In Depth:  London City Mission

New data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows a sharp rise in street homelessness in London.

There were 3,028 people living on the streets between April 2024 and March 2025 – a 27% increase from the previous year and a 90% rise over the past decade.

A new survey has identified which groups practising Christians tend to share the gospel with, and those people who may miss out on hearing the good news. The research holds significant findings on the attitudes of Christians towards sharing their faith.

The research was conducted by Savanta, and was commissioned by London City Mission, an organisation dedicated to equipping everyday Christians in London and beyond to share their faith. The survey asked practicing Christians to share their confidence levels for sharing their faith with others, with interesting results:

Through rain, sunshine and 35,000 steps, over 100 supporters of London City Mission took to the streets of central London to take part in the Big London Walk.

This 12-mile sponsored walk, which included a city tour with Christian Heritage London, aimed to raise much-needed funds and awareness for the one in two people in London who don’t know a Christian to share the gospel with them, invite them to church or read the Bible with.

For some guests at London City Mission’s Webber Street day centre, near Waterloo, rehabilitation and restoration is a life-long journey. This is Josef ’s story.

Ten years ago, during the winter that Josef slept on the streets of London, the only way he could find reprieve from the biting cold was by sleeping on the vents that blow warm air out from the Underground.

Graham Miller, Chief Executive of London City Mission, shares his joy of hearing dramatic accounts of people who have been saved out of chaotic and destructive lives into God’s family:

Meet Craig (see photo), brought up in North West London in a non-religious household. By the age of 21 he was living a chaotic life, committed a crime and was sentenced to prison.

Covid makes it more important than ever for Christians to be gossiping the gospel, according to the London City Mission.

Graham Miller, Chief Executive of London City Mission says: ‘Lots of meetings have been closed, but the opportunities for conversations are still there.’

Graham Miller of London City Mission writes:

Are we preaching the word in season and out of season? My friend, Jeremy Marshall, said that he’s never had so many take-ups for one-to-one Bible studies as he had at the beginning of lockdown. One of our missionaries, Olly Sherwood, had so many wanting to study with him that he had to train up extra study leaders. Preach the word in season and out of season.

There’s a curious exchange between Jesus and the man who had the legion of demons driven out from him at the expense of a large herd of pigs. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you’ (Luke 8:38).

There’s every indication that he is committed and sincere about following Jesus, and certainly his life has been transformed. Yet he is turned down and told to go back home. Why?

I’ve had people worry that the work of the London City Mission might be exploitative. Elderly people can be ripped off by someone pretending to be a friend; a homeless person could be exploited by heavy shepherding whilst they are weak.

That risk has been used by some to suggest that we should avoid evangelism amongst children and vulnerable adults lest we are accused of spiritual abuse. And yet I can think of no greater abuse than to know the good news of Jesus and to willingly hold it back from someone in desperate need. The vulnerable need Jesus!

London City Mission (LCM) held its annual Thanksgiving Service on September 17 with guest speaker Andy Paterson, Mission Director with FIEC, inspiring and motivating LCM staff and supporters alike as he called on them not to lose their nerve or to give up on sharing the gospel verbally.

He also challenged LCM to: ‘Help plant and support indigenous gospel-hearted churches with some of the brilliant evangelists that you have. You need to work with those churches so that they effectively welcome and grow people who are coming to faith in Christ. Please use your expertise to develop a generation of working-class church leaders’. Thirdly, he impressed upon the LCM the role it has to play in helping to train and equip churches in London to cross cultural boundaries and create truly multiracial, multi-ethnic churches in London.

A June Family Fun Day showed the results of long-term mission in a former ‘no man’s land’ in East London.

St. John’s Park is a green space on the Isle of Dogs. Just a few years ago it was a place where no one dared to enter because of the gangs, drugs and high levels of crime. But now it is a vibrant hub of community where, particularly in the summer months, parents and children gather to enjoy time together.