A report into institutional racism in the Church of England has concluded there is a ‘lack of diversity in leadership’ in the Church that is preventing ethnic minorities from reaching senior roles.
The Behind the Stained-Glass report was commissioned by the Racial Justice Commission of the CofE to explore levels of participation and lived experience of people of UK minoritised ethnic heritage in the Church.
The CofE has faced accusations of racism for some years, setting up a taskforce in 2021 to improve diversity and introducing measures such as annual reporting on recruitment, mandatory training on anti-racism, and demanding that shortlists include at least one ethnic minority candidate.
The study, carried out by the Institute for Educational & Social Equity, concludes that “senior roles are predominantly occupied by white males”, and that “biased recruitment and progression processes and stereotyping” remain an issue.
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For this reason, many ethnic minority individuals do not see role models like themselves in senior church positions, so find it hard to envision themselves progressing.
Many of them also face “significant personal challenges” such as being able to financially support themselves or a lack of support from their congregations, it found.
In addition, ethnic minority respondents to the report said they felt they did not possess the “cultural capital” that would help them to progress in their career, and that “class and cultural dynamics” were hindering their progression within the Church.
Ethnic minorities within the Church were often stereotyped and expected to conform to certain behaviours, it added.
“This has meant that when these perceived behaviours are not practised in the eyes of white people, they will be seen as not capable of taking on additional leadership responsibilities which has negatively impacted on their chances of career progression,” the report said.
Despite these challenges, the commission found that many individuals showed “significant personal resilience and a strong sense of vocation”.
It also found positive trends in some dioceses, marking out Birmingham, Liverpool and Southwark as being proactive in gathering data to look at the racial diversity of their clergy.
The report recommends that all dioceses implement a Diocesan Anti-Racism Plan, including measures to “systematically collect” data on the demographics of those in their ministries.
It also recommends that dioceses implement a “zero tolerance” policy towards both “overt and subtle” racial discrimination.
Professor Paul Miller, director of the Institute for Educational & Social Equity, said that the report confirmed “the existence of deep-seated inequities within Church structures”.
“Our hope is that these findings will serve as a prompt for necessary and long-overdue change,” he added.
Lord Boateng, chair of the Archbishops’ Racial Justice Commission, said: “This report brings irrefutable evidence of the impact of the Church’s data gaps on racial justice. It’s time for meaningful change, grounded in transparent data and accountable practices.”
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