This paper explores the typological attributes, practical characteristics, and policy connotations of Christian social service organizations in present China. This is achieved from the perspectives of religion, public administration, social work, and history. Data collection and analysis are based on the literature research and field research methods. The main points are as follows: (1) Christian social service organizations are simultaneously faith-based organizations, legal-person organizations, and professional organizations. These different types of characteristics put forward different requirements for their service functions and performance standards. It is necessary to understand their corresponding boundaries in theory and coordinate or optimize their corresponding functions in the system; (2) Christian social service organizations present the characteristics of pluralism and transition in the practice process, as well as form complex symbiosis and embedded relationships with non-religious professional service systems. Further, they have begun to reach a consensus on industry codes of practice, service concepts, and clinical models, especially in regard to the culturally sensitive service centered on the clients; and (3) the triple-type attributes of Christian social service organizations require government departments and professional circles to direct more attention to the “matrix” of policy tools—in other words, formulate more discerning and diverse policy measures in line with policy objectives, as well as strengthen the legalization of the policy implementation mechanism and the level of collaborative governance of religious social service organizations.

This paper discusses the comprehensiveness of religious policy content, the feasibility of implementation, and factors that affect the impact of policy implementation. Since the reform and opening up in 1978, China’s religious charities have been in a period of organizational reconstruction, and the government exercises legal administration over religious affairs, forming a dual administrative management model: the central and local government and the civil affairs department and religious department, forming the preliminary implementation framework of religious policy. Currently, government policy implementation regarding religious charity activities adopts a “policy-centered, top-down” approach in an attempt to create a clear path toward policy implementation. Using the Smith policy implementation process model, combined with field research in three cities in the Shandong province, this study finds multiple limitations deterring religious charity policy execution, including: (a) government policy texts that are not comprehensive; (b) unclear responsibilities of government departments; and (c) sensitive political and social environments. There is still a long way to ensure the smooth implementation of religious charity policies.