Diocese of Bristol

Creating communities of wholeness with Christ at the centre – what’s it all about? Our vision is to play a part in realising what Jesus called the “kingdom of God” in the part of south west England covered by the Diocese of Bristol. There are various ways we feel we are called to do that. First, we believe this is best done with each other in communities. These might be as part of a local parish church or a church school, a community action or youth group inspired by Christian faith, in the work place or in social networks. We see the Trinity, where the diversity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit relate to one another in the unity of God, as our model for community. Secondly, we believe that these communities must aspire to wholeness. In whole communities, all are accepted and valued, everyone plays a part and we take a holistic approach to health and life. It is through Christ’s death on the cross, where he took on our brokenness, that we can become whole. Thirdly, we believe that Christ must be at the centre. It is not about us but the Lord we serve. He is our model and authority, our resource and inspiration. It is His presence in the world that will make the difference. Finally, we believe that God’s initiatives are inspired by the Holy Spirit so there is a part to creating these communities. We want to encourage not only the creation of new communities and initiatives but creativity within those with hundreds of years of heritage. This will involve thinking in terms of fresh possibilities and risk taking, being focused and purposeful in our activity – and should also involve lots of vibrancy and fun! This is going to look different in different places but we believe that these sorts of communities will be growing in four key ways: commitment, partnership, influence and numbers. This is the basis of the Diocesan Growth Programme that we would like all communities that are part of the Diocese to engage in.