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Church of England clergy will be encouraged to promote antiracism in sermons as senior figures unlock thousands of pounds in funding to promote diversity initiatives in London.
Church Commissioners, the body that manages C of E assets, is funding the Diocese of London, which covers more than 400 parishes and 18 boroughs north of the River Thames, to boost inclusion work as part of the three-year Racial Justice Priority (RJP) project.
RJP is separate from the £100m that the C of E has vowed to put aside for Project Spire, a commitment to create a “fund for healing, repair and justice” to address its historic links to the enslavement of African peoples.
But the £730,000 funding for RJP represents a significant statement of intent from the church at a time when conservative figures have claimed Project Spire diverts from “core obligations”.
The Right Rev Dr Anderson Jeremiah, the Bishop of Edmonton and the Diocese of London’s lead bishop on racial justice, said diverse congregations reflected the Anglican presence in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean as a colonial legacy, and the church had to create a “sense of belonging for all”.
He said of RJP: “We want racial justice to inform our missional, theological and church practices – treating each other as created in the image of God is central to our wider Christian faith.
“Whether it’s Bible studies, baptismal preparations, confirmation preparations or sermons, what we would like to actively promote is racial justice as one of the ways of engaging with the challenges of the church, through resources that can be used in these spaces.”
RJP funding will be used to support educational initiatives, in churches and C of E schools, about church buildings’ links to transatlantic slavery.
Churches will also be funded to support refugees and asylum seekers, and be expected to promote diversity in leadership, while unconscious bias training for parochial parish councils will be “theologically informed”, Lisa Adjei, the head of RJP for the diocese, said.
Insiders say RJP is designed to fund community cohesion work while “always respecting parishes’ autonomy”. It follows 2021’s From Lament to Action report, which called for urgent “culture change” to tackle “racial sin”.
Adjei said antiracist practices in education, representation, structures and governance had been identified as key areas for RJP, alongside advocacy, which meant the church “speaking and standing in solidarity” on issues such as youth safety, health inequalities and migration.
“This comes back to our theology, to who we are as the church, which is about loving our neighbour,” Adjei said.
“Whether the far right were present or not, we would still have an intention to care for the asylum seeker, the refugee and the migrant. What we want to do is allow people to see that faith and racial justice live side by side.”
Last week, the new archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, defended Project Spire as being “rooted in the Christian call to repentance, reconciliation and, above all, hope”, after Conservative party critics claimed the fund would divert cash away from local parishes.
Mullally said the church was inspired by the example of anti-slavery campaigners, such as Olaudah Equiano, adding: “Project Spire does not diminish the church’s support of or investment in parish ministry or clergy … Church Commissioners’ support for dioceses and parishes continues to increase.”
Jeremiah said it was hoped RJP would be a catalyst for other funding bids for racial justice work, adding: “Our faith in Jesus Christ compels us to work towards equity and fairness for all. It’s about how we counter the far-right narrative and create a sense of belonging for everyone.”
Adjei added: “If we were to set our focus on potential pushback and dissatisfaction we probably wouldn’t start, but, because we’re compelled by the love of God, even in the face of resistance, we press on. What we want to do is make sure we continue to have conversations with people who disagree with us.”
