St John’s 2031
A Vision for Flourishing: “Life in all its fullness”
“St John’s, by the grace of the Spirit, seeks to be an open community, walking in the way of Jesus, engaging with an everchanging world and living a faith that is timeless yet contemporary, thoughtful and compassionate.”
St John’s 2031 is rooted in the belief that God calls us to engage in his mission of redeeming love in the world. We believe that God calls us to flourish – in spirit, in deed, in community and in stewardship – so that we at St John’s might be ‘the church at the corner’, boldly proclaiming God’s love in word and deed in the very centre of Edinburgh. In this vision document we endeavour to answer God’s call for us as a church, and to work out concrete, realistic, and ambitious steps for how we might do so.
In November 2025, we gathered together as a church to discuss where we are and where God might be calling us. With over 80 participants and 50 pages of feedback generated, the vision document you see before you is the result of a community at prayer, and brings together the responses, hopes, and wishes of a broad demographic, both within and out with St John’s. The Vestry (the church’s governing body) reviewed and approved St John’s 2031 in May 2026 and it was published in September of that year.
What results is an ambitious yet realistic vision for flourishing for the next five years of our story as a church. The vision will stay flexible as we grow in understanding of God’s call for us and stay attentive to changes in context and circumstance, but at its heart will remain the truth of our belief in a God who calls us to flourishing and to service in the world.
The Vestry will oversee the vision’s progress, and yet the vision is also the work and responsibility of a whole community, so please:
Pray for St John’s 2031, asking God to clarify His calling for us individually and as a church, and to help us respond faithfully
Share our Vision with others, especially in our local community
Engage by offering your God-given skills, talents and financial support to help make our vision a reality
Finally, St John’s 2031 is also itself a Bible verse, John 20.31, which perfectly describes our vision: “these things are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name”. We pray that through our vision people would come to know Christ, and that in doing so they would have life in his name.
Rev’d Dr David Bagnall, Rector
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We seek to be …
A church that offers nourishing and inspiring worship, deeply rooted in the Anglican tradition yet both accessible and challenging
A centre of high-quality and participatory music that expresses the ‘beauty of holiness’
A church that offers a broad range of liturgical styles and expressions, catering to every season of the soul
A centre of thought-provoking, politically-engaged, and spiritually-enriching preaching
We want to …
Increase participation in worship, both numerically and demographically
Invest in our ministry to children and families by the hiring of a Families and Children’s Worker
Continue to invest in and support the flourishing of our choir and music
Increase our small groups ministry
Found new services that reach out to untapped demographics and the needs of the city
Offer new opportunities for retreats and spiritual direction
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We seek to be …
Deeply engaged in and responsive to the needs of the community and city around us
Deeply engaged in and responsive to the needs of the world
A place of proclamation, boldly speaking truth to power
A centre of cultural excellence, serving the cultural and intellectual life of the city
We want to …
Support and sustain our ministry to the homeless and vulnerable through the Welcome Space and other initiatives, including the continuing support of our twelve-step groups
Establish our identity as a Cornerstone Church of the Global Centre for Peacebuilding and Business
Serve the city through hosting and providing a stimulating programme of cultural events, exhibitions, and concerts
Advocate for ecological-justice
Continually reach into new areas of need
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We seek to…
Increase organisational income by 30% in order to enable and support the life and mission of the church
Refurbish and renovate our church interior, creating a bright, welcoming, and spiritually enriching worshipping space
Renovate the west end of the church interior, creating an inviting and attractive visitor experience
We want to …
Raise congregational giving by 20%
Establish the ‘Friends of St John’s’ to assist with fundraising and form a community of supporters outwith the church
Undertake a campaign of repair work to renovate the main worshipping space
Repair and restore our ‘Father’ Willis organ to enable the flourishing of our music for generations to come
Embark on a project of reordering and restoration of the west end interior of the church
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We seek to be …
An inclusive, intergenerational community which embraces unity through diversity, fully reflecting the demographics of the city of Edinburgh
A welcoming community in which people of all genders, ethnicities, sexualities, and ages are made welcome and cared for
A growing community that constantly welcomes new members into a fellowship of grace
An outward-looking community with varied opportunities for engagement, recreation, and reflection
We want to …
Grow our Sunday worshipping congregation to 300, across all four services
Invest specifically in demographic areas that are underrepresented, such as teenagers and Generation X
Update and review our pastoral visitors scheme
Provide a stimulating calendar of social events, trips, and small group opportunities
I am delighted to commend St John’s 2031 and to offer my wholehearted encouragement and support for the vision it sets before the people of St John’s.
What is particularly encouraging is not simply the vision itself, but the prayerful and participative process by which it has been discerned. You have taken the time to listen: to God, to one another, and to the wider community of which the church is part. The gathering in November 2025, with more than 80 people participating and some 50 pages of responses and reflections generated, represents a significant act of communal discernment, a vision emerging from the prayer, experience, hopes and aspirations of a broad community. This is a considerable achievement, and one for which Rector and Vestry deserve particular appreciation.
At the heart of St John’s 2031 is a compelling understanding of the vocation of the Church: that we are called to participate in God’s mission of redeeming love and, in doing so, to flourish in spirit, in action, in community and in stewardship. This is both deeply theological and profoundly practical, inspiring you to ensure this is not merely a document to be admired but a calling to be lived, with all that may demand of us.
May the same Spirit who has guided you continue to inspire St John’s to flourish - not for its own sake, but so that it may be increasingly faithful to its calling: a church at the corner, at the heart of Edinburgh, proclaiming in word and deed the redeeming love of God, and inviting all people to know Christ and to have life in his name.
The Right Reverend Dr Dagmar Winter, Bishop of Edinburgh