The ecclesiastical takeover of the public services sector has been particularly strong over the last ten years. This change in the structure of the public sector raises several problems and dilemmas which are rarely discussed (openly) in professional circles. The expansion of churches has not come about organically but is the result of government measures. It is primarily ideological rather than professional factors that are at play, and in many areas, this is leading the care system in a questionable professional direction. This paper discusses the historical background to the emergence of the social care system, the differences in the way the domestic care system is funded depending on the type of provider, the pro-church restructuring of the service sector and the professional and ethical dilemmas of church-based service delivery.