Kate Coleman & Cham Kaur-Mann

Articles

Essays and reflections.

Centered symbolic intertwined ascending flames representing biblical equality and shared leadership.

Leadership and Black History Month: Two Great Questions and Two Kate Answers...

We need more diverse, collaborative, discerning, courageous and adaptive leadership—not simply different faces around the table, but ensuring that different voices genuinely shape what happens at the table.

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Honour to our Mothers

Today, I honour and celebrate my mother, the late Mohinder Kaur, who died on 17 December 2024, just weeks before her 95th birthday. She had travelled from Punjab to this country and faced many challenges and barriers as a woman and as an immigrant. Yet, neither the climate (I’m…

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Culture Shock and Christianity

I was born in a traditional Punjabi Sikh family. My mother tells me that she wept and apologised to my father when he visited the hospital after my birth, because she had produced a girl. Back then, we lived in a small two and a half bedroomed house that, for economic reasons,…

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Honour to the Mothers

Join me today on Mothering Sunday to honour all mothers! Take a moment to give thanks, remember, raise a glass (if that’s your thing), do a Bhangra move (now that’s my thing!) as we celebrate mothers! Let’s celebrate mothers wherever they are located… the warriors, the…

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What Next?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 It’s been incredibly difficult to gather my thoughts to express how I really feel on this Racial Justice Sunday. Yet two…

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Hear me as a woman

Few would disagree that the circumstances of recent years have impacted all of us socially, spiritually and physically. As we take tentative steps into this changed landscape and reflect on current events, it is difficult to encapsulate such momentous events to the (digital)…

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Honour where honour is due…

We’re into a whole new year and after the challenges and difficulties of these past few months, I’m in need of inspiration, maybe you are too? If so, why not join me in celebrating your mentors on this International Mentoring Day (yes it’s today for those of you who didn’t…

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International Women’s Day

Throughout March, Next Leadership will be honouring International Women’s Month. Today, Kate Coleman begins the series by celebrating International Women’s Day. International Women’s DayWhen I began to reflect on International Women’s Day, I immediately thought about all the…

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Legacy Leaders - bell hooks & Wilda Gafney

Some life experiences though painful, prove profitable with time. Glancing back, I view with affection, even gratitude a time when I experienced considerable resistance as a female church leader. Being overlooked and mistreated by people I had trusted was an arresting…

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Legacy Leaders - James Baldwin

This week we are pleased to share our next legacy leader from The Revd Canon Dr Mark Pryce; Director of Ministry for Church of England Birmingham, also serving as a Chaplain to the King. Leading through stories - James Baldwin 1924-1987 Leadership comes in many forms, not least…

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Take 5…

So, summer’s here (in the UK a statement like this is likely to raise eyebrows and doubtful looks)… For many this is usually a season of rest (unless you have children, in which case it often amounts to a season of ‘change’)… For so many of us the last (very long) season was…

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Legacy Leaders - Jessye Norman

Our next Legacy Leader comes from within the Next Leadership team. Sarah Gilbert shares on the dazzling talent of opera diva Jessye Norman Jessye Norman 1945 - 2019 It is hard to express the quality of Jessye Norman’s voice, the opulence of tone, the emotions felt when she…

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A Change is Gonna Come

Drawing on a classic civil rights anthem, we find that the long, multigenerational wait for justice is never passive. It is a call to prayer and action, reminding us that God is not done with humanity.

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Metamorph: My Writing Journey…

I have a deep admiration for prolific writers and am extremely grateful for the few I know personally. But I’m not really among those who seem to effortlessly produce book after book, despite having written my fair share of journal articles and chapters for edited volumes over…

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Confession Time

We’ve committed a deadly sin... (or two)! Shocking isn’t it! Along with so many of you, the past few months have been spent navigating our internal and external challenges From the difficulties posed by the emergence of Covid 19; the stretch involved in unexpectedly having to…

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Are you M.A.D. with the world?!

I am, more than ever… and I intend to stay that way! The events of these past few weeks have left me completely exhausted! Any of you who are living through the COVID-19 pandemic (that’s all of us by the way), or who have viewed the actions of Amy Cooper, the senseless killing…

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Legacy Leaders – Wangari Matthai

Throughout October, Next Leadership will be observing Black History Month by recognising the leaders who have influenced us. Our Legacy Leaders series kicks off with insights from Founding Director Kate Coleman; over the coming weeks, we will hear from members and close friends…

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Breaking new ground?

New Year greetings! We have finally arrived in 2021… Like so many of you, we have mixed feelings about 2020. For within the currents of trauma and despair, counter currents of possibility and hope have also flowed, and we have experienced both. At the beginning of 2020, Kate's…

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For Such a Time as This!

Turbulence and distress are impacting the lives of friends, family, and strangers we care about, in ways we may never have imagined. Nearby peoples include those in Ukraine (for those of us in Europe) as well as others further afield in Afghanistan, Syria and Ethiopia, to name…

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Black History Month #stillmakinghistory…

We want to celebrate all our heroes and sheroes and all those who made history… but we also want to celebrate those who are making history. So, join Next Leadership, as we celebrate our very own Rev Dr Kate Coleman and all those who have been mentioned in this publication…

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Representing Jesus…?

Like so many others, I’ve been deeply saddened by the recent events surrounding the US Supreme Court ruling re: Roe v Wade. I used to believe that issues surrounding abortion were easy and straightforward. It seemed to me that too many people were treating abortion as a form of…

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Legacy Leaders - Revd. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

We are delighted to share our next Legacy Leader. This week, Richard Reddie, Director of Justice and Inclusion at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland shares his memories of the inimitable MLK Revd. Dr. Martin Luther King JrI was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire – or God’s…

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Good Trouble

I was sharing on a zoom call some of the things I had been up to, when someone said ‘sounds like you’ve been busy causing good trouble.’ I thought ‘good trouble, yep, that sounds about right!’ So often working through life’s challenges requires some tough choices about what we…

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What Now?

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Maya Angelou My colleague and best friend Kate (known to many of you…) shared these powerful words with me a few days ago. They were penned and spoken by the amazing poet, dancer, producer,…

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The Lord is close to the broken-hearted

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 NIV Today, we join all who grieve the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal family as they mourn the loss of a mother, grandmother, great…

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Celebrating our Sheroes!

Kate & Cham catch up with the inspirational Rev. Elaine Roberts stillmakinghistory

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Advent 2023

My senses are overwhelmed by what I see and hear on the news… wars, rumours of wars, kidnappings, mass assassinations, raw injustice, indifference, despair, uncertainty. Covid 19 enquiries… disturbing (but unsurprising) accounts, counter narratives prevail, the name of the game…

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Cham Kaur-Mann ministers story

Picture the scene: female, Sikh, from Marshall Street, Smethwick, Birmingham - hears about the god-man Jesus, as a child. Those of you who know your social history from the 1960s, will be familiar with references to Enoch Powell and the ‘Rivers of Blood’ to appreciate the…

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