Signs of Wonder: Iconography and Aesthetics of New Black Majority Churches

The aim of Signs of Wonder is to explore the theological significance of new black majority churches’ (nBMC) iconography and aesthetic practices as seen in their distinctive signboards, banners, websites, media products and places of worship (both internal and external), with a view to informing better ecumenical understanding of nBMCs cultural and theological worldviews.

The rationale for this project stems from three factors. Firstly, many church leaders and academics have commented on the distinctive iconography and aesthetic practices of nBMCS, but literature searches indicate no-one has carried out a systematic study of this topic. Secondly, continued growth of nBMCs in London, often resulting in high concentrations of nBMCs, poses ecumenical questions for the wider church, often prompted by a clash of cultural and theological worldviews. As a highly distinctive aspect of nBMC life, greater understanding of the iconography and aesthetic practices of nBMCs can only help build bridges between worldviews within the Christian church. Thirdly, we have an extensive database of nBMC images from two previous projects that did not form part of the analysis, nor were questions about aesthetic practices explored.