City Mission

City mission refers to the missions run by various Christian denominations in urban and suburban settings. In the nineteenth centruy, working class communities in the inner city were seen as 'dark' and 'foreign', and thus an appropriate field for mission. The care of children and unmarried mothers was an important area of activity for these missions. The first half of the 20th century saw an expansion of denominationally based mission activity, with many inner-suburban churches reconstituting themselves as mission districts. In the postwar period, missions took on a more secular role, and were important providers of child welfare services.