Last week, the Government released the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2025 (IMD). These statistics look at a range of factors and rank every neighbourhood in England according to the challenges they face. We caught up with Steve Small, Head of our Eden Network, to hear how we should use this information to approach our communities with the heart of Jesus.
A conversation that changed my perspective
Years ago, when I was much younger, I travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa, and stayed with a church leader and his wife. While serving and spending time with people in Diepsloot, Paul, the church leader, said to me: ‘You know what the problem with the UK is? It’s your welfare state.’
Surprised, I told him I thought the welfare state was one of the best things about the UK — free education, healthcare, housing support, and help for those out of work.
I asked him to explain and he said, ‘The church started schools and hospitals and cared for the poor in their neighbourhoods. But we handed it all over to the government. We gave away what the church was meant to do — and love got stripped out in the process.’
That conversation stayed with me.
Someone from another nation had gifted me with a different perspective and it made me wonder: what would our nation look like if the church radically lived out it’s God-given calling to love and serve the poor?
The numbers
Every few years, the UK government releases new IMD data tracking deprivation relating to low income, employment, education, health, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment.
These numbers help us see where communities are mostly being forgotten. The statistics are comparative and shift over time. Each new release brings a wave of attention, maybe even a funding plan or a new initiative, aimed at ‘tackling poverty’.
But the spotlight fades quickly.
In some places, well-meaning efforts bring small improvements. In others, like our Eden community in Blackpool, the local council’s ‘solution’ is to bulldoze homes and tell residents to find somewhere else to live.
What’s missing? Love.
What’s often missing, from the data to the policies, is love. Not a sentimental kind, but a sacrificial love that says: ‘I’m with you. I’m not leaving. Together, things can get better.’
A love that reflects, reveals, and points to the God who is love.
One of our neighbours once told me she loved Eden’s vision because her mum always said, ‘It only takes one person to bring change that can transform a place’.
We see that truth every day. We see the difference Jesus makes in our communities and we have the joy of joining in with what he’s doing day to day. That’s why we still believe Eden offers the church a way back to showing the love of Jesus to our underserved communities.
Not through handouts, but through proximity — living and being counted among those experiencing the effects of poverty. Through knowing the names, faces and stories behind the numbers, spreadsheets, and colour-coded maps.
Seeing with fresh eyes
So how should we view the new Indices of Multiple Deprivation figures?
Hopefully, prayerfully and with a fresh perspective — one that looks beyond the statistics to see what’s really happening in our nation, our towns and our streets.
But also, with a perspective that asks harder questions: is the church still good news to the poor? Am I good news to the poor? Do I count myself among them, or at least walk closely enough to know their names and share their lives?
Maybe, in doing so, we’ll discover the people and places the church has been missing, and needing, for a long time.
Food for thought
What might an ‘Indices of Church Deprivation’ look like if one was made and we compared with Jesus’ commands and example? And, personally, what do my own ‘Indices of Deprivation’ look like? What fruits of the Spirit, what things of heaven, am I deprived of? Because the Bible says,
‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. “And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.”’
– Matthew 22:36–40
What’s next?
If you feel called to your neighbours in need, join us for an Exploring Eden call and see if Eden could be a way for you to share the love of Jesus. Or if you’re already an urban missionary, don’t forget to check out the Proximity hub to find resources to equip and inspire you for mission in your community.
Exploring Eden
Looking to join or start an Eden team, or just curious about our call to live sacrificially and share the gospel in the most forgotten neighbourhoods? Join one of our regular Zoom calls.
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Proximity
Proximity is the urban mission resource hub equipping churches, leaders and those on the ground through online content and in-person community.
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