The Organisational, Financial and Human Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Christian Faith-Based Organization Service Sector in Great Britain

Faith-Based initiatives historically provided foundational pillars for the development of the welfare and service sectors in Britain. Of the c.15,000 Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) that today provide significant scaffolding for contemporary social welfare needs (National Council for Voluntary Services UK Civil Society Alamanac, 2019) a substantial number are Christian. Britain has one of the highest rates globally of COVID-19 infection and excess mortality, and because of the extra demands on Non-Governmental welfare support services to buttress this distressed landscape, it is critically important better to understand the organisational health and durability of FBOs. This exploratory pilot study focuses on geo-mapping Christian FBOs in distress due to COVID-19 and to identify any particularly affected sectors. By also identifying the causal, consequential, contextual and strategic issues experienced, it will enable an assessment of initial and projected short to medium-term human, financial and organisational impacts on these FBOs and their services.