Our vision, purpose and values have been decerned through prayer and consultation with diverse groups of people across the diocese.
Our vision
Humanity reconciled, creation restored.
Our purpose
To follow Jesus. To serve others. To transform communities.
Our values
Openness, Generosity, Creativity, Bravery.
We value openness and are loving and open to all. Our behaviour is welcoming – we want to be a safe, accessible, kind and welcoming space for everyone. We want our communities to feel embraced, their diverse needs met, and for them to benefit from a long-term relationship based on acceptance and love for people as God made them
We value generosity and receive and give sincerely. We give our time and resources to share what we know of Jesus' love. We want our communities to feel supported and cared for in the way Jesus would do, to experience God’s love through our action and an opportunity to journey into faith if they choose.
We value creativity and we cooperate with the work of the Spirit. We are faithful, rooted in faith and responsive to the Spirit. Our communities feel inspired - this is bold and joyful faith, work and worship that engages us all. We want our communities to experience a variety in projects and worship styles, celebrating tradition and innovation in connection to God.
We value bravery - we are courageous with our voices and our actions. We acknowledge and learn from our past and actively effect positive change in the world. We want our communities to feel empowered as they are listened to, supported, and partnered with in seeking transformational change. The collective voices and actions of our community will help to bring about transformational change.
Download our Vision, Purpose and Values booklet
How did we develop our Vision, Purpose and Values?
Our vision, purpose and values have been developed to help us achieve four key outcomes of our 'Transforming Church. Together' strategy, which outlines where where we believe God is calling us in our mission in the coming years.
- To have a form of church in every community, and one church to which all can belong
- To have people who worship God in every aspect of their lives, and throughout their whole lives
- For the diocese to be recognised as a powerful force for gospel change
- For the diocese to have sustainable finances
The 'Transforming Church. Together' strategy, has replaced the previous diocesan strategy, Creating Connections.
Theological reflection on the values
Treasures old and new: Some theology for scribes is a theological reflection by Simon Taylor, Diocesan Director of Ministry, designed to inform the values of openness, generosity, creativity and bravery, as discerned in the Transforming Church Together (TCT) process.
Alongside our new vision and priorities, the Diocese of Bristol continues to engage in open conversations around Living in Love and Faith, commissioned and led by the Bishops of the Church of England.