The Diocese of Bath and Wells is one of 41 Church of England dioceses in the country. The diocese stretches from Portishead in the north to Crewkerne in the south, Minehead in the west to Frome in the east.
The diocese loves and serves in the region of 1,000,000 people who live here through its family of 466 parishes and 181 church schools. This family works for the good of local communities in a range of practical as well as pastoral ways; caring for the vulnerable in our societies, supporting local families and encouraging children and young people.
As Christians across our Diocese of Bath and Wells, we want all people to know that they are loved by God, as part of a world created by God, which is why our vision is:
“In response to God’s immense love for us, we seek to be God’s people, living and telling the story of Jesus.”
We seek to joyfully live out and tell the story of Jesus in all aspects of our lives in a wealth of different ways. We worship and share the light, which is God’s love for us, in our cherished churches, communities, schools, workplaces, and even our wild spaces. And core to our Christian faith, we help serve those in need, aim to stand with those who call for justice and play our part in caring for creation.
All are invited to join us and share in this story.
Our common direction
During 2023, everyone was asked to reflect on our vision, and there were many opportunities to come together and ask ourselves, ‘What will help us live out our vision, and what difference will that make?’. Two aspirations emerged from that: for us to be:
Growing church Transforming communities
Bishop Michael shared his thoughts on our aim and how we bring our vision to life in our 'Living and Telling the Story of Jesus' document, which also includes some of the inspiring stories he has heard in his first 18 months as our bishop. You can read the document on our Issuu page, or download it below.
Our shared priorities
During our diocesan-wide reflections on our vision we have spoken a lot about the four areas of focus that can help us put our vision into practice: valuing and cherishing the people and resources we already have; developing new Christian worshipping communities; sharing in ministry and leadership; and deepening and growing faith.
A part to play
We all have a different part to play in bringing our vision to life, which will look different from place to place - reflecting our different challenges, gifts and situations. We are all working to achieve the same aim, knowing that our churches will only flourish and grow as a result of God’s action among us.
‘I planted. Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’ 1 Cor 3:6
So what next? Our shared challenge is to think what this looks like in our context: where might our focus for mission be over the next season? What is our prayer for that to become reality? And Bishop Michael has offered us a challenge: if we do live this our might each benefice grow their church by at least one adult (net) and at least one child (net) during the next year?” Imagine the difference we could make if we achieved that.
Who to contact
Please email livingandtelling@bathwells.anglican.org should you have any questions about how we can bring our vision to life in our communities.
Downloads
Living and telling the story of Jesus Growing church. Transforming communities - April 20204
Refreshing our vision feedback – a snapshot
Directions of travel - summary
Refreshing our diocesan vision - guidance for involving young people