A place where the divided are made one
About the Reconciled Church
The Reconciled Church exists to help churches become what the gospel says they already are: one family, drawn from every background, healed at the cross and learning to live reconciled lives together.
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility… to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross.”
Ephesians 2:14-16
Born in a moment that demanded change
Who Are We?
The Reconciled Church group began in 2020 — through the upheaval of the COVID pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. In that painful, exposing moment, it became clear that something needed to be put in place to help Christians, already reconciled to God, be reconciled to each other.
We’re a body of believers from churches across the UK, who have grown in the conviction that the Church is not yet as reconciled as we might have thought. Reconciliation was a theology we espoused — but not always a reality we lived.
So we set out to close that gap: to face our history and our present reality of injustice honestly, however ugly it looks, and to bring it to the cross, where Jesus deals with it and we find peace and forgiveness.
More than saying sorry
What is a Reconciled Church?
Reconciliation is often reduced to a handshake, a hug, or a shared meal — keeping the peace rather than making it. We believe it’s far richer than that.
A Reconciled Church is, in and of itself, a witness to the world — achieving a unity and harmony found nowhere else. It is built on repentance, forgiveness and healing, and grows on grace.
It moves beyond simply celebrating our differences to celebrating how Jesus has brought us together on the cross. Of all the communities on earth, the people who preach new creation should be the ones who model it.
Three marks of a Reconciled Church
What we are working towards
Reconciled Relationships
There are many things that cause division, whether historic or current, that need healing today. We return to the Scriptures to ask how reconciliation can become real in our own contexts — making peace, not just keeping it.
Integrated Communities
The gospel frees us from conforming to cultural norms. We make sure culture never becomes a barrier to fellowship — celebrating the Jesus who unites us, rather than the things that divide.
Diverse Leadership
Diverse Leadership
Without realising it, we lean towards leaders who look or sound like us. Creating new and wider pathways is key for churches that want to follow the Antioch model.
The Book
In his book, Owen Hylton draws together years of theological reflection and pastoral practice to make the case that reconciliation is not a side issue of the gospel — it lies at its very heart.
Walking through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, it’s both a prophetic challenge and a pastoral guide for churches seeking to live faithfully in a divided world.
OWEN HYLTON · RETHINKING RACE, RECONCILIATION, THE BIBLE & THE CHURCH