Global and Intercultural Church
The URC commits itself to an intercultural journey of embodying God’s love, living out God’s word, promoting God’s justice, and practising expansive hospitality, the Jesus way—locally and internationally.
Introduction
Welcome to the URC’s Global & Intercultural Church – a space where our many cultures don’t just coexist but actively shape and enrich our shared life.
Here, diversity isn’t a backdrop. It’s part of who we are. Through partnerships around the world, commitments to anti-racism and repairing justice, and ongoing collaboration across the URC, we seek to reflect God’s wide, hospitable embrace.
Our aim is not merely to acknowledge diversity, but to cultivate a Church in which differences are celebrated, shared, and woven into our common life in Christ. We invite you to join us on this journey—learning, unlearning, and growing together as a global and intercultural Church where we:
- affirm one human family of many diverse ethnicities and cultures
- rejoice in and treasure the variety of gifts of all
- welcome ALL people into the community of faith
- commit to work with our partners across the world
- promote God’s justice for all
- commit to enriching every aspect of our life together
- challenge/reject all forms of marginalisation
Global Partners
With our very existence rooted in ecumenism, the diversity of the body of Christ lies at the heart of our mission – locally, nationally and internationally.
As such the URC belongs to the World Church and is a member of:
The United Reformed Church has international links with churches in Africa, Asia, North America and the Pacific. Our partners include:
The Global Partners Programme provides an opportunity for synods to enter into a bilateral exchange with a partner church outside of Europe. The primary objective of the programme is to create opportunities for mutual learning and enrichment through worshipping together, sharing faith journeys and life stories. Congregations in both contexts can develop the relationships in ways which are meaningful to their local setting (i.e. related to their issues and concerns)
Below is a list of current synod global partner links:
Intercultural Networks
Cascades of Grace
“…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” — Acts 4:31
Cascades of Grace is a network of Global Majority-heritage women within the United Reformed Church. Our aim is to nurture connection, amplify voices, and celebrate the richness of our shared experiences.
We seek to bring Global Majority-heritage women together across the denomination, strengthening one another in faith, fellowship, and bold witness.
All Black and Ethnic Minority women in the URC are warmly invited to join us for Cascades of Grace events.
Together, we are committed to:
- celebrating gifts and recognising contributions
- hearing stories and sharing experiences
- shaping the spaces where Global Majority women’s voices are centred and heard
- working for the full inclusion of all in the life of the United Reformed Church
- enriching the whole United Reformed Church through the gifts, skills and insights of Global Majority women.
Racial Justice
Justice is at the heart of our work
We believe that any act which denies or prevents the authentic and inclusive engagement of all within Church and in society is not from God. Hence, the United Reformed Church rejects, opposes and challenges the sin of racism, including institutional racism, as a betrayal of the generous heart of God.
Our commitment to weaving racial justice into our practice of mission and ministry is seen through:
- Growing, supporting and equipping a network of Racial Justice Advocates
- Facilitating anti-racism training for the whole Church
URC apologises for its role in the transatlantic slave trade
At its General Assembly in July 2022, the United Reformed Church apologised for the role played by its forebears in transatlantic slavery, and for the continuing legacies of racism, inequality and inequity which persist in both Church and society today. This was the boldest step to date in a long journey of engaging with issues of racial injustice, and towards creating an actively anti-racist church – a journey in which honesty about the past fosters real hope for the future.
The URC apology included a commitment to acts of ‘repairing justice’, moving beyond words to practical actions of ‘putting right’. Members of the United Reformed Church travelled to Jamaica in April 2024 as part of an ecumenical pilgrimage to further the commitment in that context.
Themed around repairing relationships, the visit focused on spiritual reconciliation, including meetings with partner churches, the country’s Prime Minister and other prominent politicians, and community members.
The Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, General Assembly Moderator 2023-2024, delivered the URC’s apology during an ecumenical service themed “Reparation, A Journey Towards Repentance, Repair and Reconciliation” at Webster Memorial Church in the parish of St Andrew, an area around the Jamaican capital, Kingston.
The apology was accepted by the Revd Gary Harriott, Moderator of The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI), a partner of the URC through the Council for World Mission.
Learn more about the ecumenical visit.
Anti-racist church commitment
Building on many years of engagement with racial justice, the impact of Covid-19, and the murder of George Floyd, alongside the wider Black Lives Matter movement led to a recognition that being ‘not racist’ is not enough. This prompted the URC’s commitment in November 2020 to becoming an actively anti-racist Church.
The commitment was an important step towards the URC’s statement of confession and apology regarding its role in the transatlantic slave trade and the legacies which continue to blight our society, our Church, and the lives of Black people in our communities and around the world today.
To learn more about the URC’s commitment to become an anti-racist Church, visit our Legacies of Slavery page.
