I am Because You Are: Baptists exploring equality and diversity

One facet of contemporary life in the UK is the growing diversity of the people we meet in our ministry and mission contexts. Some aspects of human diversity like gender and disability are equally common in all settings. Some on the other hand are more strongly represented in some places than in others, such as ethnic diversity, differing economic circumstances, or the prevalence of migrants or refugees.
 
Added to this is the growing awareness in society of the range of lived experience with respect to sexuality and gender identity, family and marriage, mental health, neurodivergence, and more.
 
Accredited ministers are commended to the whole of Baptists Together to pastor churches or act as chaplains, pioneers, evangelists or children’s, youth and families’ workers. This means all ministers, regardless of their present setting, should be able to reflect on and respond to diversity, encourage equality of opportunity, and challenge discrimination.
 
I Am Because You Are is an introductory training resource, launched in autumn 2022, that explores equality and diversity. Engaging with the resource is mandatory for the majority of accredited ministers.
 
Please click on the links below for a full explanation of I Am Because You Are and, if you are a minister, what you must do.