Pre-war
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As far as I am aware there were no black churches before
the war although there were a number of missions for black and African seamen
and some individual black Christian leaders (e.g. Celestine Edwards)
operating within the mainstream churches
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Postwar
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"Black" churches emerged without much notice
being taken of them beyond the local community and sometimes black people
would be guided towards them rather than the mainstream white churches by
anxious clergy
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Sixties
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Concern amongst the mainstream about emergence of
"black" churches e.g. Clifford Hill's (Congregational minister in
Tottenham) research for The Home Office.
Warning from Caribbean Baptists not to let 'them' set up their own
churches.
On the international scene some African Independent
churches were beginning to be welcomed into the World Council of Churches
e.g. Church of the Lord Aladura and the Kimbanguist church. Also scholars were beginning to study
Pentecostalism e.g. Hollenweger
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Seventies
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Beginning of engagement by BCC (British Council of
churches) and Zebra Project (Methodist Based in Mile End) and challenging of
rejectionist attitudes e.g. in Methodist conference. The International Ministerial Council of
Great Britain is also set up around this time ordaining black ministers and
recognised by the Anglican church
Two distinct groups are engaged with: the Caribbean
Pentecostal/holiness churches (organised, for instance, through AWUCOC and
their own denominations, New Testament Assembly was particularly prominent)
and the African Independent Churches (mainly Nigerian Aladura but they also
included the Trinidadian Spiritual Baptists).
This latter group are organised in Council of African and
Afro-Caribbean Churches the leading figure being Fr Olu Abiola.
Throughout this period awareness of racism amongst
mainstream churches has been increasing.
This was expressed through CCRU (which later became CCRJ) and their
projects fund which supported much antiracist work including some work by
black majority churches.
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Eighties
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The Brixton riots were a key event in raising the issue of
race at the beginning of the Eighties.
Setting up of CCP (Conference for Christian Partnership)
created a meeting place for black and white Christian leaders. Publishing of reports on sale and sharing
of church buildings and work on other issues e.g. hospital chaplaincies. The establishment of Centre for black and
white Christian partnership in Birmingham.
Development of some other projects around the country eg Keyboard in
Bristol, research project at Leeds University. Development of black led
terminology.
Philip Mohabir moves back to England and links up with
left-wing house church leader Dave Tomlinson to found ACEA beginning
Evangelical engagement with "black" churches (the black white
partnership dimension of ACEA's work was much more apparent that this time).
Radical Evangelical groups such as ECRJ had been raising issues of racism and
engagement with black led churches previously. Funding from the EA enables
ACEA to become the leading organisation in the field
African churches begin to develop, alongside a growth in
African members of mainstream denominations.
They become increasingly important through the 90s, especially in
London
Emergence of Asian Christian organisations brought a new
dimension to the scene eg Alliance of Asian Christians & South Asian
Concern
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Nineties
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CCP is disbanded and some black led churches brought into
the mainstream CCBI. Zebra also
disbands marking the declining importance of the intermediary black/white
partnership organisations.
Black Majority Church (BMCs) language develops (first
developed as far as I am aware by Bishop Patrick Kalilombe -- a Roman
Catholic from Malawi who was director of Centre for black and white Christian
partnership).
Government begins to become aware of the black Christian
presence and starts to relate to them directly rather than through mainstream
ecumenical organisations
An increasing sense that BMCs are not marginal but part of
the mainstream of British Christianity and the development of black majority
churches within the traditional denominations begins to increasingly blur the
distinctions.
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2000+
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African churches begin to have a higher profile. Particularly Kingsway International
Christian Church (KICC) -- a mega-church and Redeemed Christian Church. ACEA by now has become African Caribbean
Evangelical Alliance and provide some focus for BMCs but the movement is
still very diverse. People such as
Nims Obunge of the Peace Alliance begin to give BMCs a higher political
profile
Books by Mark Sturge (ACEA) Joe Aldred (CCBI) and Chigor
Chike are published although no history of the black Christian presence in
Britain has yet been published (or researched?) The original Caribbean
pioneers are now dying off (e.g. Io Smith).
Another Gentleman to the Ministry and "Where Do We Go from
Here?" by Ira V. Brooks remain the best documents on the early period.
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Church of England
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The Anglican church has often play the role of patron to
BMCs e.g. its role in the IMCGB, the sharing of many of its churches with
BMCs and the sale or leasing of redundant churches. This at times has been positive but often
problematic particularly over unsatisfactory leasing arrangements.
At the same time the church has been trying to address
issues of racism within the church e.g. through the now defunct Simon of
Cyrene Institute and the Committee for Black Anglican Concerns. These have sometimes created a meeting
place and sense of shared agendas although underlying theologies have often
been very different.
John Sentamu has given a high profile to Black Anglicanism
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Methodist Church
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The Methodist Church has a long history of addressing
issues of racism and this has brought it into contact with BMCs especially
through the Zebra Project. Buildings
are often shared with BMCs but this does not often create close
relationships, in fact, often quite the reverse. The same could be said for other denominations.
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United Reformed Church
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The history has been similar to that of the Methodists
although the history of addressing racism is not as strong (the church is the
weakest of the major denominations in inner-city areas). Some ethnic churches have begun to develop,
particularly those using Asian languages and Upper Clapton URC is an
interesting example of the URC church with strong connections with
Pentecostal BMCs. An interesting
experiment where a small URC church sold their building to a large BMC and
then became their tenants was innovative by ran into problems over the costs
of maintaining the building (not an uncommon problem).
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Baptist church
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The Baptist relationship with BMCs has been markedly
different from that of the Methodists or URC despite a similar nonconformist
heritage. The churches are all
self-governing and therefore more conservative. Issues of racism have been less explored
(although there have been some developments in recent years) and there has
been a greater reluctance to share buildings with BMCs. There has rather been an openness to
include baptistic BMCs within Baptist associations and these churches are now
the largest Baptist churches in London, although perhaps not fully integrated
into association life. There is often
as strong reluctance to have two separate churches meeting in the same
building and some Baptist churches have worked hard to develop a sense of
shared mission amongst various congregations.
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Roman Catholics
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There is a greater theological gulf between Catholics and
the mainly Pentecostal BMCs. During
this period the Roman Catholic Church in England has been trying to develop
its ecumenical relationships with mainstream English churches and so it's
concern with BMCs has been more marginal.
I know of no instance where a BMCs uses a Roman Catholic building, for
example. Nonetheless through CA RJ
(Catholic Association for Racial Justice) there have been common concerns and
some meetings have been arranged.
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House churches
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There is an obvious theological connection between
charismatic house churches and Pentecostal BMCs which has in places created
close relationships and sometimes a fuzzy dividing line between the two
traditions. House churches have tended
to flourish in affluent middle-class areas, however and there is often quite
a cultural divide.
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