Church Action on Poverty - Church of the Poor?

Drawing on inspiration from the World Council of Churches’ ‘Mission from the Margins’ programme, our ‘Church of the Poor?’ project promotes mission, theological activity and social action with people who have been pushed to the margins of society by poverty. They are not outsiders. All belong to the body of Christ, are part of the church. ‘Church of the Poor?’ facilitates theological reflection based on their experience and visions of world, with the hope that their contributions may help the churches to transform themselves into sanctuaries of love, justice and peace.

We look to support and build churches that: are interested in building the kingdom, not growing the church; listen attentively to voices from the margins and work to be visibly present to the community around them (especially ‘those who don’t sit in the pews on Sundays’); expect to be challenged and changed by their neighbours, especially by people on the margins; put an emphasis on sharing food and hospitality; and are hungry and thirsty for justice.

With support from the MB Reckitt Trust, we are building regional ‘communities of praxis’ to link together and support churches that are interested in taking this journey together. We are producing resources to help them reflect theologically on their mission and their experiences. And we are amplifying their voices and sharing their stories, so that we can challenge UK church institutions to place a greater priority on the poorest communities in their mission, ministry and decision-making.  Website.

Later named the "Church on the Margins"  this project produced a useful down-loadable resource document for the United Reformed Church and all churches to be found at New reality, same Mission - join the conversation (urc.org.uk)