SOMA UK is an Anglican Mission Agency. It was birthed out of a move of God’s Spirit at the 1978 Lambeth Conference when Bishops from around the world came to the UK. Before it started 300 charismatic bishops and senior clergy took the opportunity to gather for a pre-conference renewal meeting. There was an outbreak of God’s Spirit that energised all those in the room. SOMA was born out of this experience of an outpouring of God’s grace. The Reverend Michael Harper became the founding Director in 1979.

Since then it has had a calling to ‘Join the Holy Spirit Tending to the Nervous System of the Body of Christ.’ In practice this has often meant going to places that are hurting (e.g. Rwanda in 1996), connecting the church internationally and building the body both overseas and in the sending country as well. Today SOMA continues to connect the church across the world, breaking barriers that can separate us and building up the body of Christ through learning together.

The current ministry of SOMA UK builds on the work of our former National Director’s Stephen Dinsmore and Don Brewin who both have developed and grown SOMA UK’s vision birthed out from the 1978 Lambeth conference.

Vision

Many Christians in the UK do not have the privilege of seeing the global Church in all her glory. SOMA UK helps make sure the nervous system of the body of Christ is functioning as it connects us to the world and breaks down those barriers. SOMA UK breaks down barriers through the power of the Holy Spirit, and this builds up the body of Christ. Justin Welby has described SOMA UK as ‘part of the glue that says to us we belong to each other because we belong to Jesus.’ So we stand alongside our hurting brothers and sisters, as equal ‘heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,’ who ‘share in his sufferings’ and so also ‘share in his glory.’ Romans 8:17

But ‘Sharing of Ministries Abroad’ is not one-way travel. We want the UK church to be emboldened and built up through teams witnessing and experiencing the global church on overseas missions, and back in the UK through sharing what God is doing abroad. This ‘reciprocity in mission’ is paramount to the SOMA UK vision. We are aware that the main function of the nervous system is to wake us up to danger and pain. As God connects the church through SOMA UK we all benefit. ‘SOMA Stories,’ often coming in the face of difficulties and suffering, can awaken parts of the church in danger of falling asleep and bring hope, joy and faith for the future that we face together. 

We also want to think about mission closer to home. Many of the countries SOMA UK has ministered in have a high percentage of Christian believers and therefore there is a need to directly support our church in the UK. 

Over the next few years we want to:

  • Reconnect to places that we have existing links with.

  • Recommission current teams and leaders to minister in the power of the Spirit around the world.

  • Develop a new strategy to take more people to more places on SOMA Entry, SOMA Extended and SOMA Experienced teams.

  • Play a key role in developing future and current leaders in the UK through enabling them to Share in Ministries Abroad.

 

Values

Understanding the values that shape our organisation will give you a really good picture of the heart behind SOMA UK’s long standing work.

  • We seek mutual encouragement through cross-cultural mission, building up Christ’s church both here and abroad

  • Training leaders to develop skills in cross-cultural mission, the prophetic, and bolstering communities in the power of the Holy Spirit

  • Helping the church both here and abroad to be all that God has called it to be despite difficult circumstances

  • Inspiring those who go on teams and receive teams to see how and where the Holy Spirit is at work in their communities

  • Amplifying the voices of those who have previously not been heard by the church and restoring dignity and confidence to people as God’s image-bearers.

Everything we do is tailored towards the individual inviting diocese and their leaders.

 
“Every SOMA team I’ve brought back has had a massive impact on the DNA of mission in my church.”