Churches across Bristol are playing a significant and growing role in tackling social issues, with more than 420 active church-led projects supporting vulnerable residents, according to a new report.
Released May 28, the Bristol Thriving Communities report analyzed the work of 195 churches and identified 427 individual initiatives ranging from children’s programs and mental health support to community cafés and food insecurity relief. The report was jointly published by Good Faith Partnership and Christian Action Bristol.
“In Bristol we see churches as well-placed institutions to bring about hyper-local and city-wide social transformation,” said Alisha Cole, the author of the report from Good Faith Partnership. “They make up a unified network of hubs found in every neighbourhood across the city, with direct experience of the contextual needs of the community and trusting relationships with the most vulnerable.
“The report demonstrates that churches are more than just places of worship, but vital contributors to a thriving Bristol, collaborating with key charities, the local authority, and each other.”
The latest report has been issued following another publication, the Bristol Churches Covid Recovery Report, published by Good Faith Partnership in 2022. This document identified an increased desire by churches to collectively address city-wide issues following the pandemic.
The study found that two-thirds of Bristol churches run social action projects, of which 75% provide support for children or community hubs.
Many of these projects are part of the national Warm Welcome Campaign—a network of more than 5,200 venues across the UK that offer free entry, a warm space, and a “listening ear” for emotional and practical support, with referrals to other services when needed.
68% of churches support Bristol-based charities, tackling issues from homelessness and addiction to refugee integration.
Some 28 church leaders were interviewed to gather evidence for the report. A key theme emerged from the feedback, which is that inter-church collaboration in Bristol works well, both locally and across the city.
“The biblical narrative concludes with a picture of the New Jerusalem; a thriving city (Revelation 21),” the report's authors say in the introduction.
“If the Church is the body of Christ, made to reflect Him and do His work on Earth, then it has a radical capacity and mission for contributing to the flourishing of the places it exists in, as instructed to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:7. In Bristol we see churches as well-placed institutions to bring about hyper-local and city-wide social transformation.
“They make up a unified network of hubs found in every neighbourhood across the city, with lived experience of the contextual needs of the community and often trusting relationships with the most vulnerable.”
The report identifies three key barriers limiting further church engagement in social transformation: limited economic resources, a shortage of volunteers, and challenges around inclusion.
To address these obstacles, a set of recommendations was developed in collaboration with church leaders during a workshop, helping to shape the objectives for the Bristol Thriving Communities team.
