Michael Moynagh draws out learning points from the story of Xpressions Café.
This story is a good illustration of A fresh expressions journey.
Loving and serving involves creating a 'third place' – in Expresso – for people to meet.
Community begins to form among those who meet each other in the café.
A path to exploring discipleship exists for those who want to do so, either by going to Expressions or Explore – both of which are followed by the 'end service', while anyone can join the planning team. Both halves of the journey are connected.
Leadership is being handed over as individuals come to faith, as we can hear from 'Male interviewee 2' who has become a regular churchgoer and is starting to lead the 'end service' as part of his discipleship.
How people are taken on further in their discipleship is not described. How are they enabled, as individuals and a group, to serve people outside the fresh expression? Is thought being given to loving and serving people who are unreached by Xpressions Café and starting a further fresh expression – among people in a residential home, for example? If the inherited church is called to reproduce, presumably the same applies to fresh expressions when they are ready.