Latest From Inclusive Church

Inclusive Church is a network of churches, groups and individuals uniting together around a shared vision:

"We believe in inclusive Church - church which does not discriminate, on any level, on grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, race or sexuality. We believe in Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ."

Race, class and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's sermon

  I will begin by saying that I am not a royalist. This is not the official position of Inclusive Church- in fact, I believe many of the trustees are supportive of the monarchy. I am a Quaker and one of our testimonies is to equality, which I interpret as meaning that no-one should be considered above anyone else by virtue of their birth. As a result, I have a strong personal dislike of monarchy as a system. I do not have anything against any of the royals indi Read More »

Outside the Box: Coming Out as Bisexual at 40

  There’s a Monty Python sketch in the film ‘The Meaning of Life’ which sums up pretty well how self-conscious I feel about coming out as a bisexual man, in my forties, in a fulfilled and happy monogamous marriage to a woman. As the song ‘Every Sperm is Sacred’ ends, the scene cuts to a middle-aged Protestant couple, Mr and Mrs Blackitt, as the husband explains to his wife that, because they Read More »

Being an introvert in an extrovert world

  Coming out as introvert As I write this blog, I am sitting in Friends House, opposite Euston station. It is relaxing haven in the middle of a very noisy city. I’m in the café, and I’m still finding it a bit too loud for my liking- people are talking, the café workers are clanging cutlery, and the occasional motorbike can be heard from the main road. Let me be clear: I am not autistic; neither do I have social anxiety. I can Read More »

Language to (dis)empower

  Our words can untie, or unite. Our words can break or build. I am Azariah, an Anglican priest. My heritage originates in the west of Africa, via the West Indies, then settling in West Yorkshire, where I was born. I have chosen five phrases used by people which have an an impact. I begin with the phrase, then unpack the story. “I am an African, and you don’t know your true language, your country, or your tribe.” Some years ago I Read More »

IC's trip to Sweden: A church for and with all

IC's delegation with members of the Swedish Lutheran Church project plan on inclusion and the Bishop of Stockholm, Eva Brunne.   IC’s Trip to Sweden: A Church for and with All. In April a delegation from Inclusive Church was invited by Swedish Lutheran friends from the Diocese of Stockholm to take part in a conference being held on their pilot project, “Accessibility and Inclusion- a Chu Read More »

Meet the new PA to the National Coordinator!

Inclusive Church have hired a Personal Assistant to the National Coordinator- one day per week- to help with administrative tasks, social media etc. Cheryl Nimz started work in December 2018. She is a Canadian Mennonite who has extensive experience working for corporations doing all manner of things, including sales and admin. She is really excited to work for Inclusive Church, as she believes very much in our mission to help churches become more inclusive. In her spare time, Cheryl Read More »

Beyond Inclusion – Lizzie Lowe and John Bell

The photo above is of Lizzie Lowe. I like to take the occasional jog along the river Mersey which runs past the southern edge of our parish in Didsbury; it also marks the border between Manchester and Cheshire. Although the route along the river is wooded and secluded in places we’re actually in the middle of an urban jungle and the M60 can be heard roaring in the background. The route also takes me very close to the place where Lizzie took her life on 10th September Read More »

Statement on Pemberton v Inwood

Press Release from Canon Jeremy Pemberton   The Court of Appeal has examined the issues in my claim against Bishop Richard Inwood and has dismissed them. I am grateful for the expertise of the Court, though naturally disappointed in the judgment. I have reached a settlement agreement with the Church of England that I will not pursue this claim any further. They, on their part, will not apply for costs against me. I am more grateful Read More »

Remembering Rachel Held Evans

  Just scrolling through the tweets on the hashtag #BecauseofRHE is enough to give a flavour of the impact and legacy of writer Rachel Held Evans, who died last week following a sudden illness. Obituaries in the Washington Post, the New Yorker plus numerous tweets from the likes of Bishop Michael Curry, Brene Brown and Hilary Clinton show the reach of her work. Bu Read More »

A briefing paper on the House of Bishops’ Pastoral Guidance on using the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith with transgender people

  Please click on the link below to read the briefing document by Susan Gilchrist and Christina Beardsley. A briefing paper on the House of Bishops’ Pastoral Guidance on using the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith with transgender people For the associated reading list, please click Read More »

Inclusion, Mission, Disciples, Growth

  Is inclusion work the role of social responsibility teams?    A charitable project? It’s about mission.  It’s about discipleship.  It’s also about growth.   For a few years, I have been working with some Dioceses on inclusion, and how it affects the number of people in church.  It’s no big secret that the Church of England’s overall membership is declining.  Whilst there are some areas o Read More »

News from Hereford, by Ambassador Peter Dyke

‘That this Synod request the House of Bishops to commend under Canon B4 an Order of Prayer and Dedication after a Civil Partnership or Same-Sex Marriage, indicative of no departure from the doctrine of the Church of England on any essential matter, and furnished with ample safeguards that no parish should be obliged to host, nor minister conduct, such a service.’ Hereford, the least populous and most rural of all the English dioceses, briefly hit the Church of England he Read More »

IC's trip to Sweden: Being inclusive is about more than being 'nice'!

  A TEDxExeter talk got me thinking. A young deaf woman came on the stage and started signing her talk. This went on for long enough for us all to begin to feel uncomfortable. She then signed for her interpreter to come on stage. She apologised for forgetting that most of us didn’t sign and she wanted us to feel included. It was a nice moment and a proper lesson. A week later I went on a wonderful trip to Sweden and the Diocese of Stockholm with Inclusive Church Read More »

Reading List- Transgender People and Christianity

A selection of writing by or about transgender people relevant to the General Synod Human Sexuality Briefing Paper about the House of Bishops Guidance on using the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith with transgender people, February 2019.   Althaus-Reid M. and L. Isherwood (Eds.) 2009. Trans/Formations. London: SCM. Includes chapters by Susannah Cornwall, Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Elizabeth Stuart, Lewis Reay et al.   B Read More »

IC sermon: Labels, identity and inclusion

St Michael's Aston Clinton   The below sermon was written and delivered by Ruth Wilde, the National Coordinator of Inclusive Church at St Michael's Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire on the 25th November 2018. Readings for the day: Daniel 7: 9-10 & 13-14 and John 18: 33-37 ­­­­­_____________________________________________________________________________ Labels , Identity and Inclusion

Interview with IC treasurer, David Hancock

David has been a trustee and the treasurer of Inclusive Church for a good number of years now. He will be stepping down next year and IC will be actively looking for a replacement. He has been such a constant presence on the board and looking after IC's finances over the years and will be greatly missed. Ruth Wilde, National Coordinator of IC, decided to interview David in his final year... Hi D Read More »

Something Worth Sharing: the 7th Annual Conference on Disability and Church

  The annual disability conference with St Martin in the Fields and Inclusive Church is always a joy to attend, for me. Sharing life and faith with fellow Christians is a blessing indeed. One of the questions I asked this year, as part of the talk I gave on disability, access and church was, “What are we accessing?” So often, church leaders may assume that disabled and neurodiverse people are accessing the building. Of course, they might well be. Read More »

Outside the Box: Being Christian and Bisexual

  Ever since I was asked to write this post, I have been struggling, feeling like a fraud. Compared to so many bisexual Christians, I have never once struggled, with my orientation or my faith. I have never once thought that being bi was a big deal, or worth mentioning. I knew I could love men as well as women from when I was around 14, and it was just one of those things I knew about myself, a fact just like the fact that I’m right-handed, blonde (in those days Read More »

Statement re. the Windrush Scandal

This statement has been written by Professor Anthony Reddie and is endorsed by the Inclusive Church board of trustees. While there has been a Black presence in Britain since the time of the Romans, the bulk of the multicultural Black presence in Britain can be traced to a phenomenon called the Windrush. This term emanates from a pivotal event on the 22nd June 1948, when 4 Read More »

'No Outsiders' and the Importance of Solidarity Between Marginalised Groups

  'No Outsiders' is a resource for teachers. In the last few weeks those two words have become synonymous with division for some members of the Birmingham Muslim community. For some members of the LGBTQ community, they have become synonymous with a battle for visibility and rights. Designed by a Birmingham Teacher, Andrew Moffat, who was made an MBE last year for services to equality, No Outsiders aims to support primary school teachers teach the Equality Act. Read More »

Formal Notice of AGM

Inclusive Church is holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday the 25th July at 6.45pm at Leicester Cathedral. All members and supporters are invited. If you are a member, you can also vote in the motions brought forward. If you want to attend the AGM, please sign up here. Please find below the formal notice and the papers in advance of the AGM.

A Statement on the IC General Synod campaign

The General Synod of the Church of England has important elections in 2020, and we’re putting together a partnership of like minded organisations to make sure inclusive voices are well represented. The General Synod is responsible for the overall policy direction and legislation of the Church of England at the national level, and helping the church to become more inclusive will need strong representation. Lay members of Synod are elected by members of local Deanery Synods, and Read More »

Statement from Inclusive Church - For Immediate Release 11th February 2018

It is with regret that the Board of Trustees of Inclusive Church have been informed of the recent actions of one of its trustees. We have a clear code of conduct and despite earlier written and oral warnings an investigation has been made of recent postings and concluded that the individual concerned is unable to operate within the constraints of being a Charitable Trustee.   Over the past four years strenuous efforts have been made Read More »