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EBA Justice Group

Equality and Diversity

As a Regional Baptist Association, we are committed to developing an ethos of learning, growing and listening together as one body.

We encourage people to engage with the national resource I Am Because You Are which is a video-based training course on equality and diversity, aimed at Baptist ministers but is also suitable for church leadership teams.

Additionally, the EBA has a Justice Group tasked with actively reflecting and resourcing EBA churches in all matters of justice. This is in recognition that God desires churches to do the work of building a more just world, so that there is equality, and diversity is valued.

These are some of the suggested resources from the EBA Justice Group:

Creation Care

• Baptist Union Environment Network (BUEN) – the EBA BUEN group meets regularly on Zoom to share ideas, for encouragement and prayer – contact the EBA Secretary for further details.
• A Rocha UK (ARUK) is a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. Eco Church and Wild Christian are A Rocha projects (https://arocha.org.uk/)

Modern Slavery

• Together Free, a Baptist-founded network working with local churches and communities to help end modern slavery and human trafficking https://www.togetherfree.org.uk
• The Clewer Initiative is involved in enabling churches to develop strategies to detect modern slavery in their communities and help provide victim support and care https://theclewerinitiative.org
• Slavery-Free Communities Emerging Theologies and Faith Responses to Modern Slavery (ed. Dan Pratt, SCM Press, 2021)

Poverty, Asylum Seekers and Refugees

• Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) is an initiative of The Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church working together for peace and justice through listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public policy issues. https://jpit.uk

• EBA periodically brings church representatives together to share ideas, resources and for prayer and encouragement around matters of poverty and or asylum seekers and refugees – contact the EBA Secretary for further details.

Race

• The Racial Justice Advocacy Forum is an ecumenical Christian entity that seeks to speak prophetically on behalf of Black and Brown Christians to the government on racial injustice challenges and reparations. Further details of the Forum, as well as blogs, articles, and other resources for understanding and responding to racial injustice can be found on the Baptists Together main website – https://www.baptist.org.uk

Disability

• Baptists Together has resources on the main website, from blogs, articles and other resources for developing a theology of (Dis)ability – https://www.baptist.org.uk
• Through the Roof has resources that help people of all abilities and disabilities learn about Jesus. https://throughtheroof.org/
• Churches for All helps to enable and engage churches in welcoming people with additional needs. https://churchesforall.org.uk/
• Deaf churches meet in the different areas of the EBA region – contact the EBA Secretary for further details.
• Renew Wellbeing focuses on mental health and helps churches offer quiet spaces where it is okay not to be okay (https://renewwellbeing.org.uk). Renew Wellbeing spaces operate throughout the EBA region – contact your regional minister for further details.

Gender

• Baptists Together has resources on the main website equipping churches to respond to matters of gender-based violence, as well as resources telling the story of women being ordained for Baptist ministry for more than a century – https://www.baptist.org.uk
• Project Violet aims to investigate women’s experiences in ministry whilst developing women ministers. The project aims to help build a fuller understanding of the theological, missional, and structural obstacles women ministers face in the Baptist community in Great Britain and identify ways forward – further details can be found on the Baptists Together website – https://www.baptist.org.uk

Sexuality

• Baptists Together has links to a range of resources on the main website, from books, stories, articles to video-based resources on sexuality – https://www.baptist.org.uk
• If you would like to find out about networks in the different areas of the EBA region focused on matters of sexuality – contact your regional minister for further details.