Belonging Together Partnership Meeting - Methodist · The Methodist Church in Britain has a history of commitment to issues of racial justice, ... glimpse of the Methodist Church

belonging together PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT

2010-2013 As revised by the Belonging Together Partnership Steering Group – 22 March 2011

The Methodist Church

Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR | Helpdesk: 020 7486 5502 | www.methodist.org.uk

BELONGING TOGETHER

2 The Methodist Church Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR | Helpdesk: 020 7486 5502 | www.methodist.org.uk

PART 1 UNDERSTANDING THE VISION

The Context

1. The Methodist Church in Britain has a history of commitment to issues of racial justice, and continues to strive to ensure that the Church recognises and celebrates its cultural diversity.

2. Over the past 30 years the composition of the Methodist Church has been changing and its diversity increasing. This diversity extends throughout the Connexion, but is perhaps most evident in the London District, where more than sixty-six percent of the 22,500+ members have their places of family origin outside of the UK.

3. Since 1985 Black and Asian ministers serving the British Methodist Church and black young people from around the Connexion have been holding regular meetings. Participation in these groups has increased and they have clearly met particular needs of the Church at a particular stage of the Church’s history.

After a meeting of District Chairs in 2006, when a question was asked about groups and fellowships based on nationality or language or ethnicity, that were part of the Methodist Church in Britain a list of over a dozen such groups was drawn up (see Appendix 1). The Church’s commitment to issues of inclusion and belonging is demonstrated in the plethora of initiatives and reports detailed in the timeline for racial justice (see Appendix 2).

4. In February 2007, a consultation at Swanwick on Ethnicity, Diversity and Methodist Identity brought together a number of these groups. The participants believed that they were given a glimpse of the Methodist Church in Britain that was very different from the one they were accustomed to, and listed the following themes for further exploration: Evangelism and Growth; Effective Communication; Empowering Leadership; Embracing the Other; Educating the Young; Exploring Methodism; Evaluating the Moment.

5. There was some overlap between these proposals and those put forward by the Black Methodist Ministers Group: a) Offering teaching that would help the whole Church to have a shared vision of what it

means to be one Body and to recognise and celebrate what it means to be a plural Church; b) Broadening the theological education and reflection in the Church (initial and continuing,

formal and informal) to represent more faithfully the variety of theologies now present in the Connexion;

c) Enabling ministers of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds to continue to meet with others of similar backgrounds to experience the benefits outlined above;

d) Providing more systematic induction and support for Ministers and congregations when Ministers are appointed to churches where the majority of members were of cultural, language and ethnic backgrounds different from that of the Minister;

e) Increasing the number of people of minority ethnic origin responding to the call to leadership and authorised ministries in the Church and ensuring that they were supported and trained in ways that took their backgrounds and prospective ministries into account fully.

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The Vision of Belonging Together

6. The Methodist Church in Britain seeks to fulfil its vocation of worship and mission through its richly diverse membership, fully recognising the plural society within which it is placed. Belonging Together concentrates on achieving this across the national, ethnic and linguistic groups within the church today, and in doing so will build capacity for the Church to engage with other strands set forth in the Equality and Diversity strategy.

The philosophy in fulfilling this vision is twofold, though it is recognised that this needs to be further tested and discussed:

a) The affirmation of culturally diverse churches, groups and individuals within the Connexion, and creating an environment in which they can be themselves; enjoy meaningful interactions; and take full advantage of connexional structures and resources.

b) The creative interaction within the Connexion of groups and individuals of culturally different backgrounds, whereby they can contribute positively to the ministry of the whole people of God, locally and connexionally, and receive gifts and experiences from each other.

Driving Force and Areas of Concern

7. Matters of diversity and equity are seen as part of the core identity of the Methodist Church in Britain, and diversity issues are an intrinsic part of this. The key areas of concern are:

a) The lack of sufficiently diverse representation within the Church’s ordained and authorised ministries, and the Church’s insufficient capacity to recognise, nurture and utilise the gifts and graces of all who are called to ministry.

b) The lack of sufficiently diverse participation within the Church’s decision-making and leadership structures.

c) The lack of adequate induction processes for ordained ministers transferring from other Conferences and Churches.

d) An under-developed awareness and understanding across the Connexion of its ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity.

e) Outstanding questions regarding the structural incorporation within the Connexion of ethnically- / linguistically- / culturally-distinctive congregations.

8. It has been suggested that there is a window of opportunity of about three years for the Church to demonstrate its commitment to becoming an effective plural church across throughout the Connexion.

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The Approach

9. The Connexional Team has reported to Conference that its work will be prioritised against the theme of discipleship, and the Strategic Leaders have affirmed that Belonging Together is a key part of this theme.

10. Belonging Together is a vision which can only become a reality if different sections of the Church and the Connexional Team work together in partnership. The approach is to develop such a partnership and to create an environment that, over a period of three years, will accelerate a creative response by the Methodist Church in Britain to the challenges and opportunities that are inherent in its diversity.

11. Many of these different strands of work by different partners have already been incorporated into the Connexional Team plans for 2009-10, or are being developed in some districts and Training Institutions. The partnership will seek to bring cohesion across these strands, ensure communication, and add additional support and resources through the Projects Cluster.

Expected Outcomes and Associated Tasks

Expected Outcomes Associated Tasks

1. A fuller understanding of the body of Christ within the British Connexion because members of Methodist Church in Britain (MCB) will recognise both their distinctiveness and their Belonging Together in one Connexion

Increase the acceptance/ acknowledgement/ incorporation of worship styles, preaching styles and academic work which reflect the different ethnic, language and cultural groupings within the Church.

2. The ethnic mix of Presbyters and Deacons within MCB properly reflects the ethnic mix within its membership and congregations

Increase the number of under-represented applicants for lay or ordained ministry within MCB by: a) Reviewing and adjusting the discernment and

selection process to make it more culturally sensitive to and appropriate for people from diverse backgrounds, and for whom English is not their first language.

b) Improving the recognition, nurture and utilisation of the particular gifts that people from diverse ethnic language and cultural groups have to offer.

3. All Presbyters and Deacons have a sound understanding of Britain’s cultural, social and legal landscape, and thus are better equipped for their ministry

Reduce the level of complaints and criminal charges raised against ministers, including those from under-represented backgrounds: a) Reviewing and improving the system of induction and

continuing support for congregations, ministers and other leaders, including new arrivals from other Churches and Conferences who are involved in

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different forms of ministry across cultures. b) Reviewing and improving the training curricula and

resources available.

4. The ethnic mix of leaders within MCB properly reflects the ethnic mix within its membership and congregations

Increase the representation of members participating effectively in decision making at leadership level in all aspects of Church life, and especially in areas critical to the Belonging Together vision itself: a) By reviewing and adjusting resources to make them

more accessible and appropriate to people from other cultures and language groups.

b) By reviewing and adjusting the diversity mix on the Candidating Committee.

c) Actively encouraging children and youth in all congregations to engage with the work of diversity, in order to participate fully in the wider Connexion.

General Strategies

12. Ensuring high levels of commitment from the Church’s leadership by: a) Making sure that the Belonging Together vision is owned and championed by Strategic

Leaders, the Connexional Leadership Forum, and the formal governance bodies of the Church, Conference.

b) Championing the practical application of the Belonging Together vision within the Connexional Team.

c) Looking for links and benefits within existing priorities e.g. integrating outcomes within the Discipleship theme.

13. Embedding the purposes and vision of Belonging Together throughout the Connexion.

14. Establishing a Steering Group from the partners representing the different streams of work within the Belonging Together vision.

15. Incorporating a profoundly collaborative and participatory working style with good communication.

16. Developing effective interactions with ecumenical partners to learn and share good practice, experiences and insights.

17. Interact with experts from other organisations who share the purposes and vision of Belonging Together.

18. Research-led policy-making through a systematic and coherent approach to mapping the current situation and preparing to monitor and evaluate the anticipated outcomes.

19. Develop effective learning, training and facilitation resources that are responsive to the needs articulated by the Church’s various stakeholders.

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PART 2 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE DIFFERENT PARTNERS

20. Each partner has a unique contribution to offer in pursuit of the Belonging Together vision. Many discussions have taken place to understand and describe the strands of work described below. It is recognised that further discussions are still needed with some partners, and these will be pursued by the Belonging Together Partnership Officer as the partnership develops.

21. Work in districts The Partnership will benefit from the present and recent experiences in districts. These experiences need to be captured and reflected on with other partners so that policy developments are well informed. The Partnership Officer will support districts in organising events to facilitate these reflections, and work with district staff to test out models of support for church leaders and congregations.

22. Training institutions The partnership will benefit from the different expertise and diversity of the Training Institutions. They feed into the Regional Training Forums, which have a role in making training accessible to diverse groups at the local level. Provision is made in the budget estimate for a Learning and Development Officer for 2 years to work with the training institutions in support of the Belonging Together vision, enabling them to collaborate in shaping the future of training and working with other partners.

23. Discipleship and Ministries (D&M) a) Develop the programme for improved induction and support of overseas ministers. b) Recruit and manage the Learning & Development Officer. c) The Children and Youth strategic development plan, of which the youth participation

strategy is an integral element, will collaborate with the Learning & Development Officer to ensure that equalities and diversity training is delivered consistently throughout the whole connexion for children and youth staff.

24. Equalities and Diversity (E&D) a) Put in place a model of sustainability for events and networks which support ministers

and congregations of diverse cultural backgrounds. b) Establish and develop the revised structure within MCB which will bring together various

strands of equalities and diversity issues, including racial justice. c) Start the debate around the degree of flexibility needed in Standing Orders to

accommodate the aims of the Belonging Together vision.

25. Racial Justice / Race Stakeholder Forum Racial Justice issues are engaged through a variety of groups, including the former Racial Justice Committee and the new Race Stakeholder Forum. The Partnership will benefit from the insights of these groups, and will facilitate discussions on engaging other partners with these issues

26. Discernment and Selection (D&S) Review the processes for candidating and stationing, and seek to develop these in ways which

encourage under-represented people to engage.

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27. Evangelism, Spirituality and Discipleship (ESD) Develop strategies to spread more widely the spiritual theological and practical understandings discovered or developed in the London, Birmingham and other Districts.

28. World Church Relations (WCR) Use their experiences of cross cultural issues to support the strands of work being undertaken by Discipleship and Ministries, and Discernment and Selection.

29. The Projects, Research and Development Cluster (P,R&D) The Belonging Together project combines research, consultative meetings, the intentional sharing of insights with leaders at the connexional regional and local level, and celebration and training events, to advance the wider vision of a Church that engages actively with cultural diversity. PR&D manage this project and service the Partnership Steering Group, recruit and manage the Belonging Together Partnership Officer (plus a staff member to support district work if this is approved), organise relevant events; develop and pilot new models and processes in support of the other strands of work; and carry out a mapping exercise on the diversity within local churches.

30. Other key relationships

Connexional leaders, including the Strategic Leaders in the Connexional Team

Regional Training Forums

Training Officers

District Development Enablers and District Evangelism Enablers

Youth Conference

Connexional Team Research Officers

A highly collaborative working relationship between the Partnership Officer and the Learning and Development Officer, and more broadly between PR&D and D&M, is vital for the success of Belonging Together. Building on the Connexional Team’s core values and ‘ways of working’ as a foundation, cross cluster and connexional working will need to be modelled, encouraged and demonstrated by all Partners, but in particular by those leading on the 12 specific aims of the Partnership.’

31. The partnership seeks to enable all partners to understand each other’s work, interact and collaborate where there is synergy to do so, and negotiate whenever potential conflicts emerge. The following table gives specific aims, and indicates which partner is responsible to take the lead. All areas of work need to be informed by experiences in districts.

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Specific Aims Indicators/success criteria Lead by

1

Develop policies that reflect a clearer understanding of the pathways by which ordained ministers join MCB from partner Conferences, and improve their induction and training support

1. Review carried out of the pathways by which ministers join or transfer to the Methodist Church in Great Britain; the uses to which they are put; and the induction and support required for their ministry.

2. Coherent and transparent strategies established for receiving, recognising and deploying ministers transferring into MCB from partner conferences.

3. In collaboration with the Queen’s Foundation and

London District, induction courses designed and delivered to all transferring ministers, their families, and their receiving Superintendents.

4. Ongoing support for and work with circuits

receiving transferring ministers, including facilitated discussions and workshops that explore the distinctiveness and belonging to one united Church for diverse worship and preaching styles.

5. Events coordinated to reflect on the experiences of

transferring ministers, their families, and receiving Circuits and congregations.

D&M in close cooperation with D&P, WCR and Queen’s Foundation

2

Record the experiences of people from under-represented backgrounds coming forward for leadership

1. Through consultation, focus groups, interviews or other mechanisms, these experiences would have been recorded and key issues shared with all partners

PR&D in close collaboration with D&M, Birmingham and other districts

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3

Improve the support of culturally distinct congregations and fellowships, and the ministers serving them.

1. Identify and map the diversity of culturally distinct congregations and fellowships in Britain (see Aim 10)

2. Review current support offered (eg, stationing, financial), explore new approaches, and clarify relevant ministerial policies.

3. Develop revised strategies to promote engagement with wider Connexion

D&M in close cooperation with districts

4

Put in place a model of sustainability for events and networks which support culturally distinct congregations and ministers from under-represented backgrounds

1. A detailed review looking at existing events and networks, their governance, membership, financial contributions and existing linkages into the Connexional Team or other parts of the Connexion would have been carried out

2. A stakeholders forum would have been set up to include the Belonging Together Ministers Group, the Asian Ministers group, the work of the Queen’s Foundation, and some members of the existing Racial Justice Committee

3. A representative of the Race Stakeholder Forum is elected on to the E&D Resource Group as a full and active member

4. Belonging Together is a standing agenda item at the E&D Resource Group meetings for the length of the project

5. An annual event with the working title of Diversifest would have being established celebrating diversity, giving opportunity to learn and engage with training and progress the E&D agenda in our churches

E&D supported by those responsible for racial justice

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5

Facilitate and support engagement with cultural diversity through ministerial training programmes and through learning resources for Connexional churches.

1. Articulate learning strategies that emphasize unity and diversity, and the value and context of diverse worship styles and cultural contexts

2. Revise learning outcomes for ministerial students, with regard to learning resources and ongoing professional development/support (in collaboration with learning institutions).

3. Develop resources to support learning development

within congregations

4. Develop strategies for implementing learning and

facilitating conversations about cultural diversity within and between congregations across the Connexion.

D&M in collaboration with learning institutions and regional training networks

6

Increase the diversity of people coming forward for lay and ordained ministry, and improve support offered during candidating, preparing and stationing.

1. Review criteria for accepting/assessing candidates into ministry, and develop revised processes.

2. Review of all who have come forward for candidating over the past three years

3. Production of “Candidating Handbook”, with updated images

4. Production of promotional video, to attract people who are currently under-represented in Methodist ministry.

5. Major publication in the Methodist Recorder

D&M, D&P, with support from PR&D

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Candidating Committee:

1. Presentations targeted at recruiting new members to the Candidating Committee.

2. Strategy paper to explore ways of supporting

under-represented individuals and encouraging their participation on the Candidating Committee

3. Develop and deliver training curricula for

incoming Committee members

4. Develop and deliver training curricula for

District Candidate Secretaries

7

Develop strategies to spread more widely the spiritual theological and practical understandings discovered or developed in the London, Birmingham and other Districts.

1. A robust document would be produced reporting on the findings of a scoping exercise which:

a) reviews the current and proposed publications (in print, audio or online) produced by the team in terms of how far they reflect a diverse Church, and suggest ways to improve

b) recommends monitoring processes to ensure that the development of each publication consciously considers how it will appropriately reflect this aim

c) recommends training for staff involved in originating content, selecting images, designing and copy editing to ensure competence in this area.

d) Identifies what further resources are needed to support and promote the diverse spirituality within MC Britain.

e) Includes a communications plan for getting the right information across to the right groups, based on the work done in the earlier parts of the project.

f) Includes a directory of people with the skills to share in the production of the resources.

ES&D in close cooperation with districts and the Communica-tions team

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g) Makes recommendations on how to integrate such resources into work plans across the CT.

2. A paper highlighting good practice, lessons learnt and stories from across the connexion would have being produced

3. The needs of the diverse cultures that the Church is seeking to reach out to would have being highlighted at the DDE/DEE staff conference, other events and training programs

4. The production and piloting of material called “time to talk of each other” to promote active discussion/conversations among members on celebrating MC diversity would have being completed.

5. Working ecumenically, areas of good practice would have being identified and present the information to enable church leaders and members to reflect and gain insight on how to better celebrate diversity.

D&M

PR&D in collaboration with districts (West Yorkshire in particular)

8

Build capacity for children and young people to engage with cultural diversity

1. Design youth-orientated workshops on equality and diversity, and deliver as part of the Youth Participation Strategy, including provision for peer delivery.

2. Design training courses for people working with children and youth, and deliver in collaboration with the Children and Youth Team.

D&M

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3. Facilitate the development of strategy for providing

short-term support to the Association of Black Methodist Youth for long-term integration into youth work programmes

9

Promote the flexibility of CPD and demonstrate how CPD embodies an ethos of inclusion and participation within the Methodist Church in Britain

1. Develop access tools (e.g. booklet) for a range of audiences to show ‘ways in’ understanding and using CPD.

2. Education processes in place for on-going engagement with CPD as a ‘living document.’

3. Develop a theological statement on equalities and

diversity which would underpin the developing work of E&D in the life and work of the church, for presentation at Conference 2012.

E&D supported by OoSC, Faith and Order, Law and Polity, and Communica-tions

10

Map the current diversity of church membership throughout the Connexion

1. A progress report of the work being undertaken in partnership with the Church of England (piloting a church life mapping exercise in Devon) would have been presented to the Strategic Leaders;

2. A research outline for mapping diversity throughout the Methodist Church in Britain would have been presented to the Strategic Leaders, and assuming resources can be allocated, a map indicating the diversity of people in the Methodist Church in Britain would have been produced.

PR&D in collaboration with D&M and E&D

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11

Map the diversity among those coming forward for authorised forms of ministry

1. A report based including qualitative and quantitative information of the diversity of people coming forward for authorised forms of ministry would have been presented.

PR&D in close collaboration with E&D, D&P and D&M

12

Evaluate the Project, and disseminate lessons learnt

1. An evaluation will have been carried out against terms of reference agreed by the Projects programme manager, and with input from key stakeholders.

2. Collaboratively worked with our ecumenical partners to benchmark comparable aspects of the Belonging Together project

3. Explore a number of frameworks for E&D and pluralism for which the MC vision for a plural church can progress.

PR&D et al

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Risk Analysis

Risk Type Mitigation Plan

1 Lack of agreement on the philosophy

Continue to explore the philosophy and different approaches or models of church in a plural society with partners and Connexional Leaders, and seek to reach consensus.

2 Lack of cohesion within the partnership, or limited flow of information between partners.

Establish a Partnership Steering Group with agreed terms of reference which would have representatives from all partners and supported by the Belonging Together Partnership Officer

Working groups would be established by the Steering Group to take forward specific aspects.

3 Lack of support to specialist staff for specific activities e.g. drawing up individual delivery plans for activities identified in the project outline.

Discussion with the key staff to establish their support needs and how best to deliver it. This would form part of the PRD Cluster and D&M Cluster delivery plans

4 Insufficient time for meaningful impact, noting that the planned extra resources are for 3 years.

Regular reporting on milestones and the changing “landscape” to give some indication of the impact of the project as early as possible.

The partnership can continue without a staff member beyond the 3 year period for as long as the partners deem necessary. However it would need to be agreed how to keep the momentum.

A general review of progress would be planned in year 3 and a decision could be made to extend the resources.

5 Insufficient involvement of the districts (especially London and Birmingham) and the learning institutions.

Clear agreement on the activities of districts and learning institutions needs to be reached early in the partnership.

Districts would have representation on the Partnership Steering Group.

6 Districts unable to find resources to engage significantly.

Detailed discussions and clear agreement on what can be done within the limitations of the Partnership Officer’s time and the districts’ own resources.

7 Mapping exercise becomes unworkable within the resources available.

Careful calculation of the possible cost of this activity would enable the project to deliver. To do this the mapping exercise could be benchmarked against equivalent exercises carried currently being carried out with our Ecumenical partners.

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32. Each partner will work within their own allocated resources to complete the strands of work within their responsibility. Additional resources needed to support the partnership and complete specific pieces of work not otherwise covered are set out in this section.

Staff

33. To support the Belonging Together vision, a project is proposed which combines research, consultative meetings, the intentional sharing of insights with leaders at the connexional regional and local level, and celebration and training events. The Connexional Team Projects Officer will project manage this specialist full time staff will be recruited as follows:

34. Belonging Together Partnership Officer: this person will be a member of the Projects, Research and Development Cluster based in Methodist Church House. Their role is to bring cohesion to the partnership and support communication between partners; they will not be managing work of staff in other sections of the Connexional Team. Specific tasks include:

34.1. Liaise with the partners and other stakeholders (eg, Faith and Order) to encourage and support communication, linkages and collaboration

34.2. Provide information and updates to partners

34.3. Visit districts and as agreed with district chairs individual circuits and churches to gather information, identify issues and needs, and share these with other partners

34.4. Plan and organise meetings, events, focus groups or workshops relating to specific aspects of Belonging Together. In discussion with district chairs, some will take place in selected districts and the reflections fed into connexional events

34.5. Assist with development of communication material by preparing information about the Belonging Together project for posting on Website, publications and other media.

34.6. Work with the Research Officers to develop and implement the mapping exercises

34.7. Contribute to the project review and evaluation processes; Submit required reports.

35. Belonging Together Learning and Development Officer: this will be a 2-year appointment, and the person will be a member of the Discipleship and Ministries Cluster. The overarching task of the Learning and Development Officer is to embed the Belonging Together vision within the Church through the work of its ministries. To this end, the role of the LDO is to facilitate a reflective, participatory process at strategic levels throughout the Connexion – notably learning institutions, circuit leadership and youth services provision – to deliver resources and to establish robust frameworks that can support a plural and affirming church. Specific tasks include:

35.1 Collaborating with PR&D on the research and mapping exercises, in order to identify the needs and learning resources required to realise the vision of a plural Church

35.2 Collaborate with Training Institutions to develop relevant and responsive resources, policies and programmes in relation to the Church’s diverse membership and ministry.

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35.3 Work with the “Regrouping for Mission” initiative to ensure that diversity and culture are addressed through resources and support to circuits and districts.

35.4 Collaborate with colleagues to articulate and deliver policies, positions and programmes related to the work of the Discipleship & Ministries Cluster, and ultimately to enable the Church to think strategically about its ministries.

35.5 Contribute to wider Partnership activities, and represent Belonging Together to ecumenical partners and both internal and external audiences.

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APPENDIX 1

List of ethnic, language and cultural groups drawn up after a meeting of District Chairs in 2006:

1. Asylum seekers meeting for worship in Wales, Sheffield, and Walsall;

2. Chinese Groups in Kings Cross, Epsom, Birmingham;

3. Congolese Groups (French speaking) in Bolton and Sheffield;

4. Filipinos in the Isle of Man;

5. Ghanaian Fellowships in Radford (Nottingham) as well as in several London locations,

including Westminster Central Hall;

6. An Iranian Group (Parsee speakers) in Hexthorpe;

7. Koreans in New Malden, Wimbledon, Leeds, Bristol;

8. Punjabi speakers in West Yorkshire;

9. A Nepalese Group meeting for Bible Study in Sudbury;

10. A Somali Group in Stafford;

11. Tongan Rugby Players in Wales that met every Sunday for their own worship, with some of

them also worshipping with the host Church;

12. Urdu speakers worshipping in Slough, Southall, Redhill, Wolverhampton, Birmingham;

13. Zimbabwean Groups in London, Southend-on-Sea, Sheffield, Leeds, North Lancashire,

Liverpool, Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh;

14. Truly International Congregations in London, Manchester, Liverpool.

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APPENDIX 2 RACIAL JUSTICE – THE TIMELINE YEAR 1962 The Committee for the Care of Immigrants, through what was then the Home Mission

Department, reported to the Conference that it was deeply disturbed about the ‘emergence of colour prejudice’ and opposed to the Commonwealth Immigrants’ Bill, which later became the Commonwealth Immigrants’ Act of 1962

1967 The Committee on Migration replaced the Committee for the Care of Immigrants

1971 The Community and Race Relations Committee replaced the Committee on Migration

1978 Methodist Conference stated that racism is a sin

1981 Racism Awareness Training begun as a local Methodist Church initiative which evolved into a

Connexional response to racism. Mrs Sybil Phoenix MBE and Revd Vic Watson CBE pioneered

the work through the Methodist and Ecumenical Leadership Racism Awareness Workshops

(MELRAW). This work was further developed providing Racism Awareness Training ecumenically to the Church of England, The Roman Catholic Church, The Baptist Union and within training institutions – Wesley College Bristol, Queens College Birmingham, Wesley Study Centre Durham and the West Midlands Ministerial Training Course.

1984 Ivan Weekes appointed as first Secretary for Race and Community

1985 The report ‘A Tree God Planted’ was published by the Ethnic Minorities in Methodism Working

Group. It contained comprehensive data and stories that showed the status and experiences of Black people within British Methodism. The challenges the report brought to the Church included: a) Do we pledge to make the equality of black and white people a priority? b) Do we see diversity in congregational life as different groups bring their various traditions? c) How can we develop steps for positive action to enable equal access to Church life

opportunities for Black people? d) Concrete objectives to seek racial justice need to be developed at every level of Church life. The plea of the author, Heather Walton, in her conclusion was that ‘now that we have access to the facts, we are no longer able to claim ignorance of the need for changes in the Church. The time for thoughtful, prayerful actions has come.’

1985 Black and Asian Methodist Ministers Group formed

1986 Black Methodist Youth Group (BMYG) formed to support black young people not accessing MAYC

1987 The report Faithful and Equal was adopted by the Methodist Conference. It was intended as a long term point of reference for the church

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1992 Committee for Racial Justice replaces the Community and Race Relations Committee

1994 SHEBA formed (Sisters Helping and Empowering Black Achievement), with the aim of offering support and training for black women and young people within and beyond Methodism

1995 Black Methodists Group (BMG) formed as a coming together of BMMG, SHEBA and students on the Access to the Black Theology Course at Queens College, Birmingham

1998 The Racial Justice Office established the Black Methodist Youth Conference to encourage and develop leadership skills of young Black and Asian Methodists, enabling them to positively and meaningfully contribute to the life and work of the Church

2000 BMG changed to Black Methodists for Liberation and Unity

By 2001 MELRAW had evolved through solid work within the Methodist Church and ecumenically into a specialist training and development unit for racial justice and for good practice

2000 - 2003

The Racial Justice Training Unit (RJTU) within the Racial Justice Office provided training in Racism Awareness and Anti-racist Practice for all people in the life of the Methodist Church as well as a number of training resources including:

a) Pride and Prejudice – 2000

b) Making a Positive Difference – 2001

c) Strangers no More – 2001

d) Voices of Experience: celebrating 20 years of work of Racial Justice Training – 2002

e) Beyond duty – a personal challenge to promoting Racial Justice – 2003

f) Challenging Racism a guide for churches (A3 poster guide) – 2004

g) Workers for the Harvest – 2005

h) Building a Racially Inclusive Methodist Church - 2005

2005 Association of Black Methodist Youth (ABMY) replaced BMYG

2007 Ethnicity and Cohesion in the Methodist Church Conference held at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick. This conference brought together representatives of a number of these Groups. Also present were the President, Vice President and Secretary of Conference, members of the World Mission Forum and several Chairs of District. There was an opportunity for different Groups to share their stories; to have worship led in different styles and languages; to engage in Bible Study and theological reflection about what was happening in the Methodist Church.

2008 The inception of The Belonging Together Partnership. Its aim is to help the Methodist Church to fulfil its vocation of worship and mission through its richly diverse membership, fully recognising the plural society in which it sits.

Source: Equality and Diversity: previous work within The Methodist Church (July 2010)

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Belonging Together Partnership Meeting - Methodist · The Methodist Church in Britain has a history of commitment to issues of racial justice, ... glimpse of the Methodist Church