THE enduring nature of poverty and the Church’s capacity to relieve it were the subject of a resumed debate on the Thursday morning.
Mark Sheard (Archbishops’ Council) reminded members they were picking up a debate that ran out of time last year and had been led by the Church Urban Fund to mark the 40th anniversary of the report Faith in the City.
Most up-to-date figures showed that poverty had deepened in that time, Mr Sheard said. He quoted from people experiencing poverty, who were “only just surviving” because of a “relentless struggle” against rising costs, especially of food and other essentials. They also struggled to manage caring for disabled family members, he said. “It’s like walking on an icy pond, fearing at any point you might be plunged into the cold water.”
Mr Sheard said that there were 14 million voices like this “crying out for hope and justice”. One in five of the population was living in poverty, each one a real person who had their own story and struggles, “their own reason to feel hopeless and abandoned by society, and maybe even by God”.
These statistics and stories should be a reality check to a Church supposed to be holding out a “better story of resurrection and hope”, he said. Injustice in society must be transformed by the Church, he concluded. “I ask that we wholeheartedly recommit ourselves to ending poverty in all its forms, as we seek to be ambassadors of our Lord who came to bring good news to the poor.”
Canon Kate Wharton (Liverpool) had lived and worked among extreme poverty for years, which often came with high crime and anti-social behaviour, she said. Her church struggled to pay for even small expenses, could not recruit officers or admin support, and left her covering bills and filling rotas alone. But she was proud to live and minister in Liverpool, despite its poverty, and wanted to challenge the Synod about the barriers that stopped the poor from taking part at every level of the Church. She hoped that the “excellent motion” would be carried.
Geoff Crawford/Church TimesCanon Kate Wharton (Liverpool) tells the Synod that she has lived and worked among extreme poverty for years
The Revd Emma Sykes (Birmingham) also ministered in a highly deprived context, but said that the Church had to move away from day-centre-type activity towards empowerment. “It’s about working with, not to.” Her church had set up a community hub, collaborating with local groups, and now offered activities ranging from toddler groups to a youth café and English-language classes. This had been both hard but also “joyful”, changing her church to become a “better reflection of our community and a more vivid picture of the Kingdom of God”. Too often, communities like hers were pitied or disdained, she said, but it was a place rich with generosity.
The Revd Rachel Webbley (Canterbury) moved an amendment to acknowledge how poverty disproportionately affected people in ethnic minorities. Asking the Synod to listen to people who had experience of poverty, she said that child-poverty rates were higher among Black and Bangladeshi families, as was in-work poverty and overcrowded homes. “Listening to lived experience is not about tokenism, it is about truth — allowing those who live in poverty to shape our response to it.”
Attentiveness to poverty and lived experience must also recognise the racial patterns of poverty, she argued. Her amendment did not accuse the Church of racism, but would strengthen the motion by giving an honest recognition of those whom poverty impacted most sharply, she said.
Mr Sheard believed that the point made in the amendment could have been raised in a speech about the main motion, but it did “sharpen our focus”. He wanted as much time as possible to be given to the main motion, especially as the debate had been adjourned last year. He urged members not to “disappear down rabbit holes” in debates on the amendment.
The Revd Andrew Mumby (Southwark) agreed with Mr Sheard’s statement that these were not just numbers, but people, and had experience from members of his congregation who lived in poverty. He urged the Synod to listen to those who had been systematically excluded. Statistics from the Runnymede Trust, he said, showed that Black and minority-ethnic people were more than twice as likely to experience poverty. “White poverty is devastating, black poverty is devastating, but, if we’re to do a thorough job . . . we have to listen carefully to the different causes of such tragic poverty.”
The Revd Alex Frost (Blackburn) spoke against the amendment. “Poverty is poverty,” he said. He emphasised that addressing poverty required action, not just discussion. Telling people’s personal stories and capturing people’s imaginations could inspire change, he said.
The Revd Adrian Clarke (London) spoke of an occasion when he had visited a Black family in his parish who were living in poverty. He was surprised to have been offered a boiled egg, before realising that it was all that the family could afford. He pointed to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s research that had found that 40 per cent of people of global-majority heritage were in poverty. He urged the Synod to carry the amendment, and it did.
Geoff Crawford/Church TimesMark Sheard (Archbishops’ Council) introduces the motion
Emma Robarts (St Albans) moved an amendment calling for an increase in national funding to provide more clergy in the poorest parishes. The motion, as it was, she said, was “motherhood and apple pie”. But supporting church work in difficult places must be the priority. Recent studies had shown that poverty, including poorly understood rural pockets, was widespread. Life expectancy in the poorest parishes could be up to 15 years lower than average. The parish system meant that the Church was uniquely placed to offer support, but it had to invest more in poorer parishes. “Parish ministry in deprived places must come first before all else.”
Mr Sheard appreciated the focus on the intersection between ill-health and disability and poverty, but had reservations. The Synod had already debated Lowest Income Communities (LInC) funding extensively in the session, and he urged members not to turn inwards and obsess about its own wealth distribution. With that proviso, he was happy for the debate to continue on the amendment.
The Revd Lesley Jones (Durham) was glad for the Faith in the City report, although she said that she had been ignorant of it in the 1980s when she had, in the midst of deep poverty, given up on God. There were many people today who felt abandoned by God in this way, she told members. “My plea is to let as many people know as possible that the Church of England cares, because God cares.”
Carl Hughes (Archbishops’ Council) said that the Synod could not vote for this amendment because it was not practicable. LInC was distributed to dioceses from Commissioners’ funds by the Archbishops’ Council, and it was not “used” by the Synod as the amendment said. He welcomed the intent behind the amendment, but pointed out that LInC was not only spent on clergy either.
The amendment was defeated.
The Revd Chantal Noppen (Durham) brought an amendment on behalf of the Revd Robert Thompson (London), who was recovering from surgery and could not be present. She emphasised the importance of foodbanks that served multifaith communities. “When hardship deepens, neighbours help neighbours,” she said. The north-east, where she was based, was still “deeply fractured” by the loss of industries.
The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, supported the amendment because of its emphasis on interfaith work. Despite its importance, this work was in crisis for several reasons, partly because the Church of England was not resourcing it properly, having just one officer in the national Church. Interfaith was not just about dialogue, but about action, Bishop Snow said. “If we are serious about addressing poverty, we must work in partnership, and we must resource that work properly.”
The Revd Neil Robbie (Lichfield) said that the Synod was getting bogged down in debates about resource allocation, and he wanted to inject more hope. “The greatest resource in our Church is not what the Church Commissioners steward, but our people,” he said. In his deprived parish, there were highly educated and senior managers who had chosen to move to a poorer area to try to “dilute the concentration” of poverty. Jesus had left glory to live in the dirt; so could not all Christians actively choose to move into the places where the poor feel neglected?
The amendment was carried.
The Archbishop of York described Faith in the City as a “defining moment” in the life of the Church and the nation. As a young priest, he had been inspired by the report in the way in which it identified poverty as a “moral challenge” for society and called on the Church to recover its “prophetic voice”. He praised the faithful, unseen work of Christian communities in tackling poverty, and urged the Synod to recommit itself to ending poverty in all its forms. New forms of poverty were on the rise, along with deepening isolation. “This should remain a rallying call for the whole Church to speak up for the poorest communities — not just caring, but tirelessly advocating for change.”
The Revd Kina Robertshaw (Hereford) agreed that all Christians were called to reflect God’s character by “defending the oppressed. Justice is not an optional extra in the life of faith,” she said. But poverty was buttressed by complex systems, with layers of deprivation. It was also important not to assume that poverty was only an urban phenomenon, she continued, as it was present in her patch of rural, idyllic Shropshire.
Geoff Crawford/Church TimesThe Revd Rachel Webbley (Canterbury) moves an amendment
William Leeming (Youth Representatives) supported the motion and congratulated the achievement of Faith in the City, from which the Church was continuing to benefit. He encouraged the Synod to be “brave”.
The Revd James McCluskey (Chelmsford) opposed the motion, as, he believed, the Synod could not fulfil it properly. Unless there was agency in parishes, “the promises that we’re making, we’re offering a stone, when we need to offer bread,” he said.
Fiona MacMillian (London) said that a disproportionate number of disabled people lived in poverty. They paid more for insurance, clothes, and transport, but funding did not make much of a difference, she said. Recent government cuts would drive them deeper into poverty, she said.
The amended motion was carried. It read:
That this Synod:
a) recognise and celebrate the enduring impact of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Urban Priority Areas’ Faith in the City report on Christian social action forty years after its publication, including through the work of Church Urban Fund;
b) affirm the value and necessity of listening to people within our congregations and in our wider communities who are experiencing poverty, learning from these insights, and embedding these views and experiences in the forming of the body of Christ;
c) give thanks for the work undertaken by Christian communities across the country to witness to the love of God, serve and strengthen their communities, and build partnerships towards a movement of love, justice and mercy, together
d) affirm the importance of listening to people with lived experience of poverty, and recognise that poverty in England disproportionately affects some Black and minority ethnic communities, encouraging the Church to take account of these realities in its pastoral practice, mission, and public witness;
e) recommit to ending poverty in all its forms and manifestations, whilst asking questions of ourselves, our political, society and business leaders about the unjust structures and decisions which cause and exacerbate poverty, in line with the third and fourth marks of mission;
f) recognise that in many areas of high deprivation poverty is experienced within multi-faith communities, and encourage the Church, where appropriate, to work ecumenically and in partnership with other faith groups in responding to poverty and supporting the wellbeing of local communities, while also encouraging the use of person-centred language when speaking about poverty — such as “people living in poverty” or “people experiencing poverty” — and discouraging the use of objectifying terms such as “the poor”, so that poverty is understood as a condition affecting people within our shared communities rather than as a defining identity.
Read more reports from the General Synod Digest here