Calls for Bernard Randall to be restored to ministry 

The Christian Legal Centre is looking for a former school chaplain to be restored to ministry after statutory authorities found that he didn’t pose any safeguarding risk.  

Rev Dr Bernard Randall was dismissed by Trent College – a Church of England-affiliated independent school in Nottingham – in 2020 after he preached a sermon to students by which he said they didn’t need to agree with LGBT ideology.

He was referred to the federal government’s terrorism prevention scheme Prevent, in addition to the local authority designated officer on safeguarding (LADO), the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All of those statutory bodies decided there was no must take any motion. 

However, Dr Randall also lost his licence to evangelise and has been barred from ministry within the Church of England ever since.

After Dr Randall lodged a criticism against the Bishop of Derby, Libby Lane,  the Church of England’s President of Tribunals, Dame Sarah Asplin, last yr concluded that had no case to reply but found fault with the method and really helpful that or not it’s began again.

In 2023,  Gregory Jones KC criticised the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby’s decision to dismiss Bernard’s criticism against Lane, saying Welby had been “clearly fallacious”. 

Earlier this yr, Dr Randall won permission from a court judge to appeal an employment tribunal judgment that upheld his sacking by Trent College.

Calling for his reinstatement to ministry, Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting Dr Randall, said his case was “heartbreaking” and that he needs to be restored to ministry. 

“Rev Dr Bernard Randall has been cleared by every statutory safeguarding authority, yet the Church of England continues to treat him as a risk without presenting any evidence or allegations,” she said. 

“This is a transparent abuse of process and a violation of his rights under each ecclesiastical and civil law. The Church must now act to correct this injustice and restore his ministry.” 

Commenting on the case, Dr Randall said the safeguarding process had “lacked transparency, fairness, and compassion”, and that he had felt “pressured to resign my beliefs to be deemed secure”. He said he had effectively been left in “spiritual exile” by the Church of England.

“I even have been punished not for wrongdoing, but for believing,” he said.  

“The Church’s safeguarding process has grow to be a tool of coercion, not care. I’m speaking out now because I do know I’m not alone, and since nobody should suffer in silence for staying true to their faith.” 

He continued, “The situation is made all of the more perverse by the incontrovertible fact that I even have been referred to, and cleared by, at least 4 secular safeguarding and regulatory bodies. 

“Two of them reached their conclusions although they relied upon the Employment Tribunal decision before it was voided on appeal.  

“Only the Church considers further investigation vital, yet it cannot provide any appropriate basis for what it has done or is doing. It is time for this to finish.” 

Ms Williams called Dr Randall “a person of religion and integrity” and likened his treatment to “censorship”. 

“If the Church continues to refuse to reinstate him, they have to be held accountable not just for the injustice, but as a serious safeguarding risk themselves to their very own clergy,” she said. 

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Derby said: “The Diocese of Derby is working with Dr Randall to deal with concerns which he has raised, and is following House of Bishops’ guidance in doing so. 

“We have subsequently asked that Dr Randall continues to work with the continued process, in order that it may possibly be concluded as soon as possible.”