Bristol churches contribute to new social action report
Thriving Communities Research Presentation & Workshop
Church leaders from across Bristol have met to co-design the recommendations for a new report exploring how to best empower church-led social action and community transformation work in Bristol. The church is a vital part of the community and support infrastructures in Bristol, but churches often face barriers to playing this role because of a lack of economic resources, human resources, information, and inclusion.
Luke Goodway (Church Leader, Waterbrook Church and Noise 365 Development Worker) said it was “inspiring to gather with other leaders with a shared passion for social action, as we wrestled with the challenges of reaching every community of the city. “I am grateful to Good Faith Partnership for facilitating this important and timely conversation,” he added.
The report is a product of the Bristol Thriving Communities project, a collaboration between Good Faith Partnership and Christian Action Bristol. Over the last six months, Alisha Cole, a member of the Bristol Thriving Communities team, has been undertaking research exploring “how Bristol churches are contributing to the thriving of their city, aiming to develop an equitable and sustainable infrastructure for the future of this continued work.”
Alisha told church leaders at the meeting near Temple Meads Station how the research aims to “unpick some of the barriers that limit churches from reaching their full potential in seeing their neighbourhoods, and together the city, transformed,” and also celebrate the breadth of ways that Bristol churches are already engaged in social action, telling this story both within and beyond the church.
The final stage of data collection (following statistical analysis and a series of 25 interviews with church leaders) was hosting a workshop with 15 church leaders in early April. The meeting provided a space for them to co-design the recommendations of the research.
Group discussions at the Thriving Communities Workshop
Group discussion gravitated around three main barriers prioritised by the group: economic resources, human resources and sharing information with other city stakeholders.
The group co-designed a range of practical recommendations to further develop the Bristol Churches City Fund (BCCF) to help meet the costs of franchise models, or provide a grant writer for churches in the city. There was recognition that more awareness raising is required for BCCF to be most impactful.
The group repeatedly identified the value of local coordination, praising the work of Noise 365 and Mullers in these areas. Support to further build the capacity of these organisations, or sharing their learnings, was noted for being able to both tackle human resource shortages and develop a unified prophetic voice.
“We want to be a resource to you and your churches”, shared Alisha as she articulated how the recommendations of the written report, to be published in May, will reflect the discussions and priorities shared by church leaders in the workshop, and inform the work of the Thriving Communities team in coming months.
Alisha concluded by stating that this is “just the start of a conversation”. The workshop provided space for church leaders to collaboratively brainstorm ideas that we hope to see become part of the infrastructure of Bristol church-led social action in the coming months and years. Stay tuned for the publication of the report in May!
For more information, to get involved, or to hear more about GFP's Thriving Communities work, contact alisha.cole@goodfaith.org.uk