Congregation

Bath Abbey is a flourishing Church of England parish church in the centre of Bath with a collective congregation of almost 500 people. However, in many ways, we are more than a parish church; our congregation is not just limited to those who live within our geographical parish - most of our neighbours are shops, cafes or other businesses. As a result, many of our congregation live in other local parishes or come from outside the city of Bath.

Visiting Bath?

We are very fortunate and priviledged to welcome around 400,000 visitors every year and are open daily all year round. If you'd like to join one of our services, you are very welcome. Visiting worshippers are equally thought of as members of our congregation.

Congregation at Informal Evening Service

Bath Abbey Vision

If you would like to support the life and work of Bath Abbey, we invite you to find out more about the Abbey’s Vision and Mission priorities.

Enjoying a chat and a coffee after the informal evening service

New to the Abbey?

Everyone has been so warm and welcoming!

As Rector, I often am encouraged by comments like this, from visitors and new folk at the Abbey - and certainly it has been my own experience since joining the congregation here.

At the same time, we are big enough for those who prefer to slip in unnoticed, and to use the Abbey for quietly soaking in God;s presence, to do so.

For those wanting to get to know each other more deeply, as a city centre church it inevitably requires a bit of commitmemtn. But we try to make it really easy - a wide range of opportunities are laid on (social events, concerts, home groups, a book group, a men's group, the Touch Base ladies group, our city-wide contact groups and much more) - and many of the congregation say they really get to know each other best by volunteering together (as stewards or book shop staff, or many other ways).

With five services every Sunday, and lots of visitors to Bath joining us every week, a warm welcome and invitation to belong does seem a genuine core value. It is simply what Bath Abbey does. Every church family gets these things wrong sometimes of course, but I simply encourage you to come, and try the water - it should be warm!

Revd Canon Guy Bridgewater, Rector of Bath Abbey