How we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community

Being one of very few black people in a white majority church is something with which pastor and youth charity founder Ben Lindsay is all too familiar. Add to this the UK Church’s complicity in the transatlantic slave trade and the whitewashing of Christianity over the years, it seems the Church has a lot to answer for when it comes to race relations.

Ben Lindsay’s latest book, We Need to Talk about Race, aims to kickstart a much needed conversation within the Church. Drawing on his own experiences and other real-life stories, his book offers a comprehensive analysis of race relations in the Church in the UK and shows us how we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community.

In the adapted extract here, Ben explores the ways in which we can create this inclusive community effectively. He also discusses why inclusivity means much more than just having a diverse congregation, which, on its own, is simply not enough.

One thing I’ve learnt over time, and continue to see in churches today, is this: there is a huge difference between churches being diverse and churches being inclusive. Attracting black people to church isn’t difficult. For many of us, as black people, church is a major part of our lives and heritage. Creating inclusive communities, however, in which black people feel that they are a valued part of the culture, not just observers, is more complicated. Sadly, the racism we see in society we also face in the Church, through a combination of ignorance, naivety and white privilege. This is exasperating and painful for black people.

There is a strange colour-blind mentality within the Church (seeing everything as race neutral), which can make the topic even more difficult to raise. Many Christians would argue that God does not see colour, so why should we? God loves all people the same, judges all people the same and holds all people to the same holy and moral standards regardless of their skin tone. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for all – without distinction of colour.

While this is all true, we cannot ignore the other end of the spectrum – colour consciousness. We cannot and should not ignore, disregard or overlook how God made each of us individual. As Isaac Adams said:

We love people less when we ignore how God made them. And we are nothing without love (1 Corinthians 13). Jesus was born at a specific time, into a specific culture and given a specific identity. God is all about the detail.

While some Christians will view a colour-blind approach as a positive thing – a demonstration of loving all regardless of race – there is also a danger that if white church members do not have a degree of colour consciousness, they will ignore the realities, concerns, ‘There is a huge difference between churches being diverse and churches being inclusive’ joys and fears people of colour experience. This is imperative because being colour conscious gives white people licence to explore and learn about diverse cultures and helps people of colour to feel valued and welcomed in traditionally white spaces. Finally, colour consciousness brings a truer representation of God’s value of diversity in the body of Christ, helping to bring a glorious melody of diverse tongues coming from peoples of all nations, all colours, praising him together around the throne in diverse ways . . .

How can white Christians grow in empathy and wake up to issues that matter to the minority culture? How can churches become inclusive spaces and not just diverse at face value? It is going to require white church leaders and members to work harder at developing an unbiased church culture that truly represents.

Ben Lindsay offers eye-opening insights into the black religious experience, challenging the status quo in white majority churches. Filled with examples from real-life stories, including his own, and insightful questions, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of race relations in the Church in the UK and shows us how we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community. Buy now >>