Month: October 2013
Relationship building as a permission-giver (Mike Redshaw)
Mike Redshaw reflects on the importance of building relationships as a permission-giver.
My credentials are clear – I have a great passion for fresh expressions of church, I'm involved in the mission shaped ministry course and FEAST (Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Team), but often I struggle to give the time I would like as I'm caught up in Superintendency of the Trent and Dove Methodist Circuit.
I was recently involved in a discussion about 'permission-givers', those folk in different denominations who can either block or encourage a fresh expression. In many ways, I have become such a permission-giver and it is hard and frustrating to adjust to the role, because my heart wants to be in the fresh expression – exploring, enabling and encouraging as opposed to simply watching others do it and commending them accordingly.
Superintendency involves so much administration, supervision and dissemination of information that it saps your energy and creativity. However I received a 'friendly wake-up call' in that recent discussion to quit moaning and make the time to 'get on with it'; so I am looking at the possibility of a mission shaped intro course in this area and exploring the possibility of a learning network amongst some fresh expressions that have already begun.
In looking at all of these opportunities, it makes me realise – again – that relationships are so important. The deeper a relationship is, the more that people begin to feel comfortable, becoming increasingly able to share things of real significance.
All the more incredible then that, as Christians, we can simply expect people to walk into our churches – and still we don't attempt to establish any real relationship with them at all. The success of discipleship courses such as Alpha and Essence has been built not on the teaching alone but on the friendships built up over the meal, the discussion and the fellowship.
As I get older, and hopefully wiser, I become more and more convinced that evangelism is not going to achieve real success unless there is a relationship involved. The old-fashioned Billy Graham rallies began in relationship as Billy would urge his followers to invite family and friends, people they could relate to, and then he would expect an on-going relationship after conversion. Why? Because evangelism isn't just about numbers, a 'bums on seats mentality'. No, it's about building a community as Jesus first intended. He walked for three years with the same people. Even though he must have been frustrated and disappointed in them at times, he stood by them and gradually began to change them until the time was right for the final disclosure of the Holy Spirit.
Much of the current fresh expressions movement is about relationships. These may be relationships built in cafés or Messy Churches or wherever; people coming together, learning together and sharing the Lord Jesus with one another. The trouble is that relationships require a lot of patience, tolerance and understanding on the part of the Christians who are encouraging others – and, often, from others in their dealings with us!
So what is the key? For me, the only thing that really forges relationships to a Godly level is when the love of Jesus is present. Jesus may not have liked the lifestyles of people, he may have condemned the sin but he NEVER rejected people. We too must not be judgemental rejectionists, but need to be people of love and find ways of building relationships with people so that they may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Do we need to be building any bridges with those we are in relationship with in order to show that love? I think that's a challenge for us all.
Heathfield cafechurch – update Oct13
Churches Together in Heathfield and District launched a cafechurch in April 2013. Sue Mumford tells what has happened since then in the East Sussex market town.
More than 40 people came to our first session at Costa Coffee in Heathfield High Street; and we have been very pleased with the reaction to what we are doing. We have learned some valuable lessons so far and hope this learning will help others looking to do something similar in their own contexts.
The most beneficial thing we did in advance of our first event was to have a 'rehearsal' the week before. Involving mainly 'church people', this gave us a chance to iron out problems and get valuable feedback at the end of the evening. It also provided an opportunity for people from all the churches in the area, who wanted to know what it was all about, to come and see for themselves.
We had a good number turn up on the night, including some who were not involved in church at all and quite a lot of young people – which meant we had a useful balance of age groups. The staff in the coffee shop were also very interested to see what was happening; one of them who was on duty behind the counter for the rehearsal made sure he was on duty for the first event!
When the night came, there was a real buzz – especially during our quiz and table talk times, a really nice atmosphere. We had two, short, musical 'interludes' during which a young singer/songwriter sang some of her own material, accompanying herself on the guitar. That went down well.
The table hosts, whom we regard as key people in the event, were given a few important pointers and advice before the evening began by a member of our cafechurch planning committee. They also had a pack of materials to distribute to their table when they felt the time was right.
We gave all guests £1.50 towards their first drink and this was appreciated; we will continue to do this. We had some tables with one host and some with a team of two – and we think the teams of two work most effectively.
Our challenges and difficulties became clear very early on. After the 'rehearsal' it was evident there were too many 'greeters' (we had a rota of six). The young people felt as though they were almost confronted on entry by a lot of 'old' folk! So, at the event we had only two greeters; both of whom were on the younger side of 50.
We had said when we first looked at developing a cafechurch that we would focus on attracting 18 to 35-year-olds though all ages would be welcome. It has been interesting to see how the young people reacted to our programme for the evening; they did not want to be served, for instance, but preferred to get their own coffee and then make their way to the table. So, at the event, we completely did away with servers. This made them much happier. The rather slow speed at which the coffee is served is a challenge; but because of the variety of drinks available there is probably not much that can be done about this!
At the rehearsal it was made clear that there was far too much information on the tables. There was no time to read newspaper articles and some people did not even notice the 'menu' for the evening's programme amidst all the quiz and discussion material and 'keep in contact' slips etc. As a result, at the event we put nothing on the tables except the 'menu' and encouraged the table hosts to draw guests' attention to it showing the programme for the evening and the publicity on the back about our next get-together. All the quiz material and discussion questions were given in a pack to the table hosts to distribute when they thought appropriate. It worked well.
The young people felt the evening was 'over-structured' at the rehearsal; but we think this was partly just our nervousness about sticking to timings and the newness of it all. We kept the basic structure at the event but were more relaxed ourselves and this seemed to work better.
It is difficult to get a balance between letting people go to whatever table they like and getting a mix of ages at each table. Having two (older) hosts at each table helps. Perhaps this will solve itself as we all become more familiar with the situation and as we build relationships with the guests.
In terms of the effectiveness of publicity for the event. We distributed posters and leaflets in the churches, the community college and the Churches Together noticeboard in the High Street.
We also put out a press release in two local papers. This we felt would not be a way of getting young people to come but it was a good way of letting the community know what we were doing as Churches Together. The community college included an item about it in their letter to parents on the front page; some churches put it in their Sunday bulletins and a member of the planning committee sent out details via Facebook and Twitter.
One of the key things we discovered was the importance of negotiating with the right person in the coffee shop business when sorting out details of programming and a guaranteed rate of takings on the night. We had taken steps to inform the local management team and all seemed to be in place but a change in staffing caused various problems – we would therefore encourage anyone to avoid these pitfalls by:
- making sure you are negotiating with the right person;
- ensuring the agreement is ratified by any superior authority necessary;
- being prepared for the possibility of a change in personnel;
- keeping copies of all correspondence and emails.
We have covered various topics in our cafechurch time; including Stress, Les Miserables (with themes of repentance and forgiveness), and Wealth of Different Kinds. Our next cafechurch is on 24th January 2014 when we look at 'What's love got to do with it?'
A team of prayer supporters provide valuable prayer backing during the time we meet and we then report back to them as to how the evening has gone and if there are any additional prayer requests.
It is still early days and we don't yet know how things will turn out but we are encouraged to see how relationships have developed, both among those on the planning team and those we're meeting through cafechurch.
Do you know anything about the Methodist Church?
authentic (?) – update Oct13
United Network
A new church community is beginning to form in Clitheroe, Lancashire. Pioneer minister Andy Gray explains more about 'a bunch of like-minded people who are exploring what it means to have a Christian faith'.
I have been here since 2011 as an Ordained Pioneer Minister. Previously I worked full-time as a youth and children's worker for 10 years in a couple of churches, setting up youth churches shaped by the young people, before moving to Scripture Union as primary schools worker in Lancashire. Whilst there we joined another church in the North West, and with keen members we formed a fresh expression of church within a church.
Being pioneering is habit-forming! I'm stipendiary and when I started here, I was told that I had the freedom to 'go and make lots of mistakes' by the bishop at that time. St James Church of England Church, Clitheroe – which supports United Network – had just lost their full-time children's worker so they didn't want to miss out on what had already been happening in terms of community contact with children and families. It was great to use those foundations as the starting point for something new.
I started by looking again at the needs of the area. Clitheroe is a small market town of about 16,000 people and, in many ways, it is self-sufficient because there are many facilities on the doorstep but there are also lots of needs and struggles. More than 10% of the population go to church in one form or another and the good thing is that the churches tend to work together in all sorts of ways – such as debt advice with Christians Against Poverty and a foodbank – to serve the people here.
In fact, so much is provided, we had to ask ourselves the hard question, 'What's the point of having a fresh expression in Clitheroe?'
We decided to look at that by setting a ball rolling and looking to God to find out what He wanted. My initial thought, following good fresh expressions practice, was 'Let's get a nice, strong team together'. We prayed and a couple of people came forward who wanted to be part of something new… but that didn't work out. So in desperation I simply asked God who he wanted. This time we didn't approach it from the standpoint of, 'let's find the best team or the strongest team or the most attractive team'; it was based on being open to God and being ready to respond to who we felt He wanted to be part of this thing. This left us a 'not-sorted-out' type of people, but ones with weaknesses that God seems to use.
The next question was, 'What should we do in this place?'
Our answer was to start meeting together and see what happened, since everything else seemed to be being done in Clitheroe. We wanted to get the DNA right. Part of that involved the decision for us not to be called a 'core team' – we felt that a core team looks inwards; and a launch team tends to blow apart or see themselves as superior (our interpretation at any rate). That left us with being called a DNA team… it seemed appropriate!
As part of embedding our 'DNA', I then had to teach the team what it means to be a fresh expression. I think I was potentially one of the first people to have a mission shaped ministry course as part of my pioneer training so I had a good grounding in it all, as well as a few years of experiencing it.
From that, we began to look at what God had done so far in our area and how we could join in with that. We also looked at what resources we had available and decided on the approach we were going to take. Instead of trying to do lots and lots of things, we decided to do one, 'tiny' thing over and over again until something happens. That turned out to be meeting together and drinking lots of coffee!
We didn't want to meet in a church building so we started to look for somewhere that was easily accessible with a car park, good coffee, and some space to move around a bit. One of the people involved in United Network has the operator's licence for the coffee shop at the site of Clitheroe Castle ruins and she said we could use the Atrium Café for our gatherings.
At that stage there were three families involved in this, including mine. In all, there were six adults and seven children and our first season as a fledgling community was from January to Easter 2012. At the same time as that was happening, me and my wife and our kids and another of the couples with their kids were still doing the children's work at St James – or the 'big church' as I call it, since it is bigger than what we are doing. That meant we still had a lot of links with many families and part of our thinking was about how we could build deeper relationships with these people and allow our DNA to influence theirs.
From that came a request from someone who wanted their son to be involved but knew that traditional kids' groups were not the right place for him; they were not involved in church life at all and it would have been too strange and alien. We then invited them to come and join us at a 'gathering'.
Right from the start we wanted to offer free coffee and food, 'big church' has been very supportive financially, so we were able to offer great hospitality.
Amazingly, we discovered that the castle is sited in a 'hole' in the parish structure and, as a result, United Network does not 'belong' to any parish. The castle used to have a chapel about 500 years ago so we are re-establishing something here from ancient of days.
It has thrown up some interesting challenges as well. The coffee shop is a licensed secular wedding venue so they are not allowed to have an act of worship there. In response I have said that we are not 'doing' worship as such because that requires the two sacraments of baptism and communion – and we are 'just' meeting together as a bunch of like-minded people who are exploring what it means to have a Christian faith.
Reflecting on who found their way into our gatherings, we realised they tended to be people we already knew through other networks in the area. God kept telling us to focus on building community so we put our efforts into that, and somehow people are growing in faith – it must be God. There is no 'big 5-year plan' or strategy; instead we have to trust that God will send the right people at the right time. Some people have come to us and then found their way to 'big church' but that's fine. As far as we're concerned, we have a very missional intent and are not set up as a conduit, we are church in ourselves.
We started to gather on a Sunday afternoon and the mum and her son joined us. We would have been happy to go for any day of the week but that was the best day for the people we wanted to serve. We now meet there on the first and third Sunday of the month when the coffee shop has closed to the public; when there is a fifth Sunday we plan to go out for the day together.
You might also find me in Costa Coffee during the week, buying someone a coffee and having a chat. On the Wednesday following a Sunday gathering, we also have a Going Deeper night. Originally that looked at the DNA and theology of fresh expressions but then we moved on to working out what it means to be a disciple. That ran from Easter to Christmas of 2012. In the meantime, we had another couple join us, then two more teenagers, for the Wednesday night sessions, and it continued to grow. We are now starting another discipleship time on Wednesday mornings which will be run along the lines of a book club rather than a Bible study group which means people study at home, then bring their thoughts with them to a less frequent over coffee chat. Coffee plays a big part in what we do, you might notice!
It's all about allowing time for things to unfold. It took three months for one of the families we know to actually make it to a gathering; now they're regulars. I regularly text the people we're linked with to let them know what's happening when, and they therefore feel very much part of the community before they start connecting with our gatherings. Those who miss the odd get together don't feel as though they have been forgotten or that they have dropped off our radar. We even get apologies when they can' t make it. That list also involves those who want to know more but haven't taken that step yet.
We didn't have a name at all for some while, but that can cause problems when you have to describe what you do to the other churches in the area, or to people who might be interested in getting involved. It was at one of our gatherings in September last year that an 11-year-old said, 'Can we be called United Network?' as we sat and described what we had done so far. I wasn't keen at first… there were still only 17 of us, and that hardly described a network! However I was wrong. Everyone liked the name and it has stuck and, to my mind, there's no doubt that we have grown into a network of people talking about God.
At this stage there are 30 of us who regularly come together (if everyone turned up at once it would be 35) but if we include those who form satellite/ad hoc groups and regular conversations, the figure would be nearer 53, and I don't know them. These are people who our community know. They are encouraged to talk about their faith, and to form new communities themselves where they are, rather than feel under pressure to bring their friends to any of the gatherings. They are supported, and prayed for, and empowered. Though the weakness remains a key part.
Our aim is to reach people who don't yet know Christ so if Christians want to come along, I always ask them to speak to me first. The last thing we'd want is for it to become an 'alternative' church for people already going to other churches or who are disenchanted with church.
Looking at the dynamics of team working, I discovered quite quickly that we are not people who have got everything 'sorted'. I'd read about 'having a team that works' but we don't 'work' in that way. My feeling is that when you begin as a strong team, you have an inbuilt sense of having something to offer others, doing it for them rather than with them. When you come in weakness, you need everyone around you to help. I have seen that so much in the team for United Network; when coming from that point of weakness, we rely on each other so much more and our attitude to others changes too. Perhaps it comes from my own problems with dyslexia of needing people around me? People seem to just want to jump in and help when they see me floundering, and then when it all comes together they say 'we did this' rather than see me as the person who did it – with God of course!
I'm aware that much still focuses on me as a leader. We get together because I have said, 'let's get together'. At the moment my stipend comes out of the curacy budget, so what happens next when the curacy comes to an end in two years' time? At a national level, no-one has really solved the problem of what happens once the Ordained Pioneer Minister is not being paid by the curacy budget?
At the end of summer this year, I said to the whole gathering, 'You shape this; you take ownership and responsibility for this'. In our previous fresh expression of church I brought together all the people who had a connection with what we were doing, three times a year to reflect on what God had done so far with us, and where he might be leading us next. Since it worked well, it seemed reasonable to do it for United Network. We gathered as a community, children and all (the youngest were seven for this meeting) for our first 'What next?' meeting, we looked at how we could theologically reflect on what had already happened and re-establish God's vision for us.
During the meeting I encouraged them to think not about what they liked or didn't like, but rather what had meaning for them. Someone once said, for it to be true, it has to first have meaning. Key to who we are is that we are not a community of worshippers, which emphasises the individual, but rather we are a worshipping community, which emphasises our togetherness in God.
This became very clear recently when one couple asked us if they could renew their baptism vows and marriage vows on the same day. There are no set liturgies for this so we put together two forms of liturgy and set about organising it on the site where the original chapel would have been in the ruined castle. They wanted to be immersed so we bought a 6ft long by 20in deep paddling pool, people brought buckets with them to the ceremony and were running backwards and forwards to fill the pool with freezing cold water. The couple knelt down in it and we poured the water over their heads.
It didn't cause problems with the café and its secular wedding venue licence because we didn't do it in the café; we did it on ground that had never been deconsecrated (to our knowledge at least). It was very special and I would say that was the point where United Network really started to mean something.
Beneath the radar? (Fuzz Kitto)
Westway Open Arms – update Oct13
Sam Foster is fresh expression pioneer minister for Scarborough Deanery. She gives an update on the Westway Open Arms community project that may, or may not, develop a fresh expression of church.
I took on this role in 2008 and so many incredible things have happened since then but I think the opening of Westway Open Arms has to be a major highlight. This community hub, a former vicarage on the Eastfield estate, had been derelict but for some time the place has been refitted, redecorated and brought back to life – and so many people are coming through our doors as a result. It's a very big building and it had been empty for five years so that gives you some idea as to how much needed to be done!
It has actually been running since May 2013 but, since then, we finished off building procedures and works and became a charity to give it more chance of long-term sustainability.
We wanted to share the transformation with the community so we had our official opening on Saturday 5th October 2013 when the Bishop of Hull, Richard Frith, cut the ribbon on the centre. A great deal of cake was eaten and there were indoor and outdoor games for the children.
We decided not to make it on overtly Christian occasion but at Christmas we will have a full thanksgiving and worship service. In this community, people tend to be very sceptical of the church so – at the moment – we are building trust. In saying that, we are also being relatively upfront and forward with people about who we are; we're not deliberately hiding anything. We work very closely with neighbouring Holy Nativity Church, which has a small congregation of mainly elderly people and I’m part of their ministry team now. We also work very closely with community agencies and organisations.
Sometimes, as church in general, we don't think about what we are because we have done it the same way for years. The problem is that we can begin to think the people outside will know it too – but they don't. We really want to put this building, and the church, back on the map and invite those people who don't know anything about Christians or the Christian faith to come in and have a look. Mind you, there has already been huge interest in what we've been doing to the place; people were knocking on the door to take a look as soon as we started the renovation works.
We are open to the public from Monday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm, offering debt advice and budgeting, a foodbank, and pregnancy crisis care because teenage pregnancy is off the Richter scale in this area. We also have a community drop-in for a couple of hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays though people do just drop in at other times as well! I've said in previous updates that Eastfield is one of England's most deprived areas so it's clear that we, as Christians, must have a visible presence here to serve a physical need. It's where God has called us and what he wants us to do.
We now have community prayers every morning and on a Thursday afternoon. That involves an informal, short act of worship which is very deliberately ecumenical and that can involve all sorts of things, such as Celtic Communion and so on. Interestingly the people in this area are very 'traditional' in a way because they want things that 'look like' church – even if they've never been involved in church at all before. Hopefully, we're going to start another get-together in the New Year on a Sunday, something very informal, very basic. That's an exciting thing for us to consider.
Our Hub Groups, as part of our fresh expressions faith community, have always been missional groups so they have really got involved in this centre since we opened in May, doing things like policy and procedures. This is a voluntary organisation and we have got no paid staff but everyone who wanted to be part of what we do here has been trained and inducted professionally. We see it as the ongoing discipling of people who want to be part of community.
Some days are really tough and with all the good stuff comes attack – but it goes with the territory. That rubbish also brings blessing and, most days, I thank God for letting me be part of that.
It's so important to have support around you. I have a 76-year-old spiritual director who is so godly and prophetic; I know she prays for me daily and isn't afraid to challenge me. In the past, I used to go to people who would say I was wonderful but I'm not bothered about that type of thing, I want somebody to pray with me and give me that sacred trust and space so that I can say what's really bothering me. Friendship is vital to me and my support mechanism includes really close friends, some in Scarborough and some not in Scarborough, to have a really good laugh with.
Whether you like it or not, people see you differently because you are ordained. I can see how this approach to ministry can easily happen to people and I would never criticise them but I want more in my life than just work, work and work. I do want things like friends and family.
In terms of wider support, the diocese has been absolutely brilliant. When I approached the bishop with the idea for Westway; he immediately he called in an archdeacon, the diocesan secretary, the surveyor and solicitor and they all said, 'it sounds good. Yes, go ahead'. That's three years ago and that's how I knew it was a God thing.
In July, the diocese agreed we could have the building rent free for 12 years and they are also going to be responsible for the internal and external repairs for that period of time. We are responsible for the running costs and we are already secure for about three years because that money has just come in. God's timing is perfect and all the churches I have been working with across the deanery have given their support. We've also had £500 from the local Methodist Church which gave the profits from their café while the Baptist Church in Scarborough prayer-walked the area and have funded some of our pregnancy crisis support work.
Will a fresh expression of church develop here? I don't know at the moment but, when we start to gather people together in the new year; we may see something grow from what's already happening. We do have a hall so we could start something in our own building or we might see things begin to take shape in Holy Nativity Church; the good thing there is that it is an open space without pews so it could be set out in café-style and very interactive.
There are obviously sensitivities around that because I don't want those at Holy Nativity to feel that we are doing something without considering them. We will listen to God and to those around us, pray and see what happens.
When we were fundraising for Westway, I spent three days in a cage outside the building to symbolise those who feel trapped by their circumstances and how we'd hope to help free them from those problems. I was sponsored for the 'lock-in' and it was humbling to see how many came to visit me there. I slept outside and relied on other people to bring me food, only leaving the cage to use the bathroom. Yes, I did have people watching over me from a distance who were staying in tents and there was a ‘minder’ in case things became dangerous but it was an incredible experience.
People were invited to write their worries, and their hopes and dreams for the future, on a luggage tag and attach it to the cage and I'd pray for them. By the time I'd finished, these luggage tags were all over the cage. I was also quite weak because I recharge my batteries by being on my own but there were people around me all the time. Some came and sat for three or four hours; there was never a break.
One young woman of about 22, who says she just goes 'from one mess to another' in her life, came to meet me every day when I was in the cage. Recently she turned up at Westway Open Arms to give me her number. She said, 'I just need a religion to help me'. I told her, 'You can have a Christian faith, but not a religion'. Later this month, I will start a course for young women like her who say that they're looking for something. I want to make sure they're searching in the right places and looking at the right things.
I don't have a contract so I don't know how long I will be here but I do know that it would be irresponsible for me to think about moving any time soon. Encouragingly, the building now functions perfectly well without me but – as for the charity stuff and getting the trustees together – there is much more to do and I don't feel a sense that I should go yet. However, I don't want anything to become dependent on me; when you get it right in these situations, one person shouldn't be responsible for the whole thing. Basically, I'm here until God says it's time to go.
Things have really moved in Scarborough in the past five years. When I was speaking to people about fresh expressions at that time, many of them didn't have a clue what I was on about. That has clearly changed. Last month, I was delighted to be asked to lead a full day on fresh expressions of church at the Mothers' Union York Diocesan Retreat.
They had made a specific request to know more about what was happening and I was thrilled. Afterwards they said, 'We are going back to our churches to tell them all about fresh expressions'. What an encouragement!
The Mothers' Union have been very supportive in other ways too. They collect food for our foodbank and I always send a prayer diary to every Mothers' Union branch in the town; I would never underestimate the importance of that. All of these connections make Westway Open Arms what it is and I pray we see more fruit from those connections in the future.
A godless congregation (Tim Nash)
Tim Nash wonders what makes Christian church different to atheist church.
It's interesting that England used to be a Christian country, in some senses at least, but is now one of the world's most secular nations. It's also home to a new atheist church. In January, two comedians launched The Sunday Assembly (sundayassembly.com) – a church that 'never mentions God'.
No joke.
Each week, about 300 atheists meet in London to sing, listen to talks, plan missions and enjoy a sense of community. And it's spreading, with atheist churches springing up in cities around the UK, the US and Australia. As one of the founders said, 'We've inadvertently sparked a global movement!' I wonder if this godless congregation – which is how The Sunday Assembly refers to itself – stands as a prophetic warning to the church.
So I went to one of their services and interviewed one of the founders for Nomad Podcast (listen to the interview at nomadpodcast.co.uk).
My first impression was that The Sunday Assembly does indeed feel like a church. As we walked in, people were mingling. The leader was greeting people at the door and the band was setting up. The only difference at this point was that the faithful were filling the seats from the front (in my church experience, they usually fill up from the back!).
When things got started, all the traditional elements of a service were evident – singing, 'sermon', notices, reflections and encouragement to join small groups and mission events. This call to mission provided one of the few references to church, when the leader challenged the congregation to 'try and outdo the church at doing good'. There was even communion. Well, sort of – this month's guest speaker was a wine expert, who passed around a glass of red for people to share.
We noticed only two striking differences to a Christian church. First, the service was a lot funnier (it's led by two comedians). And second, there were no references to God or Jesus.
I found this challenging. Just how different is what we're doing in our Christian churches from what they're doing in their atheist church? On the surface, the only difference is language. We talk about Jesus, they don't. But actually, how significant is this?
It reminded me of what Paul said to the followers of Jesus in Corinth: 'I didn't come to you with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power' (1 Corinthians 2.4).
Surely our faith is more than just words. Surely it is more than language that separates us from the atheists. Paul went on to say that when people who aren't followers of Jesus come into a Christian gathering they will 'fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"' (1 Corinthians 14.25).
So I don't think the primary difference between us and the atheists is language. It has to be the presence of Jesus. Without the radically transforming presence of Jesus in our gatherings, are we not, for all intents and purposes, just another atheist church?
Canon Phil Potter appointed Archbishops’ Missioner and Fresh Expressions Team Leader
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are delighted to announce that Canon Phil Potter will be the next Archbishops' Missioner and leader of the Fresh Expressions team.
Canon Potter, who is Director of Pioneer Ministry for the Diocese of Liverpool, will succeed Bishop Graham Cray, who has held the posts since 2009. Canon Potter will take up the role at the beginning of April 2014. His appointment has been warmly welcomed by the board of Fresh Expressions and its partners.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:
I am delighted that Phil has agreed to take up the post of Archbishops' Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions. Phil is an imaginative and exceptionally skilled practitioner and a brilliant pioneer and church builder. I would also like to express my deep thanks to Bishop Graham for his five years of distinguished service.
I am also excited that the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, will be chairman of the Board of Fresh Expressions. I am grateful to God for the growth we have already seen through Fresh Expressions and for the other denominations with whom this ministry is shared. Working together provides the oxygen of mission and evangelism. I am convinced that the combination of Phil as Team Leader and the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins as chairman of the Board will be an ideal partnership as we serve God in his mission in this way.
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, said:
Phil Potter has a strong track record in pioneer ministry in his own Diocese of Liverpool and beyond. I am confident that his leadership of the Fresh Expressions team will strengthen the Church's mission as both Fresh Expressions and inherited Church work together to proclaim Christ afresh in this and for coming generations. He has my full support and will be in my prayers.
Commenting on his appointment, Phil said:
It is a great privilege for me to take on the role of Archbishops' Missioner and team leader of Fresh Expressions for the next phase of its development. As well as being a dynamic and effective ecumenical partnership encompassing many denominations and traditions, Fresh Expressions is a movement that is transforming the missional life of so many churches in this country and around the world. It is also transforming individual lives by reaching many people who wouldn't normally be reached with the good news of Jesus!
I'm aware that I follow in the footsteps of inspirational predecessors and I would very much like to pay tribute to the work of Bishop Steven Croft and Bishop Graham Cray. I look forward to building on their strong foundations with the help of Fresh Expressions' team members and partners.
Liverpool has been a very special place for me and I will always be grateful for the support of the Diocese and the way it has encouraged the development of fresh expressions of church. I will take that spirit of openness with me into this new challenge and would pray that this third phase of Fresh Expressions will see many more people champion its ministry and effectiveness.
Bishop Graham Cray said:
I am delighted with the appointment of Phil Potter as the next Archbishops' Missioner and Fresh Expressions Team Leader. Phil and I share a common history of working with David Watson in York. Since those days I have admired his ability to grow a church, to develop flagship fresh expressions and to help his diocese develop a mixed economy culture.
He has contributed substantially to the development of fresh expressions and mission-shaped denominational structures both here and overseas. This appointment, which has also been welcomed by the Fresh Expressions' Partners and Board, is an exciting one as we look to the next phase of the Fresh Expressions' movement.
Stephen Lindridge, Fresh Expressions Connexional Missioner for the Methodist Church, added,
I am delighted to welcome and support Phil into his new role as Fresh Expressions Team Leader and Archbishops' Missioner. Phase three is marked with a widening ecumenical partnership of this vital work in diverse forms of apt evangelism, introducing people to the risen Jesus Christ, forming new forms of church in every context and culture. Phil's experience, wisdom and passion are key ingredients for leading the work into this next phase.
Carl Tinnion, National Leader, YWAM England and Western Europe, commented,
YWAM England is very encouraged by the new appointment of Phil Potter. We very much believe in the vision behind the movement and its strategic significance; there is no doubt that Fresh Expressions has the potential to catalyse many new initiatives in the next decade. This new appointment could be key in enabling this.
We would also like to express our deep respect for Bishop Graham Cray who has been a huge inspiration to many people. He has been faithful in his pursuit of seeing the gospel preached 'in new wineskins' in this country, as well as being a driving force in the development of Fresh Expressions. He is a man of God and we have appreciated his ministry over the years enormously.
Additional information about Phil Potter:
Canon Phil Potter is Director of Pioneer Ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool, and is involved in national and international strategies for promoting new ways of doing church. In the recent past, he has worked as a consultant and speaker in Australia, North America, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Germany.
For 20 years, he was vicar of St Marks Haydock, leading and pastoring the church through many transitions, from being a traditional urban congregation to a large and vibrant mixed economy Cell Church.
Before ordination, Phil worked in retail management and vocational guidance before becoming a professional singer songwriter. Helping to pioneer contemporary worship, he worked and travelled internationally with the late David Watson, leading his team of Christian artists in mission, and recorded four solo albums with Kingsway music.
He has written two books: The Challenge of Change (BRF 2009), and The Challenge of Cell Church (BRF 2001).
Phil is married to Joy, who works as a Deputy Headteacher in Liverpool, and has two children, both working in the music and arts industry. His main interests are music, home design, gardening and small grandchildren.