Visions of Colour, an anti-racism course for Baptist ministerial formation, was released during Black History Month in October.

Visions of Colour (VOC) is a racial justice training programme designed to aid the process of Baptist ministerial formation and its engagement with justice and society. The ultimate goal is to help Baptist ministers develop action plans suited to their local church and community.

The Sam Sharpe Project initiated VOC, in partnership with the Baptist Union of Great Britain; Justice Enabler Wale Hudson-Roberts sought the advice of Professor Robert Beckford, who helped bring the vague concept to structured reality. Dr Eleasah P Louis has acted as consultant and producer, working with the Sam Sharpe/BUGB teams to bring the project to fruition.

The course came about following the murder of George Floyd, and the open letter to the leadership of Baptists Together that equality, diversity and unconscious bias training become a compulsory part of both initial Ministerial Formation and Continuing Ministerial Development. Visions of Colour seeks to give Baptist ministers the tools to respond to this socio-political climate meaningfully and theologically.  

It’s an online six-part video course. Each session includes a contribution from Baptist ministers and their thoughts about anti-racism, a learning point to help unpack key terms and ideas and a lecture that aims to challenge and equip ministers with ideas for practically engaging with anti-racism in a church setting.

Access it here: www.visionsofcolour.uk