Are the poor really welcome at your church?

4 Mar, 2025

Could our well-meaning attempts to welcome people actually be causing a larger relational divide in our churches? Join Senior Leader of Church Partnerships, Hew, as he explores this question.

From the world’s perspective, many in my childhood church were considered ‘poor’.

I grew up in government housing, and my church of around 250 people was made up of the same demographic. One or two families owned a home, some rented, but many people lived in housing commission.

This made church very different.

It wasn’t uncommon for us to experience vandalism at an average Sunday service, or have multiple people in the congregation suffering from substance abuse.

We didn’t need an outreach for the homeless. Many of our congregation were homeless.

I remember attending church network events and realising that not all churches were the same as mine. Other churches seemed primarily made up of middle-class Christians, and since we didn’t fit that demographic, I sometimes felt out of place.

It wasn’t just that my circumstances were different, my fundamental outlook on life was so different. I was never considering home ownership – I was happy with a council place. I never thought about going to uni – that was for rich people. I had a completely different relationship to school – we never thought about career paths or grades, it was about having as much fun as possible while avoiding any hint of academic success.

This isn’t what my life looks like now. But I do wonder whether I would be welcome in churches across Australia if it did.

Unintentional barriers to commmunity

Of course, we would all really love to say the poor truly are welcome at church. But we also need to consider why it seems like the vast majority of church-goers in Australia are middle-class Christians.

I don’t think this is because churches don’t care for the poor. On the contrary – I’m quite convinced and encouraged we do. But the truth is, we’re unaware of just how different our experiences are, and how our church culture unintentionally creates multiple barriers of entry.

What we’ve seen happen with well-meaning attempts to welcome those experiencing poverty to church is often a greater relational divide. Those in need are often only welcome during designated hours of the week, and only by those who signed up to serve them during those hours.

It’s important to consider programs and care arms to meet legitimate material needs, but it’s one thing to volunteer to help someone, it’s another thing to call them a friend.

So, what can we do?

Jesus calls us to serve the poor – but His greater command is to love our neighbour as ourselves.

The way to make the poor feel welcome in our churches is not more programs, or even more serving.

It’s love.

What if we didn’t just serve the poor, but loved them?

What if we committed to learning from the poor as much as we committed to teaching the poor?

What if we walked alongside one another in community – together, as image bearers of God?

What if we embraced the messiness and awkwardness of our differences, and truly united as one Body of Christ?

I think that over time, our understanding and love for the Kingdom of God – in its beauty and fullness – would deepen and grow.

Words by Hew Nunn, with contributions from Stuart Sampson and Claire Ince