new ways of being church for the sake of the gospel

freshexpressions.org.uk

New ways of being Church for the sake of the gospel

Bob & Mary Hopkins + Sally Gaze

Intro to Fresh Expressions

SESSION 1

http://www.efs.nu/


Anglica

nChurch

Planting

Initiativ

es

Where do we/you come from?

[email protected]


Where do you come from?


New ways of being Church

Our themes will be:

• UK experience

• Some mission theology

• Your emerging story

• Practical insights

• Lessons of ‘how to’

• Lots of stories

• Q & A and discussion

Fresh Expressions of Church



Theological foundations

EFS website:

A collection of sources and quotations giving background in missiology and ecclesiology for Fresh Expression of Church



Church always renewing

Ecclesia semper refrormanda est:

• Svenska Kyrkan Lutheran – born in reformation

• EFS Born in renewal of mission

“Returning to the founding dream”Intro to Fresh Expressions


part one

New mission movement in the UK



• Sold over 25,000 copies

• Explored the changing context

• Stories of what God had

initiated

• Term “Fresh Expressions of

Church”

• Examined missionary practice

• Developed missionary

ecclesiology

• Made radical recommendations

Mission shaping church v. church shaping mission

Mission shaped Church Report



So many types of freshX

• school-based• multiple/

midweek• network

church• seeker• café church• cell/BEC/

cluster• new monastic• alt. Worship• man church!• surfers church

• workplace church• youth

congregations• under 5s and

parents• student church• community

initiative• church plants• skateboarders

church• church of

vulnerable• rural freshX• ladies church!



Celebrating and building on what is mission-shaped in traditional forms of church… …and finding new,

flexible, appropriate ways to proclaim

the Gospel afresh to those

who do not relate to

traditional ways

Key theme: ‘mixed economy’


http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/guide


Key theme: ‘mixed economy’


BOTH RIVERECONOMY

ANDMIXEDLAKE


Vitally important fact!

In the mixed economy, all fresh expressions of church are part of the diocese and parish system.

98% of the 500 fxc’s came under the existing pastor and church council.



definition?

What is a ‘fresh expression of church’?

An evolving answer!



Vad är fresh expression?• Fresh expression (ett nytt sätt att vara

kyrka) är en form av kyrka för vår föränderliga kultur, etablerad främst för människor som ännu inte är med i någon kyrka.

– Det växer fram genom lyssnande, tjänande, konkret vardagsmission och lärjungaträning

– Det har förutsättningar att bli en gudstjänstfirande gemenskap som är formad av evangeliet och kyrkans kännetecken och till för det aktuella sammanhanget.



definition?

What are the marks of a ‘fresh expression

of church’?

five defining characteristics!



5 kännetecken på ett nytt sätt att vara kyrka

• Missionellt till nytta för de som inte redan är med i kyrkan.

• Kontextuellt försöker passa in i målgruppens sammanhang

• Jesusfokuserat ord och handling talar om Jesus

• Formande tränar till lärjungaskap• Kyrkoförankrat är kopplat till den

befintliga kyrkan och har för avsikt att fullt ut bli kyrka.



1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100N

o. o

f fxC

No. of fxc in 10 dioceses



Some Fresh Expressions stats

• In one diocese 30% of congregations are fxc’s - the average is 15%

• Over 1,000 Anglican & 1,000 Methodist fxc’s

• Fxc’s are being planted in all social contexts

• Over half the fxc’s are lay led

• The average size of a fresh expression is 40

• The greatest growth has been in last 3 years



freshX – practical examples

1. freshX among young families together!



Welcome with games; activities and crafts together!



Preparing food & eating. Bible dramas, learning, praying and worshipping together!



A Messy movement! Over 1000 examples Regional “Messy Fiestas”



part two

Our changing mission context



Mission responses

Visualisations of the changing context and responses:

• George Lings, Encounters on the Edge

• Robert Warren, Being Human, Being Church



Church in the valley…

• baptism• education• marriage• festivals• Sunday• sickness• crisis• bereavement• death

The mission task: From door,to font / baptistery,to communion table / altar, out to the world



A few still drawn to church doors by the culture

The mission task: Go to where people are and make disciples there

…to the side of a hill

But current culture draws many away from, not towards church

.Fresh expression

of church



Context - Secular pluralism

Church

Engage – sit & listen

Form new

church?Intro to Fresh Expressions


Five shifts in society

Changing Sundays

Changing relationships

Changing cultures

Less faith knowledge

Religion to spirituality

Church at different times

Church for different networks

Church in different cultures

Church for beginners

Church for disconnected explorers



What’s up for change?

• day and time• who leads• buildings• style of meetings• group size• priority of worship• basis of

membership or commitment

• parish and place

Practitioners making it up as they go along



Incarnational mission

“The word became flesh and moved into the neighbourhood…

John 1, The Message



mission stories

It is happening in SwedenIntro to Fresh Expressions

3 minute – intro + 5 mini

stories


Discuss in 2’s & 3’s


5 mins

• Identify someone in your neighbourhood or network who has no real contact with church

• Do you have any meaningful contact with them?


The mission journey


part three


Worship Service Community, Discipleship, Mission

Traditional Church Plants

The normal journey

We need a change of MINDSET



listening and following God’s call

Starting a fresh expression

loving& serving

formingcommunity

evangelismand

discipleship

evolvingworship

living connection between the sent and the senders

prayer – by the sent and the senders

it’s all about listening and following God’s call



Compassion - our motivation

God is Love

God’s love for the world

2 Cor 5:14Intro to Fresh Expressions


Listening for mission

The context is everything

• But there are more areas to be investigated

• And the key question is “where is God at work?”



Double Listening

• Listening in two directions– to the context– to the inherited tradition



• discerning God through all these• know your context; gospel and

church

360° listening

TRADITION



mission stories

It is happening in SwedenIntro to Fresh Expressions

9 mins – Fika Church


freshX – live case study


Small villageMessy church in 2014In Sweden!

Kerstin Oderhem, in the village of Rydaholm



What encourages or inspires you?

What ideas are there that could apply in your situation?


5 mins


part four

Different mission methods



3 Mission methods

Adaptation of Hirsch & Frost

• Attractional method• Engaged method• Emerging method



Attractional method

come



Engaged method

go and then come



Emerging method

go and then stay

And see what

arises



The Spectrum

Large Projectsfunded Posts

“BMO”

Locally basedlay led project

shift to “church”

New Communities(wider than parish)

Some funding

Reimaginingexisting Church

for mission



mission stories

Examples from England


Wesley Playhouse


part five

More stories to illustrate




2. freshX in café culture



Cafe culture – freshX

The Journey of 6 types of café church

From:• Create a café event and invite folkTo:• Invade café culture

• www.acpi.org.uk• www.freshexpressions.org.uk/guid

eIntro to Fresh Expressions

http://www.acpi.org.uk/




Costa café free with staff & discount coffee

Cafe church – seeker-style



Table discussions; quizzes; challenges meditations & a message

Cafe church – seeker-style



Cafe network – a franchise




3. freshX in youth culture



Youth freshX




4. New church among the elderly



• Ravenshead Estate – many retired people

• Mission to elderly by church and non-church folk

• Church arising out of social engagement

• Day centre; Lunch club; Good Neighbours

“Molly’s Church”

freshX for the elderly



Ravenshead

Community

Project



• An “Alpha Course” for the elderly• A cell group grew from “Alphas”• A Sunday Tea event... completes

“Church”


freshX for the elderly



Ravenshead

Community

Project

Cell Group Members

Sunday Afternoon Tea




What challenges will you take home to your congregation?

What may have to stop? Start? or change?


7 mins


Your Questions


The key question ...

What is church?


part six


Four relationshipsholy

worshipup

apostolicmission

out

onecommunity

in

catholicconnexion

of



Toblerone churchUp

UpUp

Up

Up

UpUp

Up

In

Out

Out

Out

Out

Out

OutOut

Out

Of

Connected in spaceConnected through

time and eternity



• Up - fresh expressions of worship• OUT - Fresh expressions of

mission• IN - Fresh expressions of

community• OF - Fresh expressions of

partnership

Not all 4 relationships/dimensions

OK - fresh but not Church



Intro to Session 2

• Sally Gaze • Rural ‘Cell

Church’



Sally Gaze – Cell Church


Intro to Session 2

• Sally Gaze • Rural ‘Cell

Church’



Intro to Session 2 – Groups

Your context and dividing up:

• Sally will explain• Getting into groups



Resources (see display)


new ways of being church for the sake of the gospel

Documents