Mission Service

Family Ministries

A mother holding her child in a Salvation Army church congregation

Support, training and resources to inspire families and individuals to flourish and develop in their faith journey.

The Family Ministries Unit exists to empower, equip and enable people of all ages to journey together, building appropriate relationships with others, having the intention of bringing them to faith in Christ and spiritual maturity.

We promote a God-given understanding of family, recognising that everyone has value, belongs to the family of God and that we have a responsibility to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We have expertise in a wide variety of areas, including:

Women’s ministry
Men’s ministry
Intergenerational ministry
Helping-Hand Appeal
Faith at home and parenting
Toddler groups and toddler church
Domestic abuse response

Please get in touch if you need support with your family ministry programme. We would love to work with you.

Family ministries with children, adults, everyone!

Meet the team

Major David Betteridge, Director of Family Ministries
Liz Hall, Deputy Director of Family Ministries
Deborah Juster, Assistant Director of Family Ministries
Rachel Gotobed, Family Ministries Outreach Mission Partner

Contact details

Address: Family Ministries Unit, The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
Email: familyministries@salvationarmy.org.uk
Facebook: Family Ministries
Twitter: Salvation Army Family Ministries
Instagram: UKIT Family Ministries
Web: salvationarmy.org.uk/families

Family Ministries is excited to be partnering the Centre for Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds to commission two PhD research projects to inform and develop Salvation Army practice and response. Please consider how you might get involved.

Parent-and-toddler groups research

Major Andrea Still

Corps Officer, Mirfield

Major Andrea Still brings more than 30 years of ministry experience, mainly in areas of deprivation, to this research project.

Parent-and-toddler groups are the highest attended mid-week Salvation Army programmes in the territory, therefore, the opportunity to impact and influence families in terms of their physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing cannot be ignored.

Andrea pinpoints journeying with families as central to her ministry. She is also determined to hear what she calls the ‘hidden voices from the local’ in the Army’s quest to provide relevant resources and encourage psychologically-informed environments.

This project is an exciting opportunity for the Army to contribute to the ever-evolving body of research into changing church paradigms, intergenerational family ministry, the holistic wellbeing of families, and toddler spirituality. It is hoped that this relevant and specific evidence-based research will enable the Army and the wider Church to better understand the significant value and mission opportunities parent-and-toddler groups bring.

Andrea comments: ‘Saying “It’s just the toddler group” doesn’t do justice to the amazing work corps and churches are doing as they support families and share Jesus with them. I hope my research will highlight where lives are being transformed and families are becoming participants in the Kingdom of God, rather than just consumers of community programmes, and that it will also reveal what we can learn from their experiences.’

For more information email: familyministries@salvationarmy.org.uk

Domestic abuse research

Amy Quinn-Graham

Action Researcher, THQ

PhD thesis: The Salvation Army’s role in responding to domestic violence and abuse: a unique, safe and effective survivor-centred approach

Domestic violence and abuse, whether physical, psychological, emotional, sexual or financial, affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in the UK.¹ Women are more likely than men to be victims and survivors due to domestic violence and abuse taking place within a larger context of male violence against women and girls, rooted in structural inequalities that uphold women’s unequal status within society.² Domestic violence and abuse is as prevalent within the Church as it is outside of it³ and Scripture can play an important part in challenging it, despite the fact that the Bible is often used to support women’s submission and powerlessness.⁴

Therefore, through semi-structured interviews with frontline leaders, this PhD seeks to better understand the domestic violence and abuse support The Salvation Army already offers, alongside a Movement-wide survey that will explore attitudes and awareness of domestic violence and abuse throughout the organisation, including theologies and beliefs related to gender, power, marriage and family. Building on this ‘mapping’ phase, ultimately this project will take an action research approach, working with survivors of domestic violence and abuse to co-create a unique, safe and effective survivor-centred approach to responding to domestic violence and abuse, which The Salvation Army can adopt within and across corps and contracted services.

For more information email: familyministries@salvationarmy.org.uk

Sources

Intimate personal violence and partner abuse, accessed 1 June 2023.
What is domestic abuse?, accessed 1 June 2023.
‘When She Calls for Help’ – Domestic Violence in Christian Families, accessed 1 June 2023.
The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So, accessed 1 June 2023.

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This anonymous survey offers anyone connected to The Salvation Army the opportunity to share thoughts on domestic abuse, whether you've experienced it or not.

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