Previous research on the Norwegian Church Abroad (the Seamen’s Church) has emphasised the inclusive effects of folk-church discourses and practices. This article adds to previous research through investigating both the inclusions and the complex exclusions that emerge when folk church discourses are used. The article relates debates about folk-church discourses to research on the use of religion by populist movements in the USA and Europe in recent years. The research is based on qualitative interviews with staff at the Norwegian Church Abroad in the USA.