Overview
The Antiracism Commission (ARC) is responsible for evaluating and recommending antiracism workshops and trainings that meet the diocesan requirements for clergy and lay leaders. Please see the 2026 Antiracism Training Position Paper for full details.
Clergy and lay leaders are required to complete an initial antiracism training curriculum and renew their antiracism training credentials every five years.
2026 Initial Training Requirements
The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago endorses the following programs for the initial antiracism training, depending on the trainee’s role and responsibilities.
For Wardens and Vestry Members, Professional Staff, and People in Elected and Appointed Positions
For Wardens and Vestry members, professional staff, and people in elected and appointed positions, the approved trainings are:
- Faith and Race: Lay Leadership Training – A diocesan-sponsored one day on-site training designed for vestries or ministry groups of 6 to 10. Registration info here.
- Sacred Ground (small-group, multi-week film and reading based program)
- Crossroads One-Day/Animating Antiracist Ways Training (See registration info below)
For Ordained Persons, Clergy in the Diocese of Chicago, Ordination Candidates and Clergy Transferring into the Diocese
For ordained persons, clergy in the Diocese of Chicago, ordination candidates, and clergy transferring into the diocese, the approved trainings are:
Sacred Ground or Crossroads Four-Day Program (Animating Antiracist Ways one-day training plus “Toward Liberation: Building Shared Analysis to Transform Institutions” Three-day training.)
About Sacred Ground
Sacred Ground is generally a free program and consists of 11-12 multi-hour sessions. The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago hosts occasional Sacred Ground programs that are advertised in the diocesan newsletter or you may find one through the Sacred Ground Website. If you are interested in organizing a Sacred Ground session, please contact Ed Manning.
About Crossroads Trainings
The Antiracism Commission negotiates diocese-subsidized rates for Episcopal clergy, lay leaders, and staff for some Crossroads Trainings.
Current ARC approved trainings offered by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training include:
- “Animating Antiracist Ways of Being” (Introductory level workshop; the prerequisite for “Toward Liberation.” Formats include one-day, split-day, digital, and in-person).
- “Exploring & Interrupting Internalized Racism (Prerequisite: “Animating Antiracist Ways of Being.” This is a two-day workshop offered digitally or in-person).
- “Toward Liberation: Building Shared Analysis to Transform Institutions” (Prerequisite: “Animating Antiracism Ways of Being.” Formats include digital or in-person, three-day, and digital six-week series)
To get more info about Crossroads trainings and the registration instructions for the subsidized rates, click here.
Every Five Years: Renewal of Antiracism Training Credentials
Establishing an antiracist identity is a lifelong commitment. Our diocese encourages everyone to make a personal commitment to continually expand their antiracism knowledge and skills. Training is one way to meet this objective.
The current standard is to renew training every 5 years. These are the requirements for the initial training when someone first enters the Chicago diocese, pursues ordination, or first becomes a member of one of the diocese’s leadership entities and then every 5 years after the initial training.
It is not required to complete the same training multiple times; yet, one may find value in revisiting a training and choose to repeat a training.
Trainings Approved for the 5 year renewal requirement
- Any one-day or multi-day Crossroads Training
- Sacred Ground small-group program
- Facilitating an antiracism training, such as Sacred Ground or another approved training, also fulfills the renewal requirement.
- For Lay Leaders – ARC Sponsored Faith and Race: Lay Leadership Training – 1 day – Congregational based training for groups of 6 to 10
The Process to Approve New Antiracism Trainings for the Diocese of Chicago
ARC reviews training annually and works to add to its approved list in October, in time for convention announcements. Trainers and training organizations may apply to be added to ARC’s list every spring by contacting ARC by April 1. ARC works to approve trainings that meet the criteria as defined in GC 2018-A044. These criteria may be found in the antiracism training position paper.