information for transformational people

COP report 246Church for the poor - strategies to engage people experiencing poverty


This is the third blog about the results seen from the recent survey on 'Church for the Poor' which attracted 384 responses from churches of all denominations. See the first blog about 'poor-focused' activities here and the second blog about the barrier of middle-class church here.

Churches in the survey were asked what strategies, if any, they using to reach people experiencing poverty. A number of strategies were presented and respondents were asked to tick all that applied to their churches. There was also an opportunity to enter free text if a strategy was not on the list.

What strategies, if any, are you using to reach the poor? (tick all that apply):

 
Strategy to reach people experiencing poverty All
(330 responses)
Level of deprivation in area
    Most
(49 resp)
Least
(68 resp)
Partnering with other churches to create initiatives to reach poor 53.0% 67.3% 54.4%
Social action based at your church building 51.5% 65.3% 36.8%
Gathering, building relationships and listening to the poor 34.5% 65.3% 20.6%
Creating a community without recognisable 'church' trappings 32.1% 49.0% 22.1%
Social action and creating a place/events for those responding 30.3% 53.1% 22.1%
Social action based in the poorer community at a 'neutral' location 23.6% 34.7% 29.4%
Other 18.5% 20.4% 17.6%
Bringing on leaders from poor backgrounds 12.1% 26.5% 2.9%
Helping the poor speak to business and/or authorities 11.5% 26.5% 4.4%
New church plant in the poorer area 6.1% 14.3% 2.9%
 
 
Other strategies being pursued apart from above:
  • Giving to and volunteering for local charities - 14 mentions
  • On local authority groups influencing policy – 3 mentions
  • Working with other faiths – 3 mentions
 
As you would expect, churches in the most deprived areas are heavily engaged in strategies to reach people experiencing poverty.  This contrasts greatly with churches in least deprived areas. The biggest gaps are:

 
Strategy to reach people experiencing poverty Absolute difference
Gathering, building relationships and listening to people experiencing poverty 44.7%
Social action and creating a place/events for those responding 31.0%
Social action based at your church building 28.5%
Creating a community without recognisable 'church' trappings   26.9%
Bringing on leaders from poor backgrounds    23.6%
Helping the poor speak to business and/or authorities    22.1%
















 

There is a good level of partnership between churches - mostly foodbanks I suspect given the number of churches in all areas involved in this activity.

What is noticeable though is the intentional involvement of people experiencing poverty in church life in areas of most deprivation, either in speaking about their experiences, involvement in social action, leadership or advocacy. Strategies for all leadership teams to consider if they want to see a church without barriers..

Download the Executive Summary here.

Download the full report here.

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Geoff Knott, 21/11/2016

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