Will Christian unity take a big leap forward in 2026?

In a world full of division, calls for Christian unity are ever-present. In early 2025, following the resignation of Most Rev Justin Welby, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, acknowledged the “deep and systemic challenges” facing the Church of England specifically, including “profound and conscientious disagreement” over sexuality.

The pioneer of Alpha, Nicky Gumbel, has long been an advocate of building bridges between denominations, deliberately sharing a stage with Pentecostal, Catholic and Orthodox leaders. Speaking at a past leadership conference, Gumbel was clear: “There’s something powerful about unity,” he said. “But it’s not easy – humanity has been struggling with it since the beginning of time.”

Yet, as we enter a new year, it does seem that some positive – and perhaps unlikely – strides forward are being taken. 

On Sunday 11 January, Premier Christian Radio and UCB will run a joint day of prayer across their radio stations. At 12pm, both stations will break from regular programming to broadcast the Lord’s Prayer across their networks, inviting listeners to pause and pray.

Prayer on the airwaves 

UCB’s David L’Herroux explains that the collaboration with Premier grew from reflecting on the “prayer of agreement” in Matthew 18:19 and what might happen if believers practised it together.

“[Jesus] says, ‘truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven’. After sharing the idea with my colleagues, we wanted to create something that unites believers in a simple and yet profound way.” 

As the two largest Christian radio stations in the UK, Premier Christian Radio and UCB could be perceived as competitors but the two have enjoyed a close relationship behind the scenes for many years.  

As Premier’s CEO Kevin Bennett put it: “We wanted to partner with UCB, firstly, because they’re good friends and co-labourers in broadcast ministry. This just seemed like a really wonderful way of blessing the nation together.”

The timing is deliberate. Early January is a moment when many feel both reflective and low. UCB and Premier hope the shared act of saying the Lord’s Prayer will offer something grounding.

“At the beginning of the year…we want to help people rekindle something deep. For the older generations, it might even remind them of their time at school assembly…It’s about creating a sense of unity, bringing us back to the art of prayer which was very much in the life of Christ,” L’Herroux explained.

This same emphasis on ‘co-labouring’ has also been acknowledged recently by two of the country’s largest Pentecostal networks. 

Leaders from Elim Pentecostal Church and Assemblies of God came together last month for shared prayer gatherings, signalling a renewed cooperation and pursuit of new areas of connection.

Elim’s superintendent, Mark Pugh, described the denominations as “sister movements,” adding that “the tangible sense of being family was so evident.”

Stuart Blount, Elim’s director of ministry, told Premier Christianity their gathering was marked by a “fresh enthusiasm to see how we can work together for the greater mission of reaching our nation for Jesus”.

Trust not tension

And there’s more. Two prominent student ministries Fusion and UCCF are also marking a new season of friendship with a joint prayer campaign of their own.

Writing for premierchristianity.com, Fusion’s national team leader, Luke Smith, explained how his organisation and UCCF have struck up a new friendship. 

Both ministries have worked in the same fields for decades: students, universities, evangelism, discipleship. But as Smith put it: “The reality is that the history between Fusion and UCCF has been difficult. We haven’t seen eye to eye…It has been, at times, territorial. Our differences divided us.”

Some of these differences were theological, Smith said. Some were stylistic, or simply cultural. But underneath it all was a lack of relationship. “We didn’t understand each other. When you don’t know someone, it’s very hard to trust them.”

The future looks like friendship 

That began to change only when leaders from both sides sat down together. “I didn’t know what I would find. But what I found there was humility and warmth.”

Those conversations began to build understanding. “When you make a habit of sitting around the table with those you once viewed with suspicion, you begin to see how similar we all are underneath it all. Same heart. Made in the image of the same God. Driven by the same desire to see students come home to Jesus,” said Smith.

“The future looks like friendship. That friendship has revealed what was true from the start: Fusion and UCCF are co-labourers in the same kingdom.” 

Against this backdrop, UCCF and Fusion have formed a prayer partnership along with other student mission organisations. On Saturday 30 January ‘Do it again’ will see up to 30 cities across the UK praying the same prayer in the same hour, contending for revival in our universities (doitagainprayer.org).

UCCF’s CEO, Matt Lillicrap, said spiritual openness on campus is already palpable, what’s required now is shared labour. “Much has been said about the spiritual hunger of today’s students. They’re profoundly open to encountering Jesus. So, we don’t need to do anything different: keep throwing out the nets. But this catch needs friends to help haul it in. That’s just one reason I’m rejoicing that we can stand together in prayer as we cry out ‘Jesus is Lord’ and invite every student to follow him.”

Where unity is spoken of in the Church, it is often hypothetical – a hope for togetherness across denominations, races and cultures, or theological differences. But these partnerships are an example of how it can truly come to fruition. 

All initiatives recognise that unity does not require the absence of difference; instead, they are promoting the kingdom power found in relationship despite it. What’s more, these organisations say they are no longer ‘partners’. They’re friends.