Reverend Lynnette Mullings

Lynnette is Leadership Development Officer for Minority Ethnic Anglicans and Ministry Development Officer for Black Majority Churches in the UK. She is an Ordained Minister within the Wesleyan Holiness Church. Research interests span the field of New Testament Studies, Black Biblical Hermeneutics and Black/Womanist Theology. Lynnette is currently completing her doctorate at the University of Birmingham where the focus of her thesis is on developing a black biblical hermeneutic for the African Caribbean community in the UK.

Recent publications:

“Reading Black: Language and Biblical Interpretation in a Black British Context,” in Text and Community: Essays in Memory of Bruce M. Metzger Volume I. Edited by J. Harold Ellens. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007.

“The message of the Cross is Foolishness: Atonement in Womanist Theology; Towards a Black British Perspective,” in The Atonement Debate: Papers from the London Symposium on the Theology of Atonement. Derek Tidball, David Hilborn and Justin Thacker, general editors. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008.

Reverend Julian Francis

Julian has served as a Church of England priest in South London, Bradford, West Bromwich and Coventry. In working for racial justice he has set up a joint project between West Midlands Police and local churches in West Bromwich for the reporting of hate crime, coordinated regional consultations on “Building Diverse Communities”, tackled issues of racism and prejudice in local parochial contexts, coordinated Racism Awareness Training for clergy and led a young peoples’ “March for Racial Justice”. He served as Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns Officer for Lichfield Diocese (1999-2002) setting up lay and clergy networks to connect, inform and support minority ethnic Anglicans, pioneering a “Black Spirituality” programme of seminars and working with the Board of Ministry, the Cathedral and the Diocesan Office to achieve greater black and minority ethnic participation and representation. He was also responsible for setting up and coordinating the Bradford Diocese Minority Ethnic Working Group.

Julian has enjoyed close association with the Indian Christian Organisation, the Association of Black Clergy and the Centre for Black and White Christian Partnership. His experience of the Church of England is of a diverse, colourful community, yet one still working to incarnate a vision of equality in diversity.