Month: September 2015
Associate Vicar
The Point is a Bishop's Mission Order church plant (planted in 2004), which is a lively, growing, all-age community based in Burgess Hill. The congregation is about 250 strong, of whom around 60 are children and 40 are youth.
They seek to appoint an Associate Vicar for The Point. This is an exciting new post which is full-time and stipendiary.
They offer:
- a welcoming, all-age, informal church family with many new Christians;
- an active mission-focused community seeking the transformation of mid-Sussex;
- working with a number of local mission projects and other local churches;
- a supportive staff team including worship pastor, youth pastor, children's pastor, administrator and mission pastor;
- accommodation: a four bedroom house in beautiful mid-Sussex;
- an evangelical, charismatic style of worship.
They are praying for an ordained minister who is:
- a prayerful, gifted and experienced preacher and pastor who is committed to growing the church numerically and spiritually;
- a good planner and organiser who can train and motivate others;
- a team player, good communicator, approachable and encouraging;
- someone passionate about working with and training small groups and developing the gifts of others.
Constant change is here to stay
Phil Potter explores the constancy of change.
A revised version of my book The Challenge of Change has just been published under the new title of Pioneering a new future.
The world of fresh expressions is all about embracing change and this is an exciting time to be championing and facilitating it in the Church, but I am increasingly aware that even for those of us who consider ourselves to be pioneers in this area, the challenge to change has never been greater.
The scale of change
When the phrase 'mixed economy' was first helpfully introduced, I remember being concerned about the danger of interpreting this as simply an opportunity to add a 'flavour' of fresh expressions into the overall mix when the reality of half the population with no experience of church suggested strongly that the scale of change required was on a far greater scale. I was a parish vicar at the time and we had already begun to pioneer new forms of church but, as we began to see the amazing impact of fresh expressions in the community, we were compelled to create a vision for a mixed economy church that was 50/50 and prune some of our tired ministries that had failed to change in order to release a new future made up of several pioneer plants.
Today, it is a privilege to see some of our institutions genuinely grappling with change and beginning to release their rules and structures to make it happen, but I want us to consider too the sheer scale on which it needs to happen – and happen sooner rather than later.
The scope of change
Studies of successful growing and innovative organisations have shown that they do so because they have looked beyond the immediate vision of the single project that they are working on. They ask what – or who – else needs to be included in the process to ensure both the success of the project itself and its further impact on increasing innovation elsewhere.
Similarly, the Church is learning that innovation in mission is the responsibility of all; not simply those on the front line who are doing the planting. For a fresh expression to thrive, it needs the practical support and advocacy of the local church it is part of, or the blessing of other Christian communities it relates to. On the wider scale, for pioneer ministry to increase across a denomination, there needs to be as much investment in thinking about how we successfully – and increasingly – deploy and support people as to how we select and train them. And, on an even greater scale, we are rightly beginning to ask questions about the scope of change required in our understanding of church membership and belonging.
In a 'pick and mix' world of many networks, the very definition of loyalty and commitment is slowly being reconfigured to allow for the fact that more and more people feel genuinely called to belong to more than one community. Today a Christian may, for instance, be part of an Order or wider missional network whilst still being a loyal member of their local church where their attendance is prayerfully divided between a fresh expression and more traditional congregation. Several years ago this would have been impossible (and may still be frowned upon by some), but a new future calls us to embrace a whole new scope for change.
The speed of change
Every day we are made aware of not only the speed with which our world changes but also how the speed of that change is actually accelerating. In that context, our challenge goes far beyond a willingness to change and now requires the ability to respond and act swiftly as the need arises. Again, at the local level, the Holy Spirit gives us many windows of opportunity for change as we reorder our buildings, re-appoint new leaders and respond to local needs, but the opportunities are time-limited and often need a speedy and courageous response. At the same time, the mission landscape is ever-changing as new housing, new work patterns and new social initiatives change the very shape of our communities. Currently, a great wave of change is sweeping our way as we face the challenge of a compassionate and innovative response to the mass movement of migrants and refugees. If the Church as a whole is rightly being challenged by the sheer scale, scope and speed of what is happening, so too there will be challenges for a movement that wants to champion and pioneer new ways of doing church.
The challenging 'how to' of change
As we wrestle increasingly with 'shaping change and changing the shape of church', let's as always allow Jesus to have the first and last word. Faced with the need to change people's thinking on a massive scale, he kept his teaching profoundly simple, challenged them with the absolute priority of humility, and used the image of a child to make the point:
I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18.3
Fresh Expressions Young Adults Hub (South)
We are happy to announce that Fresh Expressions has some new things planned for practitioners, organisations and youth workers who work with young adults. We are creating 'hubs' in different parts of the UK for people to gather together to for encouragement, practical training, and strategic thinking as we all work together to reach out to the 'lost generation' of 20-30s in our communities.
We are gathering three groups: two groups of practitioners and organisations working with young adults (meeting in the South – London and the North – Sheffield), as well as a youth worker consultation (meeting in London). The goal of the meetings is simple: to learn together how to multiply fresh expressions of church in our networks.
You may be asking yourself: where do I fit? Well, to put it simply, if you are involved with a fresh expression of church amongst young adults, or you work for a charity or organisation that works to reach young adults, then we want you to join in! If you are a youth worker, our initial consultation will help us to begin thinking through a new strategy for fresh expressions in the youth work context.
Please book your free place using the link at the foot of the page. We are very much looking forward to meeting you!
To be kept in touch with the latest news and updates from the young adults hub, please email youngadults@freshexpressions.org.uk.
Click the link below to RSVP!
Practitioners and Organisations – South (London)
Friday 5th February 2015
11.30-15.30
Lunch will be provided.
Fresh Expressions Young Adults Hub (North)
We are happy to announce that Fresh Expressions has some new things planned for practitioners, organisations and youth workers who work with young adults. We are creating 'hubs' in different parts of the UK for people to gather together to for encouragement, practical training, and strategic thinking as we all work together to reach out to the 'lost generation' of 20-30s in our communities.
We are gathering three groups: two groups of practitioners and organisations working with young adults (meeting in the South – London and the North – Sheffield), as well as a youth work consultation (meeting in London). The goal of the meetings is simple: to learn together how to multiply fresh expressions of church in our networks.
You may be asking yourself: where do I fit? Well, to put it simply, if you are involved with a fresh expression of church amongst young adults, or you work for a charity or organisation that works to reach young adults, then we want you to join in! If you are a youth worker, our initial consultation will help us to begin thinking through a new strategy for fresh expressions in the youth work context.
Please book your free place using the link at the foot of the page. We are very much looking forward to meeting you!
To be kept in touch with the latest news and updates from the young adults hub, please emailyoungadults@freshexpressions.org.uk.
Click the link below to RSVP!
Practitioners and Organisations – North (Manchester)
Friday 12th February 2015
11.30-15.30
Lunch will be provided.
Youth Work Consultation Hub (London)
We are happy to announce that Fresh Expressions has some new things planned for practitioners, organisations and youth workers who work with young adults. We are creating 'hubs' in different parts of the UK for people to gather together to for encouragement, practical training, and strategic thinking as we all work together to reach out to the 'lost generation' of 20-30s in our communities.
We are gathering three groups: two groups of practitioners and organisations working with young adults (meeting in the South – London and the North – Sheffield), as well as a youth work consultation (meeting in London). The goal of the meetings is simple: to learn together how to multiply fresh expressions of church in our networks.
You may be asking yourself: where do I fit? Well, to put it simply, if you are involved with a fresh expression of church amongst young adults, or you work for a charity or organisation that works to reach young adults, then we want you to join in! If you are a youth worker, our initial consultation will help us to begin thinking through a new strategy for fresh expressions in the youth work context.
Please book your free place using the link at the foot of the page. We are very much looking forward to meeting you!
To be kept in touch with the latest news and updates from the young adults hub, please email youngadults@freshexpressions.org.uk.
Click the link below to RSVP!
Youth worker consultation (London)
Thursday 4th February 2016
11.30-15.30
Lunch will be provided.
What is a fresh expression?
A fresh expression of church is a new gathering or network that engages mainly with people who have never been to church. There is no single model, but the emphasis is on starting something which is appropriate to its context, rather than cloning something that works elsewhere.
Over 3,000 of these new forms of church now exist in almost every denomination and tradition in the UK.
Fresh expressions of church:
- serve those outside church;
- listen to people and enter their context;
- make discipleship a priority: journeying with people to Jesus;
- form church.
Definition
Our more formal working definition is that:
A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church.
- It will come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples;
- It will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context.
Is it a fresh expression of church?
A phrase like 'fresh expression of church' can be vague and unclear. Sometimes the label is used to cover almost anything – even a new church noticeboard! But the important thing is intention: When a new mission project or group begins, what is the intention?
A fresh expression of church is not:
- an old outreach with a new name (‘rebranded’ or ‘freshened up’);
- a bridge project, to which people belong for a while before going to ‘proper’ church – some people do end up moving into a more traditional church, others see the fresh expression as their church, while others again have a foot in both.
If the intention is to work towards establishing a new community or congregation especially for those who have never been involved in church (un-churched) or once were, but left for whatever reason (de-churched), then it is a fresh expression of church in the making. A fresh expression of church like this may look very different to traditional church.
If, though, the intention is to do mission better or more imaginatively in order to attract people to an existing church, it isn't a fresh expression (although doing that is always an excellent idea). The aim of a fresh expression is not to provide a stepping stone into existing church, but to form a new church in its own right. So it is important to decide the direction you are heading in, before you begin the journey.
For more details, see What is a fresh expression of church? in the Guide.
Will fresh expressions last or will they just be yet another fad?
Time will tell, but we believe that there are certain things you can do in a fresh expression to encourage sustainability:
- it is important to keep it fresh by holding on to Scripture and tradition but by also interacting with the surrounding culture;
- it is vital to develop disciples and help new Christians engage in lifelong learning;
- it is essential to train new leaders, offer mentoring and encourage everyone to use their gifts;
- it is necessary to have wise patterns of governance and accountability to the wider church (perhaps through formal structures, but not necessarily);
- it is wise to move towards financial stability as soon as possible;
- steady growth is important too – in holiness, in worship, in service and in mission.
Most important of all, it is vital to dig deep foundations at the beginning. If you start out having listened attentively to God, to the people you are called to serve and to the experience of other Christians, you will be more likely to initiate a venture with a long life. Too many fresh expressions suffer because not enough time was spent listening at the start.
Where can I find a fresh expression near me?
There is not a central database of fresh expressions of church – they are simply too numerous to list.
Sometimes they can be fluid and fragile and always they are locally and contextually formed, suggesting that a national 'register' of fresh expressions is neither possible nor desirable.
We have featured a number of stories on our website and you can search these on our map (or by keyword).
If you have a local FEAST (Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Team) then they may be able to put you in touch with a local fresh expression of church.
Some networks of fresh expression have their own databases – for instance the cafechurch network or Messy Church.
Your local Church of England diocese, Methodist district, URC synod or other local church grouping may also have information about fresh expressions of church in your area.
When will fresh expressions join the proper church?
As they mature, fresh expressions become proper church. Imagine a group of congregations of which some are traditional, perhaps meeting in a chapel or parish church, and others are fresh expressions of church, perhaps meeting in a café or skate park or school, or maybe over the internet. Both 'types' of church are real.
Fresh expressions of church may need to develop some aspects of their mission and ministry to become mature church, but just as a baby is a proper human so fresh expressions are proper church.