average church is ideas. You have started various initiatives to get people with entrepreneurial skills into needy situations. Could you tell us more about 'Mission Year'?

The challenge is to reach out beyond the walls of churches and congregations and connect with people. There are Christians out there with ideas and talent. In a church environment, it can be hard for leaders to work out how best to harness a social visionary, because the focus is on routine issues.

In the New Testament churches, many lived together, sharing what they had. Over the last four years I've been exploring ways of enabling capable Christians to live in community together on housing estates in London where the crime and deprivation figures peak. This has become Mission Year.

Some participants continue in their jobs but give evenings and weekends to local projects. Others volunteer full-time in the local community, being discipled as they do so, and giving people a taste of what all-out Christianity is like. Each Mission Year house is strategically attached to a local church, so the participants can see possibilities and draw up programs for that church, which it might not have come up with itself.

Do you see this expanding?

I'm keen to see more Christians try out this more authentic, biblical way of living. Mission Year is an initiative of another body I started, Act Network, which exists to offer these experiences. We hope that participants will feel that this is something they will want to continue in their own locality. For some, the first-hand experience of poverty and deprivation may determine their life's choice: to live in community, to go into politics, business or church leadership, and pursue an agenda of social transformation. These networks aim to attract Christians who can be an army on the ground, working with local churches to make social change happen.

Can you give a few examples of what Mission Year teams are doing?

They have introduced Food Bank schemes to help families with little to eat. They've been working with youth gangs, in partnership with XLP. On one estate, they have set up an orchard with local volunteers, to create a green space. There are clips on the Mission Year website, which show how life-changing the social involvement and the community living have been for participants; a number have chosen to continue for a second year, some indefinitely.

Finally from me, Nat, where does this leave the average Christian reading this interview? How can they contribute to a better society?

I'd have to say, carry on having a personal walk with God, developing godly character. This will make you a strong Christian and a good citizen, who can bless your local community.

Do a serious study of how the first Christians operated in the Book of Acts, and ask God to show you how you and your church can be more radical in mainstream life.

Some may feel, as I did, that they have visionary ideas. They can create a platform for others to act. Have you got ideas for a web-enabled volunteer scheme, for example, or a way to overcome library closures by starting a book-swapping scheme in the church hall?

There's a whole range of opportunities out there. It takes Christians and churches to come forward and innovate, to take a bit of a risk.

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This article was taken from our Jesus Life magazine, and was published in September 2011.

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