THAT the Church of England needs “an inclusive theology which recognises the contribution of diverse origins and variety in liturgy” is the important thing finding in the most recent report from the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice.
Chaired by Lord Boateng, the Commission released its fourth biannual report last week. It highlighted structural issues and chronic attitudes, amongst them “that racial justice will at all times be a secondary consideration to the theological lens through which the whole lot and everyone seems to be seen”, with particular reference to senior appointments.
He expressed concern over whether the Church of England was truly able and ready for the challenges of becoming a more inclusive and diverse Church, together with the implications of this “for its professed mission”.
Dioceses and the national church institutions (NCIs) received criticism for his or her “secrecy and opaqueness” of their practices and processes. The report pushes for motion on this “urgently, because it undermines the mission of the Church and never only in the sphere of racial justice”.
Data continues to be an issue, the Commission found. There was often a reluctance to share it, and, in lots of places, it didn’t exist. The picture, it asserted, was consistent within the NCIs, dioceses, and at parish level.
Affirming its position “that Christ got here to avoid wasting us all no matter racial origin”, the 11-member Commission was clear that much work still needed to be done. The pace of change was described as “glacial”.
Out of 42 dioceses, two (five per cent) had done “little or no work on racial justice”, and 12 (29 per cent) only “have plans in place to work on racial justice”. Taken together, these 16 dioceses represented a couple of third of the C of E with basic progress towards racial-justice objectives.
The first a part of the report assesses progress on addressing the motion points of From Lament to Action, the 2021 report that established the Commission. The second part considers “examples of excellent practice and other excellent news from across and beyond the Church of England”.
Matters celebrated include the appointment of Professor Anthony Reddie to the University of Oxford’s inaugural chair in Black Theology (News, 22 September 2023), work inside theological colleges to diversify the Common Words curriculum, and initiatives to enhance awareness of the lasting impact of the slave trade.
Lord Boateng, who was the UK’s first black Cabinet minister, concluded his introduction with the Ghanaian salutation Nyame Bekyere, meaning “God will hear and he’ll hear himself strong”.
Introducing the controversy on the report within the General Synod on the weekend (News, 26 February), the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, said that she was “in little doubt that the Church must proceed to work at embedding racial justice in all its life and structures. Lip service is not going to do, neither will ticking boxes. . . We must allocate resources, each in the shape of individuals, finance, and governance.”
Referring to the report’s publication, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “I’m very conscious of the necessity to act — more quickly than now we have to this point — to answer the dearth of global-majority heritage/UKME clergy within the senior ranks of the Church.”
The Commission’s previous report, published in the summertime (News, 18 August 2023), contained theological reflection on contested global heritage and reparations. It has marked the halfway point of its three-year remit with the winter 2023-24 report, and can complete its mandated term in November 2024.
The motion carried by the Synod on the weekend requested a review at its sessions in February 2025 of “the progress made by Dioceses, the NCIs and other related institutions in implementing the recommendations in From Lament to Action”.
Synod, page 4
