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Why approving women bishops is important for fresh expressions (David Muir)

David MuirDavid Muir explains why approving women bishops is important for fresh expressions.

I have just come back from a 'Sacred Synod' in our diocese, as part of the national process of deliberation about the ordination of women to the episcopate. I almost didn't go because it's the kind of occasion that feels a million miles from pioneer work with the unchurched. But actually the outcome will speak volumes about what we think Christianity is all about, and how God relates to our world.

That's because the issue of whether we should have women as bishops is not really about how God sees women, or about how God sees the role of 'overseers' of his people. It's about how God relates to human beings at all. And the answer, clear in the pages of Holy Scripture, is that it's by exercising enormous grace.

Whether it's Abraham, clearly at ease with the idea of sacrificing a son, or conquering peoples slaughtering civilians to clear the area of idolatry, or a society's acceptance of slavery, or the low place of women in the life and leadership of a community, God graciously relates to humanity, even draws them into his purposes in the world, without thereby condoning every social, moral or political attitude they have.

So we get communities of faith which in key ways do reflect his character but which were never perfect, not even in their perception of perfection, not even when their life is recorded in Holy Scripture. Their life cannot be a prescriptive pattern for ours.

How does God relate to a society which has championed the rights of women and drawn them into the highest leadership?

God is forming communities of faith within 21st Century British society. He calls those communities to be different, in ways that reflect and reveal his holy character within our particular human cultural setting. But he does not call us to be the same as the peoples he has related to before, as if they were entirely shaped into his will already. If we copy our forefathers in that kind of way, we become merely a people apart, separated from society around in a kind of time warp, a culture trap, with distinctives that for that very reason fail to reveal the heart and character of God in our particular setting.

This is vital for fresh expressions of church. How does God relate to a society which has championed the rights of women and drawn them into the highest leadership? How God revealed himself within societies that kept women out of high office, both in society and in the church, is not the point. The point is: what will best reveal the holy character of God in our setting? If Christians involved in fresh expressions of church don't really get this, then whatever we do on the ground is just window-dressing for culture-warp Christianity that does not understand the depth of grace that is revealed to us in Holy Scripture.

Order of Companionable Priest (Gordon Banks)

Gordon BanksGordon Banks wonders why we don't have an Order of Companionable Priest.

During my early days of public ministry as a Community Evangelist I led a house group in a set of studies over six weeks. At the end of our journey we thought it would be good to end with a social and the Eucharist. Up until this point the priest had left it all to me whilst giving it his full support.

However to enable us to celebrate the Eucharist he needed to become involved in order to celebrate. Being moderately catholic he came and wore cassock and stole and led us through a simple Eucharist in the home where we had been meeting.

For me it was one of those seminal moments as I realised that we had not drafted in the vicar to 'do the magic' but as a priest in the Church of God he reminded us as a gathering that we belonged to the One, Holy and Catholic Church. We, as a small intimate group, were not the church but a part of it, with the priest coming amongst us – particularly, I would dare to suggest, as he was robed – symbolically helping to put our 'study and journey' into a bigger context.

Historically of course lay communities of sisters and nuns would have had a male priest come amongst them in order to offer Eucharistic ministry. Not wanting to get into the debate of male or female priest I think the important point is that a priest is a visible reminder of the One, Holy and Catholic Church. An ordained priest is not geographically or specifically located in one place or amongst only one community.

Perhaps where we might have gone astray is in thinking that priesthood, at least in Anglican terms of reference, most often is axiomatically equated with leadership. John Tiller's sadly neglected report, A Strategy for the Church's Ministry (CIO Publishing, 1983), would have gone a long way to help us consider this concept.

If we had an Order of Companionable Priest, they could walk alongside the fresh expression offering a sacramental ministry as and when it was felt appropriate by the emerging community

There are those who argue that a church can only become church as and when it celebrates the sacraments. For the Church of England this requires an ordained priest. Therefore what does this say about lay-led fresh expressions of church? That the lay leader can only take them so far down to the road to being recognised as church?

However if we had an Order of Companionable Priest, they could walk alongside the fresh expression offering a sacramental ministry as and when it was felt appropriate by the emerging community. Apart from having a role alongside fresh expressions, a Companionable Priest could be available to cover vacancies or to walk alongside another priest who might be having a tough time and who for that moment needs a 'Barnabas'.

Having a Companionable Priest honours lay leadership and also serves to remind the emerging community that it is part of the One, Holy and Catholic Church.

Liturgy: how not to compromise our ‘messiness’ (Lucy Moore)

Lucy MooreLucy Moore wonders how to incorporate liturgy without compromising messiness.

The question of appropriate liturgies, usually for a proposed Messy Communion, often comes up at training days for Messy Church.

There's a divided reaction. The Anglicans take on a hunted air, while those of other denominations just look smug or slightly baffled that such a question should be any sort of a problem. I was chewing floorboards at the question raised at General Synod about Messy Church, which was not along the lines of 'How can we encourage and equip churches in this growth area?', but 'Has the Liturgical Commission considered whether it should produce guidelines or materials which would enable those leading Messy Church events to bring the worship into line with the principles behind Common Worship?'

Cue weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The answer given suggested that as the Liturgical Commission was in touch with Messy Church, it was fine not to make us compromise our messiness. I did get in touch with the Liturgical Commission some years ago to see if there could be permission to try out different communion liturgies. It was then that I (a lifelong Anglican) learned that what makes Anglicans Anglican is our liturgy: a revelation to me.

Here is an opportunity to grow liturgies appropriate and meaningful to the new congregation

Liturgy means 'the people's work'. Its roots are linked to the words for 'public service'. When a bishop recently led a Messy Church confirmation service, it caused the diocese to see that this different congregation needs a different form of liturgy from one eminently suitable for services in cathedrals. The church then has a choice: either she decrees that the new form of church has got it wrong in its attitude to church behaviour and must learn to conform to existing liturgies on formal occasions at least (or do without them altogether 'until it learns some manners'), or she sees an opportunity to grow liturgies appropriate and meaningful to the new congregation.

This does not entail dumbing anything down. It involves reimagining what liturgy can do at its best: providing 'portable poetry' that seeps out at home, at school and at work, in our contented bathtime warblings and our arrow prayers of despair – the articulation of porous grace osmosing from the gathered church into everyday life to make a difference to whole communities.

It might also mean encouraging local churches to recognise the best liturgy for their own idiosyncratic congregation. In other words, become a resource rather than a requirement. This is the sort of liturgy I could get excited about.

Are fresh expressions radical enough? (Matt Stone)

Matt StoneMatt Stone asks whether fresh expressions are radical enough.

Fresh expressions are designed to be fishing nets. They are the central thrust of the church's mission to reach the growing unchurched population – those who are unlikely to just wander through the church doors for an occasional service, and who may not yet be ready for an Alpha Course.

Whilst there are many fresh expressions that are reaching out to the unchurched very well, many others seem to attract more churchgoers and those with a previous church connection. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because we need to close the back door of the church and not just open the front one. But what's the reasoning for why some expressions don't attract those very much outside the church radar? What can we do about it?

Could it be because of their format? Could they still be too much like church services? As Dave Male argues in Evaluating Fresh Expressions (edited by L Nelstrop & M Percy, Canterbury Press, 2008), 'The danger of starting with church worship … is that it works well for those looking to reconnect with church culture but does not hold much attraction for those with no previous experience of church.'

One Eucharistic fresh expression I visited last year still assumes a familiarity with the Eucharist.  It still meets in a church, is structured around a liturgy, and is participative only in the sense that one drinks the bread and wine. Another fresh expression is a service that meets on church premises, albeit with food and a contemporary worship style. There is still a sermon, an offertory, and the chairs are arranged in rows around the screen and worship group. 

Whilst I believe that worship, scripture and the sacraments are vital ingredients of church life and faith, I wonder whether some fresh expressions could be more radical in the way they present, or engage with, these elements. Yes, they are often more context-driven and missionary in intent than traditional forms of church, but if the unchurched are to be reached, are they radical enough? Are we still thinking in a churchy mindset?

I wonder whether part of the problem is the domestication of fresh expressions. Some fresh expressions are simply former children's work programmes or other outreach or alternative services that have been renamed, restyled or repackaged. They are not always that 'fresh'! Have we adopted a 'mission-flavoured' rather than mission-shaped approach?

Fresh expressions in Liverpool’s Narnia? (Annie Spiers)

Annie SpiersAnnie Spiers looks for fresh expressions in Liverpool's Narnia.

In Another Place is a group that came together six years ago to take the good news outside church walls through large, creative arts projects – and lots of other things. The name and inspiration came from Anthony Gormley's Another Place installation of iron men statues at Crosby beach, Merseyside, where our first performances were produced.

Today we continue to work in collaboration with community organisations, offering a gospel choir, schools and puppet teams, a group for 18-30s, and a festivals and exhibitions team. This all helps to bring alive our mission statement of 'Christians and community working together, inspired by our love for God and the people around us'.

In 2009 we 'visited' Narnia for the first time, staging a walk-through presentation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in a church hall. During its three week run we were visited by more than 3,000 people – with 25 performers and 40 stewards on duty throughout the three weeks. Over 100 others were involved behind the scenes.

Two years on and we decided to repeat the experience on a somewhat larger scale … the manager of Liverpool city centre landmark, St George's Hall, had been inspired by our previous Narnia and asked us to stage it at the historic venue. The Great Hall is 169 feet long and 74 feet wide!

Hundreds of volunteers from churches across the city, and some from no church background at all, have been involved in making this happen. In fact, the two-week show goes on, running until Saturday (19th February) and bringing in thousands of people to walk through the wardrobe and share in the experience.

So far, so good – and any fresh expressions practitioner would be more than welcome to come and see for themselves how we deal with building, and sustaining, this extraordinary community of people of all abilities and backgrounds. But what happens when we dismantle the false 'sky' we've had to install and one of our team of White Witches goes back to being a teacher? What happens to that community, that team, and those with questions about Aslan?

At the moment we are not a fresh expression of church, but In Another Place could definitely be heading in that direction. The activities we routinely run all year round are open doors for those affected by our large-scale events – which always contain the Christian message – to find out more.

This year 500 people have been involved in Narnia, including some 100 adults with additional needs, all having a go at creative arts, acting, stewarding, construction, and much more. The performance team is also substantial with ten actors for each of the five acting parts and countless Dryads, statues, and general support staff.

What's the next step? It depends entirely on the outcome of this event. But we have already seen clear results from staging such community activities, with people taking on more and more responsibility than they would have done previously. The sheer scale of recreating Narnia in the middle of a major tourist attraction, for instance, has meant that many individuals have had to rise to the challenge – and they have done it brilliantly.

In Another Place is a group that came together six years ago to take the good news outside church walls through large, creative arts projects

Numerous churches provided financial support for this event, and many have provided the catering to keep the team going. Money has also come from various trusts and individuals, and a large amount from ticket sales income. Prayer is vital and an email prayer bulletin goes out daily to people across the city, and beyond, to detail specific prayer requests based on the events of that day.

Many of our helping hands have indicated interest to participate in future events, and we have seen most volunteers – of 'churchy' backgrounds or not – touched by the scale of the project and the determination to make it a success driven by our Christian faith.

Visitors are told of the Aslan/Jesus allegory and they have the opportunity to write a prayer/wish/dream on a snowflake at the end of the experience. A stall also offers CS Lewis books. We do not offer specific opportunities to find out more about the story and its Christian links, but if people were to mention that, we would of course answer them.

We have lots of ideas for future large-scale events, but nothing concrete will be decided until the madness of The Narnia Experience has passed! As for lessons learnt along the way, I would say that detailed planning is essential – even when you think you have done enough, there will almost certainly be something you've missed.

But also we've learnt to trust that God will provide everything we need. This has been a huge leap of faith, but faith comes with reward – as we continue to see day after day through the wardrobe in Liverpool.

A populous church is a healthy church? (Toby Cohen)

Toby CohenToby Cohen asks whether a populous church is a healthy church.

It is ironic that the fresh expressions movement is used by the church as a fig leaf when attendance figures again reveal declining involvement in 'traditional' forms of church. Fresh expressions would certainly appear to be the answer to the church's predicament, but only if it pays greater attention to the movement's witness.

For a journalist, the fresh expressions movement is both exciting and frustrating. It provides great feature pieces and quirky short news articles but seldom claims the headlines. As a decentralised entity, it does not announce schisms, pronounce on social ills, or denounce distant bishops. When it does register on the news radar, it is usually at the point it becomes tangible with the church body in such matters as debates about funding, underlying ideology, or the work of Bishop Graham Cray. This nature spares the movement from many of the headaches which dog the traditional church, but it also demonstrates what many regard as a highly authentic form of Christianity.

Evangelicals are usually keen to cast off the shackles of institutionalised forms of church in a bid to return to a faith they describe as more biblical. But there is one common habit which seems to be a remnant of the patriarchal established church. That is, to believe that a populous church is a healthy church.

It's hard to imagine a scenario where the number of people involved in church activities isn't of interest. But a church must be suspicious of itself when it simply looks at attendance figures and finds reason to be boastful or anxious. It is particularly dangerous for people who are part of a less well-attended church in one part of the world and want to associate themselves with large groups in another.

A church must be suspicious of itself when it simply looks at attendance figures and finds reason to be boastful or anxious

I remember a talk 18 months ago with The Economist editor John Micklethwait, co-author of God is Back, and Evangelical Alliance theologian Justin Thacker. It seemed they pictured God as a Victorian schoolboy parading his battalions, returning to us at the end of time to do a head count of the different people united by an arbitrary term. Yes, forms of Christianity are thriving in some developing parts of the world. So are intolerance and violence.

Devotion to the mixed economy mantra is a noble characteristic in many fresh expressions people. But what gets so many of us excited is the fresh expressions attitude that it's what you're doing in the first instance that counts, not how many people you're doing it with. And not what you might do next. There is a relationship between those of course, but it seems the church would particularly benefit from adopting more of that fresh expressions ethos at this time.

We need to show what God is like (Ann M Smith)

Ann M SmithAnn M Smith reminds us that we need to show what God is like.

One can find out how to do almost anything on the internet. There is actually a site called exactly that. It offers information amongst other things on how to teach an old dog new tricks, service your car, cook, write a will, get a divorce, and – should you ever need to know – raise mealy worms. Now I have not checked out the information, but there are, of course no guarantees that what you might discover on such a website actually works.

In the gospel there is a very simple 'how to' about evangelism that gives a demonstration of what God calls us to do. Two of John's disciples overhear a conversation in which John the Baptist proclaims, 'Look! The Lamb of God!' It is enough to pique their curiosity. They follow Jesus. Jesus talks to them and finally invites them to see where he is staying. It is an invitation they immediately accept. But it does not stop there. Andrew, one of the two disciples, heads off to find his brother. He can hardly wait to share his experience.

What can we learn from these simple 'how to's? Many people are calling for a return to faith in God. They are reeling from the brokenness of the world and ask deep faith questions about life and about life to come.

It makes it a fruitful time for the Christian church, a time of opportunity and one in which we should have increasing relevance. And yet often we don't. We remain stuck in old ways of doing things. We should be reaching out to the seekers and the unchurched in our society and finding ways to meet their spiritual needs.

The gospel does not simply tell us that we are called to discipleship. It demonstrates it for us. It gives us a wonderful model to follow. The first thing, the very first thing that Andrew does when he is introduced to Jesus is to take his brother to see him. How do we make it natural to share our faith in our workplace and in our community?

This is a fruitful time for the Christian church, a time of opportunity and one in which we should have increasing relevance. And yet often we don't. We remain stuck in old ways of doing things.

What really counts is that Jesus Christ calls us to this tradition. Either we are in a terrible rut, or God is calling us to do something about it. We are called to discipleship, to share our faith, to have an impact on society but most of us just say that it is an impossible task. We become so immobilised by anger or fear or insecurity that we cannot do anything to bring about change. But surely if we are creative, we can do something to improve conditions.

But there is more to discipleship, isn't there? We need to show people what God is like. And truly it may not happen as it has in the past. People who have no memory of church or what impact faith can have in one's life will look for fulfillment in other ways. We may need to explore new ways of being church – fresh expressions of church – and it is possible we may discover that those fresh expressions of church are already happening here. Wherever we are.

The question still remains, how do we get across to people what God means in our lives? John knew Jesus because the Spirit remained on him. And that same Spirit is given to us. It remains with us, strengthening, guiding and leading us on to experience more and more of God. We in turn share it with others.

About your own call, you wouldn't be a part of the church if you weren't called. So know that you can make a difference and do something about it – whatever type of church, or fresh expression of church, you are in. Share with others what God is like, what God has done in your life. Live out your calling. And do not worry about how to do it.

Changing the landscape: making the mixed economy work (Ian Adams)

Ian AdamsIan Adams tells us about changing the landscape: making the mixed economy work.

I love it whenever I discover traditional and evolving streams of church

  • seeing each other as partners in the same amazing calling, diving into the flow of God's reshaping of the world in the way of Jesus;

  • seeking out insights, imagination and wisdom from the other;

  • practising generosity in spirit and in resources to each other;

  • honouring each other's paths and distinctiveness;

  • recognising our own weaknesses and idiosyncrasies while looking for the best in each other;

  • and inspiring each other to engagement in mission with the world, as it is, where we are.

So I'm really looking forward to the Fresh Expressions day conference Changing the landscape: making the mixed economy work in Oxford on Friday 6 May. It will be great to hear stories and experiences from people working imaginatively in both conventional and innovative settings – and it's good and appropriate that this is not just a 'from the front' event. There will be spaces for everyone to get involved in the conversation.

I'm also looking forward to hearing how some of those with the widest overview sense the mixed economy is progressing and how it could develop – people like Stephen Lindridge, Fresh Expressions' Connexional Missioner for the Methodist Church; Archbishops' Missioner and leader of the Fresh Expressions team, Graham Cray; and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams who – of course – first coined the phrase 'mixed economy'.

I'm hoping that it will be a great opportunity to ask some of the tougher questions of ourselves, like:

This is not just a 'from the front' event – there will be spaces for everyone to get involved in the conversation

  • can the mixed economy really work on the ground, particularly when financial resources are being squeezed?

  • how are both streams of church continuing to engage with people from little or no faith background?

  • can we provide light and freeing frameworks that give lay people the confidence and support to start and sustain new communities and projects?

  • how is the mixed economy enabling us to make a real difference in society in these demanding times?

Great opportunities, demanding questions. So it's vital that the conference will be not only just (or even mainly) about our words, but also a place of stillness and prayer where we can be open to the presence of God-who-is-close. 24-7 Prayer will facilitate this by providing a continuous prayer environment. Something else to look forward to.

Better isn’t always bigger (Ed Bahler)

Ed BahlerEd Bahler argues that bigger isn't always better.

It's a time for resolutions and fresh starts. But it's more than a new year, it's a new day.

There's fresh thinking everywhere. In our economy in the United States, we have shifted from spending to constraint. And constraint is the buzzword for ministry as well. It's no longer about building bigger church buildings and trusting people will come to them. It's about:

  • becoming Christ-centered;

  • life transformation in his image;

  • planting new, organic faith communities.

It's about growth but not about big.

In fact, the brightest students coming out of college are no longer interested in being mentored by the biggest and fastest growing churches. The talented ones are passionate about planting their own fresh expression of church in cinemas, school cafeterias, coffee shops, pubs, warehouses and retail units in shopping malls.

It's about becoming missionaries in our own communities and going to them rather than expecting them to come to us. And that's why church construction now includes refitting old warehouses, shop fronts, and old, outdated or abandoned church facilities.

In our design and building company, God has laid on our hearts a passion to understand and align the following four ministry dynamics:

  • evolving culture

  • relevant ministry

  • empowering leadership

  • intentional facilities

It's no longer about building bigger church buildings and trusting people will come to them

What's fuelling this passion? In the USA, church facilities consume 40% of a typical church budget, yet we know very little about how facilities impact ministry or help us connect ministry with the rapidly shifting culture. Furthermore, spending on church facilities has risen from 3.5 billion dollars to over 8 billion dollars in the past 15 years while – in spite of this – church attendance has actually decreased from 49% to 47% of the population.

Alignment of the four ministry dynamics is necessary for changing these statistics because it ensures that a clear message will be provided from the leadership, trust will flow through the congregation, and healthy collaboration will minimise headwind in ministry.

In an effort to further encourage this process of alignment, we are also launching a 'Church Planting Incubator', making our conference and meeting rooms available to budding faith communities. We pray that all the different churches and church projects we're involved in will be places where culture, ministry, leadership and facilities come together.

What is a sprout for? (Paul Dunstan)

Paul Dunstan with sproutsPaul Dunstan asks what a sprout is for.

The tinsel has been packed away for another year and I have a confession. I don't wish it could be Christmas every day. One reason is… sprouts. Hardly anybody admits to liking them, but many seem to think they should tackle at least one during the festive season. Perhaps we feel they will counterbalance our overindulgence in nice things. Who knows? Maybe they really are good for us.

I see several parallels between sprouts and church. First, both appeal to a small minority of people. Second, just as some people nevertheless gird their loins and force themselves to indulge in a sprout – maybe even look forward to it as a once-a-year exotic (or quixotic) experience – so some people brace themselves for a Christmas church service. Third, some of those find it wasn't as bad an experience as they expected and decide they might not wait until next Christmas before they try it again. Fourth, some cooks try to lure us to sprouts by adding all sorts of things – bacon, chestnuts, even anchovies – to make them more palatable. You might call them fresh expressions of sprout. Do you see where I'm going?

One of my frustrations (and maybe yours) about fresh expressions of church is that I've seen – as a practitioner and as a companion of several fresh expressions – that we still aren't reaching the unchurched in any substantial way. In many cases we cater for existing churchgoers and Christians who want something that inherited church isn't providing.

Let's be honest: in practice what tends to happen with many fresh expressions is that we take something people like doing and try to sneak church into it. People like drinking coffee and eating pastries so we let them do that and we try to slot in a bit of church. They like walking so we let them do that and we try to slot in a bit of church. They like doing crafts and games so we let them do that and we try to slot in a bit of church.

However, what we don't see clearly enough is that the unchurched people generally want coffee or walking or craft or games and can't see why we want to spoil it by including a religious 'bit'. Cue the sprout analogy … you can make sprouts more appealing by adding bits of bacon, but (the bacon-lover wants to know) why spoil a perfectly good sandwich by putting sprouts in it? Why spoil a nice trip to the café by putting church in it?

And we do know this, I think, though we don't like to admit it. Why else are so many fresh expressions attendees so reluctant or unsuccessful when it comes to inviting unchurched people along?

Let's be honest: in practice what tends to happen with many fresh expressions is that we take something people like doing and try to sneak church into it

I think the basic problem (knowledge of which will help us see a solution) comes if we try to market something that's unmarketable: the church. Unchurched people have already made up their minds about church. They aren't interested. Otherwise they wouldn't be unchurched. They won't change their minds if we add a well brewed coffee into the mix or set up so many craft activities that you can hardly see the religion – any more than I would alter my opinion about sprouts if you slipped just the tiniest sliver of one into my bacon sandwich.

And are we supposed to be in the marketing business anyway? Surely, our first calling is not to draw people into church (fresh or inherited), but to proclaim Jesus Christ and the good news of his kingdom, his life, death and resurrection. Of course, making disciples has a corporate dimension and takes place in community – church – and for that we need fresh expressions of church more than ever.

I don't have a trendy solution to offer. I don't think we need one. I know that when we are being what we are supposed to be, we keep God-in-Jesus as the focus, and not the church, and that we can rely on him to draw people to himself. That means enabling and encouraging disciples to be more Jesus-focused and equipped to share him, in word and deed. It means seeing people as they are in relation to Christ rather than how they are in relation to the church. And it means trusting him to build his church rather than attempting to do it for him. Maybe, when we learn that he created sprouts and loves them, we will learn to love them, too. Wouldn't that be a miracle?