Dictionary

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Bishop

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

Diocese

‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).

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About us

The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon covers a wide geographical area - from rural Powys in the north to Brecon at the centre, then down through the Swansea Valley to urban Swansea and the spectacular Gower coastline. It is a truly beautiful part of the world.

We have around 200 churches, many in areas of outstanding natural beauty. Although within its 1,316 square miles the diocese embraces a range of very different communities we are united by a vision for our future together.

There are many metaphors for organisations but we have chosen the Biblical image of the family or household of God. We are a family that sees God as our loving parent. He knows and loves us; we are his children and we share a family likeness and spirit. We describe ourselves as being ‘rooted in Christ’ because, as Christians, we take our nourishment, stability, identity and purpose from Jesus. His mission is our mission – to proclaim the reality of the kingdom of God.

Our purpose as a church is to transform lives – individual lives, the culture of the Diocese, and the life of our society. Our challenge is to think again about the way we do the things that we do – so that we can become the Church that we believe God is calling us to be. To do this we have three areas of focus: our gathering in God’s name, our growing more like Jesus and our going out in the power of the Spirit.

The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon

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