Is the Church Classist?

 Classism (noun): prejudice or discrimination based on class [social rank].

So, is the white American church classist?

Yes. The answer is yes. :)

All right, let's get into it! 

Some disclaimers: 

First, I'm talking about white American churches because they are the only ones I've attended (except for a couple visits here and there to churches with other ethnic majorities). My sample size is the basic structure of every white church I've visited, whether a tiny Pentecostal congregation in Florida, a variety of different churches in Missouri, or a flashy mega-church in San Diego. Some may cry #NotAllChurches, and this is definitely true. But there is a common thread running through the majority of white churches in the U.S., and that's what I'm addressing here.

Second, do I think the white American church is intentionally classist? Overwhelmingly, no. There are notable exceptions, such as pretty much every "health and wealth" church which explicitly states that poverty is a curse from God, but on the whole, I think most churches would be shocked and offended by the accusation.

That's why I'm writing this, because classism— like most other "isms"— is very hard to see. This post has been sitting in "Drafts" for months because I felt a bit self-righteous (or perhaps even passive-aggressive) posting it, but that's not my intention: I just see a problem, and I want others to see it too. 

So, without further ado, here are five ways I've noticed classism in most every church I've visited: 

1. "Church" happens on a day that excludes pretty much every retail/restaurant/fast food worker. Sunday morning church is a service so important that most people would say that someone is "not going to church" if they don't attend— and yet it is only accessible to people who have weekends off (aka no one who works in retail or food service, as well as a range of other careers, many of them low-wage). Yes, a retail worker could ask for Sundays off, or just Sunday mornings (as Zach did when he began work at Walmart). But since weekends are prime retail days, a company will likely "punish" the worker with fewer hours or worse shifts— and most low-income people can't afford this. On that same note…

2. Church events overwhelmingly happen at times convenient to 9-to-5ers. Weekends are prime time for church events— and while this makes sense because it's likely to snag the largest number of people, it also excludes most retail workers by default.

3. After church, many people go out to be served by the people who do not have the option to attend church. It's common to go out and eat lunch at Taco Bell or Applebee's after church (and if you ask a fast-food worker about the "church crowd," you will likely get a traumatized grimace), where low-income people have been working since the store opened that morning (during church). Sure, maybe the workers aren't religious, and most restaurants have no intention of closing on Sundays any time soon, but the fact remains that church people exclude low-wage workers from "church" and then support the companies that are preventing those same people from being connected to a local church body. 

4. Most Bible studies and small groups require a commitment to showing up every week, which doesn't work for people with erratic schedules. In low-wage work, the norm is to have your schedule vary wildly from week to week, with some companies having the power to change a shift a couple days before or even the day of. A church asking for a weekly commitment highly discourages people with varied schedules. It's true that most churches would accommodate someone with a schedule like this, but the burden of figuring it out and asking for accommodation is squarely on the shoulders of the exhausted low-wage worker. That's a tough place to be, emotionally and mentally, and most people don't have the energy to speak up to ask for what they need.

5. Conferences, book studies, retreats, and trips almost always come with a price tag that is crushing to a lower-class person. Churches try to overcome this by offering "scholarships" or other funding opportunities to make sure that everyone can attend, which is admirable. However, by making the paid version the norm and the scholarship the exception, churches are indicating that poor people are allowed in only as a minority. They are accommodated, but feel like outsiders. Plus, a lot of low-income people have been taught that they are "too good" for charity, and so they would rather miss an opportunity rather than admit they need help. This is an attitude that needs to shift (I am fully in favor of smashing the idea that asking for help is a bad thing), but the church needs to be mindful of the inherent tension and inner turmoil this kind of set-up can cause.

It's easy to point fingers, but much harder to find solutions. I certainly don't have easy answers. However, each of these problems points to a possible rearrangement of priorities that could help make churches less classist and more welcoming to people of many different social ranks:

1. Decentralize the Sunday morning focus. As long as "church" is defined as a Sunday morning service, it's going to be classist by default. Broadening our concept of church and providing varied opportunities for people to meet up and worship, take communion, and listen to teaching would be a huge step in being more accessible to people with varied schedules.

2. Plan some events during times that are more doable for people who work erratic schedules. Fewer and fewer people have "weekends" to speak of, so planning church events on a Tuesday afternoon or a Wednesday morning might give some space for people who don't have a prayer of attending a weekend or evening event.

3. Reconsider going out to eat and shopping on Sundays. For Zach and me, the contrast between our privilege in going to church and the lack of opportunity for the people serving us made us stop shopping or eating out on Sundays. This was our personal decision, and yours will likely be different, but I think it's an important conflict to prayerfully consider.

4. Don't require weekly commitments. Making it okay to miss four weeks out of a six-week class may seem frustrating, but by normalizing this, you can open the door for a more diverse group of people. 

5. De-monetize church events. In my ideal world, no class of people would have to rely on "charity" in order to participate in the full life of the church body. A pay-what-you-can model or simply money set aside in the church budget to cover the fees of seminars, books, conferences, and retreats would go a long way in helping lower-income people feel welcomed rather than a minority requiring charity.

6. Actively work to create opportunities for Sabbath for the working class. Rest is a human right— and a divine commandment. Any of us in the church who have money and resources to rest should help others attain that as well. Whether it's babysitting for free so a weary single dad can play video games for a couple hours, or giving a broke college student $100 for a night in a B&B, we can encourage people and truly participate in life together.

Have you experienced classism in the church? Or seen an instance where a church worked to overcome classism? Share in the comments!

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