U.K. county orders church to stop street preaching about hell

A church in England said its pastor and members have been threatened with criminal penalties for street preaching. The county of Essex issued a public order against Bread of Life Community Church in November 2025. The church started a legal appeal against the order, according to Christian Legal Centre, which represents the organization. The threats could unlawfully silence preaching of the Gospel, the nonprofit said in a statement on Wednesday. Breaching such an order would be a criminal offense, so the church’s case could widely impact the freedom and expression of religion in the United Kingdom, the Christian Legal Centre added. The church’s appeal will be heard before a local court on May 1.

How does the public order affect the church? The county ordered the church to decrease the noise levels of its preaching. It claimed that the amplification equipment caused a significant disturbance, according to the Christian Legal Centre. But the county’s order additionally alleged that preaching that mentioned hell caused harassment, alarm, and distress to listeners. Essex went so far as to claim the messages had a detrimental effect on the community.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said the order goes down a slippery slope—from regulating noise levels to policing theology. It illegally censored protected religious speech, she said.

What was the church’s argument against the order? Pastor Stephen Clayden said the church’s preaching has been lawful and peaceful. He denied the claims that the preaching was harassing or intimidating. The order mischaracterized Biblical, Christian teachings about hell as intimidation, he said.

He noted that there was no evidence that church activities had badly affected the local community. Instead, the church’s outreach ministries included preaching, singing hymns, and offering food and clothing to those in need. He said the church planned to continue preaching the Gospel.

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