Alan Smith is one of the contributors for this November’s webinars on the Lambeth Call on Reconciliation. He is First Church Estates Commissioner and a member of the Church Commissioners for England Board of Trustees. In a recent interview, he shared his perspective on why reconciliation is a distinctive pillar of the Christian faith.

Reconciliation is a vocational passion

Alan Smith has a firm belief in the importance of reconciliation in a life of faith, saying: ‘To be reconciled – to God through Jesus, to others, to the planet – is the most exciting thing a human being can hope for. Through reconciliation, we realise what it means to be created in God’s image.’

As a chartered accountant, Alan explains that some of the lessons which drove his passion for reconciliation come from his professional training. ‘In finance, when things reconcile, it means that matters add up, they balance, they are in their right, true and fair state to ensure safety, soundness and flourishing.’

Transforming unjust structures is an act of reconciliation

Alan shares that he sees reconciliation in practice in the ‘Church Commissioners' context. He is a member of the Church Commissioners Board that has approved the interrogation of its historic links to Transatlantic Chattel Enslavement and is overseeing the work to set up a new in-perpetuity impact investment fund in response. The proposed Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice, once all necessary applications and approvals are received, is intended to create a ‘better and fairer future for all’.

For Alan, this work is a way of living out the Anglican Communion’s Fourth Mark of Mission, which reads ‘To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation’.

He says, ‘reconciliation is indivisible from seeking justice and standing firm against violence. Transatlantic Chattel Enslavement has left in the present, lasting legacies and mindsets which still shape unjust outcomes and violence, which, while perhaps more psychological rather than physical, is still pernicious.’

 ‘To interrogate and address the legacies of enslavement today is an essential act of responsible investment and about doing God’s work of truth-telling and reconciliation.’

Reconciliation and freedom from enslavement is a Biblical mandate

Sharing his inspiration from what the Bible teaches us about reconciliation, Alan says: ‘So much of our journey with God is about emancipation from enslavement. Whether it was the Children of Israel escaping from bondage in Egypt, through to the ultimate act of reconciliation of our Lord’s death on the Cross and his resurrection, our walk as Christians is about being freed from the bondage and slavery of sin, of the breaking of chains.  The work that our endowment fund has undertaken to interrogate and act informed by our historic links to enslavement has already seeded a range of powerful journeys of reconciliation.’

The power of reconciliation in public dialogue

Earlier this year, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, spoke about justice and institutional accountability at the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. It was hosted by representatives from the Anglican Communion and Kenya, with high-level panel participation from Barbados, Jamaica and Ghana.

For Alan, this marked an important opportunity for dialogue on themes of reconciliation and accountability. But he acknowledges that not everyone has felt positively about the proposed set up of a new in-perpetuity fund by the  Church Commissioners to catalyse a better and fairer future for all.

Reconciliation work helps us to address imbalance

‘In my experience, the desire for power, hierarchy and dominion are the greatest obstacles to reconciliation. The very need for reconciliation means that we are addressing a situation where things are out of balance, and that one of the parties has taken, damaged, abused, extracted from another in a way that gives them privilege and hierarchy relative to the other party.’

Alan went on to acknowledge the challenge ‘for people to face that truth, and then to surrender’ in order to get ‘back into equilibrium’. 

‘To many who have always had a sense of privilege and entitlement, to ask them to reconcile by agreeing to commit to equity and fairness can create in them a deep sense of grief… On the other side, forgiveness, which is an essential part of reconciliation, can be a real struggle.’

What inspires you about the Lambeth Call to Reconciliation?

Reflecting on his upbringing in the Caribbean and his love of the music of Bob Marley, Alan shared that ‘one of his most powerful compositions, in my opinion, is Redemption Song.  The Lambeth Call to Reconciliation provides the Anglican Communion the opportunity and ability to write and make real our own much-needed redemption song, the song of freedom that only Jesus can give to help heal, reconcile and bring the justice that is much needed in today’s world.’

About Alan Smith

Alan was appointed by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as the First Church Estates Commissioner for the Church of England in 2021. In this role, he oversees the effective stewardship of its investments, the returns from which are distributed to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England in England.

Find out more about the Church of England’s work on the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice.

Read an Anglican News article on the Archbishop of York's address to the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. 

Read the Lambeth Call to Reconciliation here or register for the upcoming webinar here.