A black trainee vicar was rejected for a job by church bosses who said his potential parishioners were "monochrome white working class".
In an email sent in response to his application, Augustine Tanner-Ihm was told he "might feel uncomfortable" in the curacy role at the parish.
The email said despite his "obvious gifts", it was "not worth pursuing a conversation" about the vacancy in southern England.
The Church of England has apologised.
Mr Tanner-Ihm, who is from Chicago and is a Reverend Seminarian in the United States, applied for a role as a curate at a church in the south of England.
In response, he got an email saying: "We are not confident there is a sufficient 'match' between you and the particular requirements of that post.
"The demographic of the parish is monochrome white working class, where you might feel uncomfortable."