From Social Service to Missional Community

From Social Service to Missional Community

One thing I am deeply passionate about is the Christian faith expressing itself in action. Unsurprisingly, having been connected with The Salvation Army my whole life, this brand of Christianity with its sleeves rolled up—saving souls, growing saints, serving suffering humanity, while loving God and loving others—really appeals to me. It’s in my DNA, in my blood, part of who I am.

As The Salvation Army now explores its Global Strategic Framework, I find myself asking: how can I best impact People, Mission, and Legacy? Where is my compass pointing?

Recently, I reflected on three practical steps that The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom could take to enhance its missional impact in homelessness services:

1. Every homelessness service should be linked to a local Salvation Army worshipping community.
2. Every homelessness service should have a full-time chaplain, and service managers should be Christians.
3. Where possible, co-locate services and corps (churches).

These steps are a good start, but I believe God is calling us to go further. The question is not simply how we deliver services, but how we move from social services to missional communities.

Because here’s the challenge: the social services model often treats homelessness as a problem to “fix.” People are processed, supported, and moved on. But the gospel compels us to something deeper. We are not called to “fix” people—we are called to be with them, live with them, do with them, and seek holistic transformation of the whole person in Jesus.

This vision connects directly to The Salvation Army’s 1,000 voices strategy for homelessness services. Here are four steps that I am convinced could help us make that shift:

1. End the use of large Lifehouses (hostels) and focus on community living

Large hostels too often create institutionalisation. Instead, we should prioritise smaller, relationally based models of supported housing: Housing First, floating support, Malachi Homes. Community, not institutions, must be our future.

2. Strengthen local oversight by corps and divisions

Homelessness services should not sit apart from the church. Corps (local churches) and divisional (regional) leadership need to be deeply engaged, recognising that journeying alongside others is not just the job of “professionals” but the calling of every Christian.

3. Increase missional communities and authentic relationships

The focus cannot only be on “move on.” The goal must be embedding people into communities where they build lasting relationships and support networks. Transformation happens when people belong.

4. Make everything about grace and embrace

My mantra for life; grace and embrace. At the heart of all our work is grace. Everything we do must reflect the compassion of Jesus, pointing to the fullness of life with him. Let us be unashamed of who we are and why we do what we do.

Where does this come from?

This conviction doesn’t come from theory alone. It comes from almost twenty years of working in health and social care, a decade working in homelessness services, and—over the past two years—the humbling experience of being a user of some social care services myself.

I have seen systems that are broken. I have seen how people no longer seem to matter. I have seen how many fall through the gaps.

But I am convinced that The Salvation Army is uniquely placed to step up and step in. Not because we should simply plug the holes of statutory services, but because we have something different to offer: hope, community, and the transforming love of Jesus.

This is not about integrating mission as a side project into services. It is about partnering in mission together, in new ways of living and serving as missional communities.

I am convinced missional communities are the way forward. If we want to see lives transformed and communities renewed, we need to reduce our reliance on a social services model and rediscover who we are: a movement raised up by God, called to love, serve, and share Jesus in the most practical and transformative ways possible.

The compass is pointing clearly. The question is, are we ready to follow it? If yes, let’s go and do something!