Rico Tice: ‘I didn’t leave the Church of England. It left me’

The Christianity Explored founder opens up about his psychological wounds, the reason he exited the Church of England and why, when it comes to equipping the Church for evangelism, he’s more confident than ever

Rico Tice believes we’re experiencing a crisis of Christian leadership.

The founder of Christianity Explored ministries gives me two reasons why this might be the case.

Firstly, Tice is concerned that, because some of his fellow leaders haven’t sought healing from past traumas, this could lead to further abuse. As the popular saying goes, “hurt people hurt people”. This is something Tice has come to understand in his own life thanks to a psychologist who helped him unpack the bullying he experienced at one of the nation’s most prestigious boarding schools.

Secondly, the evangelist is troubled by cancel culture. He says a lack of grace and forgiveness in our society is dissuading Christians from taking on leadership positions. He even cites one example of a vicar whom, Tice says, was “persecuted” by his own congregation.

These are interesting observations from the 58-year-old, not least because in our increasingly polarised times, it’s rare to hear both comments – one concerned with mental health, the other with cancel culture - coming from the same person.

Tice is refreshingly candid. There’s no need to cajole or drag information out of him. I admit we did turn the heat up on him (not deliberately – the air conditioning inside Premier’s studio happens to be broken), but Tice seems remarkably comfortable. He’s self-aware too - remarking at one point, with a slight twinkle in his eye: “this might sound arrogant, but…