Day: 11 September 2009

An interactive DVD-ROM to help you plan a mission-shaped Sunday worship service.

Includes sermon notes, prayers, reflections, hymn and song suggestions, activities, a children's talk and a short video sequence to enable you to put together a worship service introducing fresh expressions of church and mission-shaped thinking. Materials can be mixed and matched from four different 'streams' and also included are a PowerPoint presentation and discussion notes for use in midweek meetings, house groups, church councils or PCC meetings.

This product requires a PC/Mac DVD drive for full functionality, although the video sequence can be viewed on a standard DVD player.

Theologically sound and grounded in good practice, it would be useful to any leaders of worship who are stretching their own understanding of what it means to be church and who are wanting to enthuse and existing congregation.

Diane Coleman, Ichthus, Volume 160, Issue 4, p8

A brilliant resource for congregations just beginning to explore new ways of being church – easy to use and crammed full with relevant resources to get your congregation thinking about becoming a mission shaped church.

Mark Russell, Chief Executive Church Army

This is a timely resource. It's creative, contextual and utterly orthodox.

Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church

I welcome initiatives which enable people to think creatively about how worship may 'hold fast to all that is good' as well as try to relate to contemporary culture.

Christina Baxter, Principal of St John’s College, Nottingham

This is a brilliant resource, providing a great menu of ideas and material to enrich our worship. Every worship leader should have a copy.

Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans

Written by Sally Gaze, author of Mission-shaped and rural, this seminar pack has been designed to:

• recognise the particular challenges and issues facing fresh expressions in rural contexts;
• learn about examples of rural fresh expressions.

The pack helps participants to:

• recognise cultural changes in the countryside;
• recognise differences between different rural contexts;
• understand one model of interaction between gospel and culture in evangelisation (inculturation);
• consider a range of rural fresh expressions.

The material weaves together theological reflection and stories from rural communities. The seminar concludes with two parables for reflection.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture and/or expressions: the dvd – 2: changing church in every place.

Written by Colin Brown whilst Fresh Expressions Missioner with responsibility for prayer and spirituality, this seminar pack has been designed to:

• introduce the value and importance of prayer and a healthy spirituality in exploring and developing a fresh expression of church;
• explore the fact that there are many ways and means to do this;
• enable participants to share local and collective wisdom and experience in this area;
• help participants to learn the value of good listening, in prayer and to one another.

The pack helps participants to:

• increase their understanding of spirituality and prayer in relation to fresh expressions;
• experience the value of good listening.

The material invites participants to consider what we mean by prayer and spirituality and investigates the type of spirituality that is at the heart of fresh expressions of church. Significant time is allocated to an experiential listening in prayer exercise.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material.

The material in this seminar pack is also covered in what should we start (Share booklet 03).

There is a lot of material in this seminar pack and the timings can be expanded to fill a morning or evening meeting. It is an ideal resource for any church or group of Christians seriously seeking to engage more effectively with their community.

The material has been written to help participants:

• reflect upon how listening for mission can inform our particular context;
• consider what first steps can be taken to initiate a new missional community;
• discover what further input or resources would help this process further.

Working through the material participants will understand:

• the importance of listening to discern mission context;
• the concept of 360° listening and its application;
• some of the ways that gathering information can inspire, shape vision and begin mission engagement;
• an overview of the five stages of a full mission audit;
• the importance of prayer running through the process of strategy and research.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

Written by Andrew Roberts whilst Director of Training for Fresh Expressions, this seminar pack introduces the six week course mission shaped intro and is ideal for presenting the resource to church groups keen to learn more about fresh expressions and mission-shaped church.

The pack provides:

• an overview of mission shaped intro;
• a taster of msi session 4 – creative worship;
• guidance on how to download and use the course.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

Written by Ben Edson, leader of Manchester’s Sanctus 1, this seminar pack explores urban expressions for city dwellers, focussing on fresh expressions of church for the new urbanites, those young adults who are repopulating our city centres. (It does not exploring the inner city or the suburbs).

The pack helps participants to:

• explore attitudes to the city;
• experience worship in the style of a fresh expression for city dwellers;
• study a fresh expression that engages with city dwellers;
• discover local examples or local opportunities.

The material will especially appeal to those of a creative disposition and includes poems and a creative prayer exercise.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

Written by Mike Collyer, a Church Army Captain specialising in ministry and mission amongst older people, this seminar pack is ideal for those seeking to create fresh expressions for the fastest growing demographic group in Britain.

The material has been written to help participants:

• begin to be equipped with ideas for appropriate ministry among older people;
• consider forms of church that can be accessible to the de-churched and unchurched;
• have a better understanding of what it might mean to be older;
• explore how they might relate to different cohort groups.

The seminar helps people reflect on the differences within generations as well as between generations and affirms that in the 21st century a range of expressions of church are needed, as one size does not fit all.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

This pack has been written by Lucy Moore, the inspiration behind Messy Church and author of the book of the same name. In keeping with the ethos of Messy Church the material in this pack is passionate about children and full of imagination.

The material helps participants to:

• consider the specific needs and strengths of children;
• dream dreams for children;
• reflect on a variety of approaches to working with children in the church and on how some churches have put their dreams into reality;
• consider the basic questions to answer when planning a fresh expression with children.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

This seminar pack is also available as how can we finance a fresh expression (Share booklet 08).

Longing to start a fresh expression but worried about the finances? Here is a pack to help you!

Written by John Preston, National Stewardship and Resources Officer, Church of England the pack:

• explains how finance can be a critical factor in enabling the success or failure of fresh expressions;
• explores how attitudes to money and finance are an important element in project planning;
• emphasises that finance is both a theological and an economic issue.

Using the material will help participants to:

• explore their attitude to money and finance;
• acquire a simple project planning tool to help with vision exploration;
• take away ‘seven top tips’ for the early stages of project planning and vision exploration;
• identify the importance of sustainable income, including regular giving;
• learn about some key resources in this area;
• share experiences and learn from one another’s successes and mistakes.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture.

Methodist General Secretary Martyn Atkins is keen to emphasise the importance of making disciples. He argues that if fresh expressions don’t make disciples then they cannot claim to be new forms of church. (Martyn Atkins, Resourcing Renewal, Inspire, 2007, p164).

Written by Andrew Roberts whilst Director of Training for Fresh Expressions, this pack emphasises the importance of nurturing disciples in fresh expressions. It aims to equip participants with ideas of how disciples can be formed in new Christian communities by:

• unpacking what it means to be a disciple;
• reflecting upon the importance of discipleship;
• learning about how disciples are being formed in fresh expressions;
• being aware that to nurture disciples involves more than running a course;
• considering a range of helpful resources.

Ideal for use in small- to medium-sized church meetings, vision day seminar packs explore specific key issues and various genres of fresh expressions.

Other materials will be required to present the material including a copy of expressions: the dvd – 2: changing church in every place.