Inclusive Church

Hinde Street Methodist Church is proud to be part of the Inclusive Church movement.

We believe in the Inclusive Church – a Church that celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We believe, in working towards this, that we must challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.

A group set up by the Church Council met regularly for a year to consider what inclusivity might mean for us as a church: what do we need to do, and how do we need to be, if we are going to put this into practice?

Although the Inclusive Church Group considered various causes of exclusion in turn, a common thread running through the discussions was the need not just for tolerance but for acceptance. This led us to define some core principles of conduct:

  • Avoid the perception of insiders and outsiders
  • Avoid categorising and stereotyping people
  • Avoid making assumptions about people
  • Allow people to define themselves if they wish to be defined
  • Make it possible for everyone to participate, regardless of economic situation or disabilities
  • Be aware that everyone has gifts and can contribute in various different ways
  • Encourage a sense of belonging
  • Use inclusive language
  • Include everyone socially – make sure no one feels left out
  • Welcome newcomers
  • Welcome diversity

In all these things we fail as often as we succeed – but we continue to trust in God’s unconditional love, and in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

You can learn more about the Inclusive Church Group on their website or catch up with the latest news below.

  • The Inclusive Church has just completed a rebrand, complete with a new logo, as they enter their ‘Butterfly Era‘.
  • In February 2025, IC hosted an online book launch to mark the publication of How to Build the Church of the Future: 20 Years of Inclusive Church.
  • As of summer 2025, there are now over 1000 churches registered as part of the Inclusive Church.

You can also read more about what it means for Hinde Street to be a part of the Inclusive Church Group in our Church Council Report from 2016, the year our church officially joined the initiative.

Final Report 2016 for Church Council on Inclusive Church Group (2)

You can read about accessibility at Hinde Street on this page.