Racial Justice Education Adviser

Introduction

In support of three areas of our Diocesan Racial Justice Charter, the Diocese of York has an exciting opportunity for a new post funded by the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit.

The role is shaped around ‘Transformative Education for Justice’, a three-year programme of lifelong learning and action seeking to change the way we see the world and helping us become more like Christ.

The scope of work will cover:

· unconscious bias and diversity training

· developing discipleship resources

· resources for parish mission

This educative work is only one aspect of growing healthy churches that reflect God’s multi-ethnic kingdom, and we intend it to engage with wider inter-cultural work.

The Diocese of York is very different from our near neighbours in West Yorkshire where the rich diversity of communities is more obviously reflected in the life, culture, and leadership of the Diocese. Despite the presence of more diverse urban communities in Middlesbrough and in Hull, the Diocese of York is a predominantly white community, around 3% of the 1.4m population being of Global Majority Heritage. This reality is reflected in our churches and our clergy, where at present six of our ordained ministers would describe themselves as GMH.

However, we are currently witnessing early signs of an increase in parish engagement with minority groups—the beginning of what we hope to be a promising trend.

This year, our diocese will appoint two new suffragan bishops. We anticipate one of these bishops will actively champion diversity within the diocese, further nurturing and promoting this aspect of our ministry.