Rev John Hughes from St John the Evangelist in Old Trafford says the initiative has led to poorer families growing their own food and it has made the church appear more approachable to people of other faiths and none.
Speaking to the Church of England's Stories Worth Sharing podcast, he said: "A garden speaks to everybody and in growing things at our building, we've softened [our image].
"The church building looks like a bit of a fortress, whereas the gardeners, when they talk to people, they do encourage people to go inside the church.
"It gives people a little more confidence that the church is there for everybody and they don't need to be a Christian to enter the grounds. That's a really important message."
Prompted around six years ago, in part by the 2008 financial crisis, to start growing produce on church land, Rev John said the project has focused on giving vulnerable families not "a handout but a hand up."
Members of the local community are invited to volunteer and help water the crops, and can also pick those which are ripe for harvest.