Ministry to the Poor in Changing Times

“… these communities is often threatened by these changes, thus underscoring the need for the church to serve as both a moral voice and a helping hand. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Samuel K Atchison Westminster Presbyterian Church Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

Ministry to the Poor in Changing Times

The racial tensions that arose in Ferguson, MO in the aftermath of the police shooting of an unarmed teenager underscored the challenges facing many communities following a nearly two-decades long migration of the urban poor to the suburbs. According to the Huffington Post, the largest poor population in the country now lives in the suburbs. Studies analyzing the emergence of "suburban poverty" report dire implications for suburban communities, including rising unemployment and crime. As the Brookings Institution reports, “Like Ferguson, many of these changing suburban communities are home to out-of-step power structures, where the leadership class, including the police force, does not reflect the rapid demographic changes that have reshaped these places.”

Tensions such as those seen in Ferguson bring into bold relief the role of the church in both serving the poor and keeping the peace. But to what degree has the suburban church taken note? And what is it's response in the wake of a demographic shift that increasingly brings the poor to its doors? The reality is that the challenges facing urban pastors for generations are increasingly confronting their suburban counterparts. The purpose of this project is to determine how urban and suburban pastors differ in their approaches to ministry when it comes to serving the poor.

Image Title Year Type Contributor(s) Other Info
  Flashpoint: The Church and Law Enforcement in Poor Black and White Communities 2019 Journal Article Samuel K Atchison