Global Majority Heritage & Minoritised Ethnic Curates Pilot Project
Background
St Luke’s is a leader in clergy wellbeing and an advocate for preventative approaches that help preserve good mental health.
Through generous funding by the Benefact Trust, St Luke’s is running a pilot project providing eight curates with global majority heritage (GMH) and minoritised ethnic (ME) background, access to a reflective practice group with a professional supervisior.
Statistics that show GMH and ME clergy are the most likely to leave ministry, often with work-associated trauma, both health and wellbeing, adversely affected.
As the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice’s December 2024 report describes,
“Attitudes based on racial prejudice can have no place in the life of the church. However, the evidence shows patterns of behaviour within the church that privilege some and disadvantage others are still widespread” Archbishops Commission for Racial Justice
It is hoped that evidence from this pilot will show the benefits of reflective practice not only in increasing retention on theological courses, but also in increasing retention in ministry.
The Project
The group of curates will commit to six monthly sessions. The 90-minute sessions are held online with Father Kelvin Ekhoegbe.
Father Kelvin is a Discalced Carmelite Priest and an accredited member of the Association of Pastoral Supervisors and Education. He is also a highly experienced formator serving at the International College of Formation in Rome and on the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality’s Spiritual Direction Programme.
Evaluation
The work will be evaluated by Revd Dr Ibidun Daramola, a Church of Scotland minister. 
Dr Daramola is an accredited pastoral supervisor and a Association of Pastoral Supervisors and Educators (APSE). She also acquired a Masters in both Biblical Counselling and Psychology.
The project will be evaluated through a digital comparative survey and focus groups.
Themes emerging from the pilot will demonstrate the impact of having a dedicated reflective group. Findings will further develop evidence around collective pastoral supervision and the emerging themes will help form the basis for more advocacy and future initiatives.
Findings will be disseminated in Autumn 2026.
Collaboration
St Luke’s plays a leading role in bringing together others who work in the field of clergy wellbeing. We view collaboration as essential in realising our vision of a flourishing, healthy clergy.
This project draws upon our existing relationships with the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit, the Anglican Minority Ethnic Network (AMEN), the Church of England’s Minority Ethnic Vocations Officer, the Church in Wales and engaging the UK ME Curates Network.
