Racial Justice

Collage of GMH leaders in the Church of England

We are CofE

“We are CofE” is a series of clips produced to highlight the diversity of persons undertaking vocations in the Church, both ordained and lay, including those involved in school ministry. It features persons of UK Minoritised Ethnic (UKME) / Global Majority Heritage (GMH) backgrounds speaking about their role and experiences towards encouraging others to consider similar pathways.

See the videos.

The Church of England is engaged in a process of reflection and learning in recognition that it has not been the welcoming ‘spiritual home’ it aspires to be for many people whose family heritage lies within Commonwealth countries and the wider world. This commitment to change was restated on behalf of the church at the General Synod debate on Tuesday, 11 February 2025, where Synod requested Dioceses, Deaneries and Parishes to share good practice and participate in racial justice programmes. Lord Boateng’s speech to Synod is available here.

In the 2020 report ‘From Lament to Action’, the Church recognised that its ‘good intentions’ towards being a church where people of diverse backgrounds could feel at home, had never been properly resourced or followed through in terms of policies or practical actions at local and diocesan levels.

In response to this important report, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York established the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice to drive change within the Church and implement the recommendations of ‘From Lament to Action’. This has now completed three years of work and published its Final Report.

The Racial Justice Unit has been established by the Archbishops' Council within the National Church Institutions to resource the ongoing work of Racial Justice at all levels of the Church – within Parishes, Schools, Deaneries, Dioceses, Cathedrals and Theological Education Institutions.

Fundamentally, the Unit exists to try to help Churches and individual Christians in England to think through and implement an approach to ‘being church’ which allows everyone within our local church communities to contribute and belong, whether their family have lived in the area for generations – or for just a few weeks.

About the Racial Justice Unit

The Racial Justice Unit works in close partnership with stakeholders across the whole church who can ‘make a difference’, as only a holistic approach can contribute to greater racial justice and better outcomes for everyone.

One example would be encouraging church members to support people from diverse backgrounds to have their calling into ordained ministry recognised and resourced so they can progress through the necessary stages of selection and training, As a church, this requires change and commitment from all those involved in 'everyday' church life as we will only get a diverse selection of people offering themselves for ordination within the church if families from diverse backgrounds feel actively welcomed within our parishes and our schools.

However, even if we work together and succeed in getting a more diverse pool of candidates coming forward for ordination, we still have to ensure that their vocation is nurtured appropriately, and they are able to progress as clergy into positions of responsibility and seniority. Many emerging leaders from UKME/GMH backgrounds still find barriers to their thriving in ministry from the hostile attitudes they encounter, even after they have invested years of effort in 'proving themselves'.

So, speaking broadly, the task of the Racial Justice Unit is to help everyone within the Church of England understand that our shared mission is not about perpetuating a form of church life that harks back to life ‘before the war’, but one that reflects the giftings and priorities of the diverse population of Britain today.

The Racial Justice Unit is led by Director Revd Guy Hewitt, supported by staff to achieve the Unit's objectives. You can contact the Racial Justice Unit at [email protected]

Racial Justice Grant Scheme – Live Sessions

Over the summer we will be offering a number of online drop-in sessions to support you with applying for Racial Justice funding. Whether you’re just getting started or have a few questions, we’d love you to join us.

Each 30-minute session will include:

Helpful tips on putting together a strong application
Things to think about when planning your project
Time to ask any questions you may have

The presentation in each session will be the same, so you do not need to register for more than one date – unless you want to.

Our next deadline for submissions for Main Awards (from £5,000 to £100,000) will be the 2nd October, while we’ll be sharing general advice during these sessions, we’re not able to review individual applications on the call. If you’d like tailored feedback, we encourage you to submit an expression of interest as early as possible so there’s time for us to support you ahead of the deadline.

We continue to accept applications for up to £5,000 on a rolling basis.

If you would like to attend, please register on one of the following dates:

Racial Justice Grant Scheme

We are now welcoming applications to the Racial Justice Grant Scheme. We fund at two levels:

For Small Awards of up to £5,000, you can submit at any time
For Main Awards of up to £100,000, our next submission deadline for full applications will be 2 October 2026

Please note that until all users are onboarded to the NCI’s new Grant Portal, applications can only be made by email to [email protected].

Please read the guidance notes and our areas of focus before planning your project, as these will help you to develop a strong proposal. All documents can be available here.

As we have made changes to our scheme, please do not use any previous templates or rely on guidance from earlier funding rounds.

Funding under £5,000
To make an application for a Small Award, please submit the application form and budget template contained in the Application Pack.

Funding up to £100,000
If you wish to request over £5,000, please submit an Expression of Interest form first, and then submit your application form and budget once you have been invited by the Racial Justice Grants Team.

For any queries, please contact us at [email protected]

Download the application pack

Work we are doing

Our work continues. Learn more about the current national initiatives to address Racial Justice.

The Church of England's Racial Justice team is seeking to mobilise all Global Majority Heritage (GMH)/UK Minoritised Ethnic (UKME) clergy, ordinands and lay ministers and leaders to join an ethnocultural communications network. Such networks form part of a wider governance, management, and change agenda to help promote equality, diversity, and inclusion. Learn more and register now.

Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice

The Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice was mandated to drive ‘significant cultural and structural change on issues of racial justice within the Church of England' for a three year period (2022, 2023 and 2024).

The purpose of the Commission was to set out a compelling agenda for change, in careful gospel-driven discernment, balancing the needs of individuals, communities, and society, maximising opportunities, and ensuring fairness for all. In order to understand why disparities exist, what works and what does not, the Commission listened and learned from processes of participative engagement, and considered detailed quantitative data and qualitative evidence. They also commissioned new research and invited submissions from specialists where necessary and engaged with stakeholders and conversation partners across and beyond the Church.

The 11 Commission members, under the chairmanship of Lord Boateng, brought together a range of experience and expertise within and beyond the church. Members included specialists in areas such as Theology & Racial Justice; Ecclesiology & Liturgy; Formation & Theological Education and History & Politics. Most of the Commissioners were not members of the Church of England and their role was to bring an independent perspective and a process of external accountability to the church.

The Commission reported to the Archbishops every six months during the three-year period 2022-2024, making recommendations to help the Archbishops fulfil their commitments to identify, respond to, and root out systemic racism in the Church.

Racial Justice Delivery Plan Summary

Embedding racial justice across the life, structures and witness of the Church through sustained, evidence-led change. Read and learn more.

Resources

The Christianity as a Global World Faith resources have been developed to support schools, educators, and leaders in exploring Christianity through a richer, broader, and more globally representative lens.
What's race got to do with it? - A suite of resources for churches to start conversations about anti-racism work and understanding.
Being Built Together: Volume 1 - A Reference on Racial Justice in the Church of England
Reports submitted by the Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice
Progress on Racial Justice across the Church of England Dioceses
Behind the Stained Glass: The Archbishops’ Commission has published the results of a six-month quantitative and qualitative study examining and exploring the lived experiences of UKME/GMH people in the Church of England.
Truth Telling: Slavery and the Anglican Church is an online seminar series in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of International Slavery, University of Liverpool:
You can watch a film about the Truth Telling Gathering in Liverpool which looks at the history and legacy of African chattel enslavement and the Church of England. Organised by the Racial Justice Unit, the gathering was attended by speakers from across Africa, the Caribbean, US, UK, and Europe.
Liturgical resources for Racial Justice Sunday from the Church of England
Love your neighbour: Resources for Racial Justice Sunday 2026 from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Final Report of the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice: Extract on Complaints Handling

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Networks

There are a number of independent networks designed to support UKME clergy and church members. We're working together to promote the profile and participation of UKME Anglicans in all structures of the Church. Learn more below.

Anglican Minority Ethnic Network

Anglican Minority Ethnic Network (AMEN) is an independent group promoting the presence and participation of Minority Ethnic Anglicans in all structures of our church in the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Independent” conveys the idea that the Group is not part of the formal structure of the Church of England. The sense that the Group will promote minority ethnic participation in “all” structures is also important, although particular attention would be paid to participation in senior leadership. Finally, it is importance to us to emphasise that what we do is not just for our self interest, but for the “service of the Gospel”.

Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns

The role of the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (CMEAC) has been to identify, monitor and take forward concerns of BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Anglicans and make recommendations for change. The Committee has had responsibility for addressing issues, in as far as they have implications for BAME groups within the Church and the wider community.

However, it has recently been decided to replace the existing CMEAC committee with a new Church of England Racial Justice Board. This will be a committee of the Archbishops’ Council, chaired by a member of the Archbishops' Council, and containing a Lead Bishop for Racial Justice, who will be its Vice Chair. It is hoped that this new structure will put the new Board in a more powerful position and enable it to effect positive change from within the Church's national governance structures. It's effectiveness in advancing Racial Justice will be scrutinised by an external Racial Justice Panel which will report annually to General Synod.

Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Friendly Churches

We are a small group of passionate people from various backgrounds and denominations with different experiences. We seek to challenge prejudice and work for harmony, understanding and co-operation between communities, churches and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.

The vision of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Friendly Churches is to support churches to include Gypsies, Roma and Traveller people in the regular life of the church.

Ideally, each local congregation would offer support appropriate to its setting. This could be to European Roma, to local settled Gypsies and Traveller communities, or to those who are roadside and effectively homeless.

We will seek to promote and celebrate the engagement of churches across denominations as well as any other religious or secular groups working towards similar aims.

The General Synod of the Church of England passed a resolution in February 2019, which included asking all dioceses to appoint chaplains for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people. This was because synod acknowledged the frequent occurrence of serious racial prejudice, alongside episodes of hate crime, and significant poor outcomes in health, education, housing and other measures of social well-being for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Through our work, we have encountered various forms of hate and ingrained negative stereotypes against the communities, stemming from a lack of cultural awareness and understanding. We are here to help churches build bridges with the communities and support positive engagements within their neighbourhoods.

Persian Syrian and Parsi Churches

Many, mainly Muslim background Christians, rooted in Iran and the Middle East (countries from former Persian Empire) have formed a strong presence within Britain. Anglican Dioceses such as London, Manchester, Guilford and Leicester have clergy from these backgrounds working with these communities.

One example is The Revd Mohammad Eghtedarian, who was originally from a strict Muslim family in Iran. He moved to the UK as an asylum seeker and was invited to church by a local parish vicar. He gave his life to Jesus in a detention centre in the UK and later became an Anglican ordained minister, serving his curacy at Liverpool Cathedral. He then went to a chaplaincy post in Ankara, Turkiye and went on to serve as an Intercultural Pioneer Minister in Leicester. Since 2022, he has worked for Christian Aid.

His passion is sharing the Good News of Jesus to people from various backgrounds, especially Persian people, and helping them to grow as His disciples and expanding the Kingdom of God.

The Tea House

The vision of The Tea House is to raise the profile and participation of Chinese-heritage clergy in all structures of the Church.

Tea Houses are informal settings where people drop in as often or as seldom as they like. Tea Houses are also intimate spaces where friendships can be built. It is hoped that The Tea House will provide a place for fellow Chinese heritage clergy and Ordinands to meet, cultivate friendships and support one another in their respective journeys within the Church of England.

Tea Houses are places where social information is gathered and spread. The Tea House offers a space where we can share interesting news and happenings that are of relevance to the group. Some Tea Houses have stages built for performances. We are considering inviting guests to speak on pertinent topics over Zoom, or arrange meet-ups to discuss a book, topic or current issues.

Tea Houses assume a certain level of etiquette and decorum. We hope that the imagery of a Tea House will remind us to listen and speak respectfully, to show deference and courtesy, and to value one another’s opinions.

UKME Ordinands and Curates

We support UKME/GMH ordinands and curates as they develop their vocations within the Church of England.

The United Kingdom Minority Ethnic Ordinands and Curates network (UKME OC) within the Church of England are an independent group created by and for ordinands and curates and those who have just passed their BAP and preparing to go for training within the Church of England.

The network seeks to support and encourage ordinands and curates of UKME/GMH in the Church of England within Dioceses and Theological Colleges in their journey towards priesthood, and can be contacted on [email protected].

Zimbabwe National Anglican Fellowship

Zimbabwe National Anglican Fellowship (Zinafe) is a Christian fellowship. We are a registered charity that works within the Anglican Communion. Our vision is to be a Christ centred fellowship where people have the freedom to find hope and to be transformed. Our mission is to be at the heart of the Zimbabwean Anglican fellowship in the diaspora, radiating God’s love, to become part of something greater and to grow in the love of God.

We are rooted in the stories of the Bible and believe worship is something that can be expressed in everything we do. Our philosophy is founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Zinafe offers regular prayer of intercession opportunities online.

Zinafe has a strong youth section: Anglican Youth of Zimbabwe, who host a dynamic summer conference each year.

We welcome everyone to be part of our fellowship. Get in touch today via the website or come and visit us in person at one of our regional centres.