Dear John

Communities on the margins are being hit hardest by church closures. To mark Church Action on Poverty Sunday this week, we're launching our pioneering new research. and we're calling on churches to reinvest in low-income communities rather than retreating from them.

Churches must keep faith with marginalised communities

Churches, at their best, are thriving hubs at the heart of their communities – open and inclusive to all believers and everyone else. Churches at their best connect with and support the local area through local collaborations, shared spaces and resources, and genuine community.

We've spent three years studying church closures across Greater Manchester, and talking in depth with people in low-income areas.

We found that low-income communities are being disproportionately affected by church closures. That has ramifications for Christians and entire neighbourhoods. But if national church leaders reinvest instead of retreating, then churches can help whole communities to thrive and build better futures.

The research also highlights more hopeful stories. We saw the resilience of church communities thriving despite the closure of their buildings, and we celebrate national initiatives such as the Church of Scotland's 'Priority Areas' or the Methodist ‘Church at the Margins’. We're calling on other denominations to make substantial long-term resource commitments to churches and communities on the margins, as the gospel priority for the church over the next decade.

We'll be sending the two reports from our research to church leaders and challenging them to act. Soon we'll be able to share news of the next phase of our 'Church on the Margins' programme - including ideas for how you and your church can get involved.

Read our reports to find out more - and share them with leaders in your church if you can!