George Amadi joined the JustMoney Movement team in 2022, working alongside Black Majority Churches in London and the South East to develop new resources and deepen relationships in a diverse and growing part of the Church in the UK. As a church pastor with GoodNews Bible church, with a background in law and an interest in social justice, he saw this as an opportunity to bring these different threads together. Since 2023 George has worked as our Movement Builder with Black Majority Churches as part of our wider JustMoney Champions project, equipping Christians to take action on issues of ethical finance and economic justice.
Three years on, as the Champions project concludes, Rosie Venner, JustMoney Movement’s Director of Movement Building, sat down with George, to hear his reflections on the last few years.
Rosie Venner: Movement building is a core part of what we do at JustMoney Movement. It brings together a larger, more engaged, and more diverse movement of Christians to collectively take action, opening up space for transformational change. For example, we want to influence how businesses behave or how the financial sector is regulated, so that we help shape a fairer, more sustainable economy. What has excited you most about the movement building work that you have been doing with Black Majority Churches?
George Amadi: Definitely the networking, and meeting people I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to meet. The emergence and growth of Black Majority Churches is inspiring. I’ve enjoyed looking for opportunities to connect people and highlight the profile of Black Majority Churches in the wider movement. Also I’ve enjoyed promoting ethical and greener banking. I’ve appreciated hearing the challenges that churches face in their banking and being able to feed this back to banks to change things for the better.
Rosie: What has been a highlight for you in your time at JustMoney Movement?
George: Early on, I received training with ShareAction to engage in AGM activism on the Ethnicity Pay Gap. I attended the AGMs of Tate & Lyle and Bakkavor to ask questions of their boards. I stressed the importance of ethnicity pay gap reporting to improve equality in the workplace. This kind of action is impactful, I think, because I see it as an opportunity to influence companies to make policy changes.
Rosie: Over the past couple of years you’ve gathered church and community leaders together online to explore topics of shared concern. Looking back on the events you’ve organised, which topics do you think have sparked the most interest?
George: I arranged a webinar on the topic of money and mental health which was very well attended. We had expert input from Dr Gideon Bakare exploring the theme of economic deprivation, mental health and possible solutions in the Black community. Research has found that people from minority ethnic groups experience discrimination when accessing financial services in the UK. We were able to share information about JustMoney Movement’s work on campaigning for a Fair Banking Act, and to discuss ways that individuals and churches can advocate for justice in the financial system. Lots of people wanted to follow up and hear more.
Rosie: How would you like to see JustMoney Movement’s strategy and work develop to better connect with the concerns and priorities of Black Christians in the UK?
George: People are going through a lot, due to the cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. People and communities are still recovering, and society can feel like it’s in a meltdown. Racism and marginalisation are key concerns, and are intertwined with concerns around the economy and how people are treated in the workplace. Inequality shows up in lots of different ways. We need more spaces for the Church to talk about this and take action.
Rosie: Yes, I’ve been thinking about this in connection with our work on greener, fairer pensions. There are huge inequalities in the pension system, particularly around race and gender. You’ve helped raise awareness of the ethnicity pay gap, and there are similar inequalities in terms of people’s pensions for multiple, structural reasons. Wealth inequality is on the rise. There may be opportunities with the launch of the new Pensions Commission to prioritise the voices of people of colour and those on low incomes. However, finding funding for movement building and system change work is challenging. What would you like funders to know about the role that churches can play in bringing about long-term change?
George: Churches are still important institutions in the UK, in practical as well as spiritual ways. I was teaching in our church some time ago, asking where do people learn how to relate well to each other, how to have a good marriage, how to manage their money, how to be a good member of society, a good citizen? You can’t learn all of that in school or at university, but you can in a church community, amongst people of all ages and backgrounds. The role of the church in local communities, and nationally, shouldn’t be underestimated. We can bring people together, to serve each other and their communities in practical ways, but also through learning and education to bring about bigger change. It’s a vital role that churches play.
Rosie: I know that Black Majority Churches in the UK are diverse in terms of structure, size and theology. Some are independent and others are more connected within denominations and ecumenical structures. Where have you seen BMCs engaging with, and leading on, issues of economic justice, and where do you think there could be greater ecumenical collaboration, to strengthen the Christian voice in these areas?
George: Black Majority Churches in the UK are growing from strength to strength, and serving ever larger communities, within their congregations and in wider society. When you care for a lot of people, you care for their mental, spiritual, social and economic wellbeing. You notice the gaps in provision, for example, where things are not working. More and more churches are organising things like food banks, trying to meet the needs of individuals and communities. The welfare of people is important, and society is much better when people’s immediate needs are met. I’ve observed Black Majority Churches getting more involved with Churches Together and networks like the Evangelical Alliance, collaborating with other churches. There is a strength in that. It’s really important that we work together, on local issues and on bigger structural problems. Not one church here, and another here, in isolation.
Rosie: Thank you, George. The work of movement building takes time and patience, while the issues we are responding to feel ever more urgent. The funding for this particular piece of work may be coming to an end, but the seeds you have sown and the relationships you have built will surely bear fruit.
Our hope is to see more organisations invest time, money and resources in serving and partnering with Black Majority Churches. If you’d like to hear more about our reflections on prioritising this work, and how we are trying to embed this learning in our ongoing work, please get in touch.