San Antonio mayor, Ivy Taylor, was speaking at a mayoral candidate forum on non-profit impact.
She was asked what she thought was the 'deepest systemic cause of general poverty'.
She replied: "Since you're with the Christian Coalition, I'll go ahead and put it out there that to me, it's broken people.
"People not being in a relationship with their creator and therefore not being in a good relationship with their families and their communities and not being productive members of society".
She said she also attributes poverty to unequal education opportunities and teen pregnancy.
Taylor cited Philippians 4:13 when asked about her spiritual beliefs and said her Christian faith helps her serve her city on a daily basis.
She said: "I am a Christian, a born-again Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ.
"How it affects me on a daily basis is I draw very heavily on that as far as the strength to do this job."
Ivy later explained she acknowledges there are 'people of many faiths' that live in the in the city and believes diversity is a strength.
