The leaders of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches are calling on Christians to use their vote “responsibly” on May 6.

With less than a week to go until the General Election, the Church leaders are urging Christians to read up on the parties’ key policies and vote according to the issues that matter most to them.

The Rev Roberta Rominger, General Secretary of the URC, said: “The General Election on 6 May gives all who are registered and ready to vote an importance and influence that we only enjoy every four or five years. We urge you to use your vote responsibly.

“Think mindfully about the issues that are important to you, take time to consider and discover which parties will best provide solutions you’re comfortable with, and vote accordingly.”

The President of the Methodist Church in Britain, the Rev David Gamble, warned that choosing not to vote in the election would open the door to more extremist elements.

“The Churches’ agenda is to promote justice, equality and freedom for all. By staying away from the polling booth we let people with an agenda of fear and discrimination elect our representatives,” he said.

“We must never forget it was only a few generations ago that women were not permitted to vote in this country, and many Christians overseas live in countries without regular free and fair elections. We do a disservice to those who fought for the vote if we don’t use this opportunity to make our voices heard.”

The three Churches have produced a booklet, Faith in Politics, to help Christians explore key campaign issues, such as immigration and tax.

“We have challenged our members to tackle policy, not personalities,” said the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Rev Jonathan Edwards.

“In the days leading up to the polling day I would encourage all Christians to pray and reflect on what we want the next local and national governments to achieve, and to vote to make it happen on 6 May.”

Last night’s final leaders’ debate saw Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg hurl shots at one another over spending cuts, banking reform and immigration among other issues.

Cameron emerged as the clear winner of the debate in all but one of the polls, with Brown trailing in third place.