The org formerly known as Christians against Poverty answered questions from The Other Cheek.
1. You’re changing your name. Christians Against Poverty has some brand recognition; why lose that?
For 25 years, Christians Against Poverty partnered with churches in Australia to bring hope to people experiencing financial distress in their local communities. Over the last several years, the ministry in Australia has gone through a deep, organisation-wide transformation. We’ve moved from a narrow focus on debt management to a broader call: equipping churches to respond to financial struggle in all its forms – distress, hardship and struggles of the heart.
As those changes became embedded, it became clear that the original CAP name no longer reflected who we had become. For some, the word poverty felt stigmatising; the word “against” felt combative rather than relational; and the name didn’t easily communicate our church partnership and discipleship-focused approach.
Hope Economy is more than a new brand. It’s a declaration and a vision for a new reality – a name that boldly flips the script on how people experience financial struggle.
“Hope” speaks to God’s promises and the deep, warm, human response we believe the Church is called to offer. “Economy,” from the Greek word oikonomia (the stewardship of God’s household), grounds that hope in the very real world of money and everyday life. Together they describe a relational, redemptive way of living where people are not left to struggle alone, but are offered community and compassion.
Our mission hasn’t changed. Hope Economy is a Christian not-for-profit- organisation that partners with churches across Australia to inspire and equip God’s people to respond to financial struggle with the love of Jesus. The new name simply communicates that more clearly and opens new doors for the future.
2. More importantly, what opportunities are opening up?
The launch of Hope Economy is really a moment of rearticulation and reinvitation. It allows us to say more clearly what we’ve already been living, that God’s people can flip the script on financial struggle.
First, it opens up fresh conversations with church leaders and denominations. Many pastors are acutely aware of the financial pressure in their congregations and communities, but don’t feel practically equipped to respond. Hope Economy gives language and tools that help them see money as a discipleship issue, and to imagine their church as a place where financial struggle meets the love of Jesus.
Second, it helps us speak to a new generation of Christians who long to live simply, give generously and offer hospitality in tangible ways. They may never have engaged with our previous “debt centre model,” but they resonate deeply with a movement that helps whole congregations live differently and walk alongside those doing it tough. Finally, the brand makes space for a broader suite of resources and practical support – all oriented around bringing an end to the isolation of financial struggle in Australia.
3. Realistically, there are churches in well-off areas and other churches in places where there is financial need – how can you bridge this? It’s not always a local problem, is it?
Financial struggle is present in every kind of suburb. In some communities, it looks like food insecurity and crisis; in others, it looks like anxiety, overcommitment, and quiet shame behind closed doors. It’s- not just “out there” at the margins – it exists within every congregation.
Hope Economy’s conviction is that relationships over isolation and collectivity over fragmentation are key. No single solution will solve financial distress and hardship in Australia, but together, God’s people can make a powerful difference. We don’t present Hope Economy as the expert arriving from the outside. Instead, we take a collaborative approach, helping churches listen to their context, join with other churches, and take shared, practical steps – whether that’s training Money Mentors, using discipleship resources about money, or opening homes and tables in new ways.
In practice, that means a church in a more affluent area might have people with financial skills, time, and generosity, while a church in a higher need area has proximity and lived experience with people doing it tough. Hope Economy helps connect these strengths, so that the story is not “some churches have and some churches don’t,” but “God’s people, together, are moving towards -those who are doing it tough.”
4. How good or bad are Christians with money – what scriptures could help us?
We try not to score Christians as “good” or “bad” with money. Instead, we frame money as a discipleship issue that reaches into our hearts, habits and communities. Many of us – whether we have a little or a lot – carry “struggles of the heart” around money: scarcity, consumerism, individualism, and silence.
The biblical story consistently shows God meeting people in their struggles with hope, love, and compassion. Jesus speaks about money often, not to create shame, but to invite people into a better story – one where we hold what we manage lightly, practice generosity, and extend hospitality. The early Church lived as a household where needs were shared and no one was left to face hardship alone.
Hope Economy wants to help churches talk about these passages and themes in ways that are honest and grace-filled. We encourage conversations where people can name both financial distress and financial discontent, without being reduced to either. When money is reframed this way – as part of our walk with Jesus – it becomes an area where whole-life transformation is possible, not just better budgeting.
5. Realistically, how much can Christians or the local church do with so many people in need?
Hope Economy is realistic about the complexity of financial distress, but we’re also deeply hopeful about what can happen when God’s people take small, faithful steps together. We know that financial distress or hardship may be the crisis point, but true transformation runs deeper than a budget.
Local churches can:
• Create spaces where people feel safe to talk about money, rather than carrying shame and fear in silence.
• Equip everyday Christians to walk alongside someone who is financially vulnerable as an exercise in discipleship for both people.
• Foster a culture of simplicity, generosity, and hospitality, so that responding to financial struggle becomes a normal part of church life, not a specialist activity.
We’re not calling churches to “do more” in a frantic sense, but to “do something different”: to see financial struggle not as someone else’s problem, but as part of the community’s shared life. Hope Economy’s role is to provide partnership that lightens the load for church leaders – through training, tools and ongoing support – so that churches can respond in ways that are sustainable and grounded in the love of Jesus.
6. How do you measure the impact of CAP over the years?
Historically, CAP Australia told its story through individual testimonies, numbers of people helped, and stories of new faith. Under Hope Economy, we’re building on that legacy with a clearer framework for how change happens and how it’s measured.
At the heart of our messaging is this simple idea: “Because when God’s people can walk alongside those who are doing it tough, we can rewrite the story. Yes, budgets get sorted. But more than that – people can experience connection instead of isolation, restoration instead of despair – and, ultimately, hope in Jesus.”
So we pay attention to indicators like:
• Are people who were isolated now connected into genuine community?
• Are church leaders and volunteers more confident talking about money and responding to financial struggle?
• Are congregations growing in generosity, simplicity, and hospitality?
• Are people experiencing whole-life transformation – in relationships, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual life – not just short-term financial relief?
We gather data, feedback, and stories to see whether we are moving towards “an end to the isolation of financial struggle.” But we never reduce impact to numbers alone.