History
My path into social research has been (I think!) a slightly unusual one. I trained as an ancient historian and a theologian. What has always fascinated me about history is that it is about people, and how – despite cultural shifts, historical events and evolutionary nuances – people are and always have been just people, beautifully simple yet complex people, with reactions, responses and opinions. Just people who bring themselves and events of their time alive for us through literature, art, epigraphy, archaeological artefacts and documents. Even the way they are buried can tell us a lot.
History is marvellous, and is so important in educating both children and adults on how to act or not act (this is whythe Holocaust is a mandatory aspect of history on the curriculum). As part of my doctoral thesis I surveyed Jewish tombstone (stele) inscriptions in ancient Egypt, and was struck by the love and pain that shone through, as well as the emphasis on family relationships and the significance of major life events such as marriage. Amongst the flowery stock phrases from a distant time (‘friend of all’; ‘stand and weep’) it was striking to realise that emotions and the value of familial relationships were as significant in relation to how death was approached as they are today.
Theology and Faith
Theology and faith have probably had even more of an influence on me than my love of history. My interest in theology and consequent university studies in it were sparked when I became a Christian at the age of 18 – a road that commenced with my interest in how people lived out their different faiths across the globe. Later, as a single parent trying to navigate church life, I set up a peer support group for other solo parents that I ran alongside studying and also working in Customer Relations for a health insurance company (handling complaints and overseeing the related data).
The right door opens
During this period I became persuaded that as a Christian, post-PhD, I wanted to give my energy to work that had clear and positive practical implications, be that in or out of academia (which at times felt like a bit of an ivory tower). I was also really inspired by the single parents in the group, and some of them were able to help me with some research that I carried out across several churches around the under-representation of lone parents within church congregations. I became particularly interested in the links between the Church today and what it had looked like two millennia earlier, in its infancy. I wasn’t sure what the end result of all this would look like, but I was confident that the right door would open at the right time.
And it did. In spring 2021 I started work in the Research and Development Team at The Salvation Army, which is a church that puts its faith into action and is also a well-known and widely respected charity providing crucial services in many areas including homelessness, families and children, older people, budgeting, employment, and modern slavery. The role enables me as a Christian and an academic to feel that I can use my skills and experience in producing research to help The Salvation Army meet its goals in providing effective and supportive services to a wide variety of people.
Skills for my new role
I’ve picked up various skills along the way that have helped me within social research. In my Customer Relations role I worked with large data sets and gained experience in not only tracking and monitoring large volumes of mixed data but also providing a narrative to it for the wider business. Within the church research I gained experience of interviewing and working with small amounts of qualitative data as well as gaining insight into aspects of the unique characteristics of faith communities. In my doctoral thesis I used qualitative content analysis with both conceptual and relational approaches.
In my new role I have undergone training on the software package we use for coding and also had my first experience of helping put together and analyse a large-scale online survey. I’m really enjoying the opportunity to learn and build upon my existing skills with these new ones. It has been both daunting and exciting to take on new challenges!
Current projects
I am working in a hybrid role of Researcher/Action Researcher and my tasks so far have included a literature review for internal use of key pieces of social research from the past 25 years in order to deduce common concerns and ascertain if and how the issues raised remain relevant today. I am also working on a large-scale mixed-methods project to seek opinions from across The Salvation Army about optimising its effectiveness.
The literature review in particular really showed me that The Salvation Army is very astute in its awareness of how different social contexts or situations (e.g. the financial crash of 2008, the pandemic, social trends etc.) influence and shape society, and how this affects the content and delivery of their support services.
For example, a previous in-depth research project collaborating with academic partners looked at how adverse childhood experiences led to disproportionately high chances of experiencing social exclusion, homelessness, substance misuse, or mental health problems in later life. This research consequently led to a strong focus within The Salvation Army on developing services for children, young people and families. The research also informed the development of internal software and a wellbeing framework for use within Homelessness Services in order to better support clients on their journeys.
Looking forward
Whilst I take on the research projects that I am commissioned to do in the role, my particular geeky passion is how an active Christian organisation can best reflect how Jesus wanted his followers to be, and this is something continuously in the back of my mind and that I plan to focus more on in my research in the future. I think some of the most pressing issues facing Christianity today are those of greater inclusion and confronting historical issues of colonialism as well as exclusion and discrimination towards the LGBT+ community. I think that only by addressing challenges such as these can faith-based organisations (FBOs) – especially ones with long histories – be taken seriously in a secular world and act most effectively as ambassadors for their faith/s.
Whilst I am a relative baby in the social research world, I really believe that the role of social research is essential in faith-based third sector organisations. As I mentioned, The Salvation Army’s remit is really wide, and covers a lot of different areas supporting people in a wide variety of life situations. The Salvation Army believes in putting faith into action to show love to others, and is an example of how a FBO uses social research to be more effective in its offerings. I am enjoying playing just one small part in this.
Author Bio: Rebecca Harrocks graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2008 with a BA in Theology and again in 2010 with a MA in Theology and Religious Studies, before gaining a doctorate in Theology from King’s College London in 2019. She has been working in The Salvation Army’s Research and Development Team since June 2021.