How do we make our churches more inclusive and inviting for people who are different to us? How do we increase diversity in our churches to better reflect the diversity of the communities we are in?
On Wednesday 31 July, representatives from across the diocese gathered at Church House for a Racial Diversity workshop. The group came together to consider the ways we can make our churches more welcoming to a wider and more diverse community. It followed a workshop in April that focused on how to increase diversity in our churches to better reflect our communities. Being more welcoming to others who don’t look like us, both in the congregation and in positions of leadership and responsibility, was one of the key findings.
Rosemarie Davidson (National UKME/GMH Vocations Officer) gave a national perspective on the hurdles faced by UKME/GMH people to feel welcome in worshiping communities. She guided the group to consider how we could be bolder, create a space and be gracious, and dig into the abundance of resources and perspectives freely available to help us all understand how we can create a place where more people can be not just welcomed but where they feel they belong.
And belonging is key. Welcome is the first step, but belonging is more than events, special services and food-sharing sessions. We must think about how we reflect, practice and challenge:
- Listen to the experiences of others.
- Respect their perspectives, because those who feel it know it.
- Ask yourself questions like “if this person was white, how would we respond?”
- Learn about the history and function of racism in our country and church.
- Be open to feedback so that you learn from the mistakes you make.
Rosemarie shared a helpful matrix to use:
Your Ps
Position, power and privilege.
When considering how you can make a space more welcoming and a space others can belong in, ask yourself “what is my position, power and privilege in this situation?”
Your Qs
Ask open questions that help you better understand what someone means. We can misunderstand or have a different understanding of what someone is saying that differs to what they mean. It is better to ask questions than make a statement: a question gives someone space to reflect, share something in a different way to help you understand, or even to reconsider something themselves. A question creates space and gives grace. Example questions are:
- When you say…I heard…is that what you mean?
- How does what you have just (said/done/etc) align with our beliefs and values as followers of Christ?
- I’m sorry, could you repeat what you just said?
What next?
We will be compiling the insights that the people in the workshop gave and putting together a plan.
The first step we ask you to take is to bring the Anti-Racism Toolkit and Racial Justice Covenant to your PCC to sign and use. If you have already done that challenge yourselves: are you living it out?
If you are looking for a network or community to join or other support, take a look at:
- UKME Ordinands and Curates – a network supporting UKME/GMH ordinands and curates in the Church of England.
- Tea House – a network supporting Chinese heritage clergy in the Church of England.
- AMEN – the Anglican Minority Ethnic Network
- The Ministry Mentor Directory – an open-access resource from the Church of England for any Anglican exploring or on the journey towards lay and ordained ministry.