A woman has been charged with arson after a sudden blaze at a small church in Christchurch.

Quincy Jones has formally accepted the nomination to represent the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in the Christ Church East Central constituency for the upcoming general election.

She says she believes they left with members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), claiming the church may have brainwashed them.

The adaptive reuse of churches takes advantage of their grand architecture and heritage features.