'Our nation's children need the church'

Families are suffering as never before. Ian Soars, CEO of the charity Spurgeons, says churches have a role in reversing the decline in children and young people’s wellbeing - and explains how

 

 

Every day a new headline reveals another way families are suffering as never before: 1 in 5 of our children are suffering from a diagnosable mental health disorder; NHS referrals for anxiety in children has doubled pre Covid levels (204,526 in 23/24); and to summarise this Dr Elaine Lockhart, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, recently wrote that 'Mental health services are struggling to meet rising demand'.

So what, if anything, can the church do? And should it be the church's responsibility anyway?

To answer that, let us go back to our charity’s roots. In 1867, Charles Spurgeon opened an orphanage in London and engaged the church to help provide much needed support for the most vulnerable children in the city.

158 years later, Spurgeons continues his legacy by delivering Family Hubs in partnership with local authorities churches, prisons and schools to care for more than 30,000 of the most vulnerable families in our communities.

But the problem is bigger than our charity and needs a solution that Charles Spurgeon himself would recognise if he were leading us today. The nation needs the church.

In April 2025 Spurgeon’s will rollout our vision to see Family Hubs established in areas throughout the UK where they are needed most. Spurgeon’s Connect sees us working in partnership with local churches, seamlessly integrating into the community to fill the void created by the decline in state-funded social care.

We believe that our delivery expertise partnered with the church’s footprint, community commitment and unending love, the dial can be turned back on the suffering of our nation's children.

Consider below our outcomes (many of which were delivered in partnership with the church). Spurgeon’s outcomes in these settings are breathtaking.

• Parenting confidence improved by 85 per cent on average.
• Parents' emotional health improved by over 75 per cent on average.
• Children's behaviour improved by over 70 per cent on average.

Not convinced? Spurgeon’s deliver qualified counselling to more than 400 children every week, mainly in church-based schools.

When we start work with them, 61 per cent have low emotional wellbeing. But when they leave our care, 87 per cent have moderate or high emotional wellbeing.

That is life changing.

But partnered with the church, it could be nation changing.

From our established church partnership work we know that many church projects are working with families of increasing complexity for which they don’t have the expertise or governance structures. And that is where Spurgeon’s Connect steps in.

At the heart of Spurgeon’s is the ability to meet the needs of families whoever they are; a self-harming teenager, a family torn apart by imprisonment, a mum suffering from domestic abuse or a child with suicidal ideation.

We are recognised experts in this area: in November Spurgeon’s co-sponsored the National Family Hubs Conference where we announced the impending roll out of Spurgeon’s Connect to deep interest from local authorities and central Government.
 

---

Spurgeons CEO Ian Soars

---

We begin 2025 with the launch of an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Family Hubs. As Secretariat to the APPG, Spurgeons will support MPs as they champion Family Hubs and advocate for better support and outcomes for vulnerable children and families in Westminster.

But Spurgeon’s cannot and does not want to try to solve these issues alone. Spurgeon’s Connect provides training, governance structures and oversight to church projects so that they have the confidence to provide care to vulnerable families in their community.

The church is the solution, Spurgeons are simply “preparing the way”. God commands the blessing in unity, not in isolation.

So, to reverse the decline in children and young people’s wellbeing, we are partnering with local churches to develop projects into (or establish) Family Hubs in their communities to become a place of health and healing.

Spurgeons equips, trains, operationally supports and provides a governance structure to churches whose work has grown beyond their ability to safely deliver. The charge rate will be moderate and perhaps often met by our fundraising team as we are focussing on areas of high deprivation.

But…the power of the solution isn’t in Spurgeons' hands…it’s in the churches. We would love to hear from you if you would like to understand more about how to establish a Family Hub in your church or would like to financially support others who are doing so.

Since I took on my current role nearly three years ago my heart has been set on reconnecting with the Baptist Union: under Charles Spurgeon you gave birth to us and as his distant successor I would very much like us to come “home”.

Together, I have no doubt, the nation can indeed be changed for His Glory and by His Grace. Uphold us in your prayers as we give everything we can to see that vision realised in our lifetime.


Image | Spurgeons

 

Ian Soars is CEO of Spurgeons

To find out more about how your church can connect with Spurgeons, see: spurgeons.org/support-us/church-partnerships

 
 

---

Do you have a view? Share your thoughts via our letters' page. 

 

---