Fresh Expressions

Three years ago the Church of England produced a report called Mission Shaped Church,  and it gripped not only Anglicans but Christians from many other denominations too. It has become a best seller and coined the phrase fresh expressions of church.   An interdenominational national team was established and many talked of a kairos moment in the church’s history.
 
In those three years a great deal has happened. The number of ‘new ways of being church’ in the UK is over a thousand. There are almost 650 registered alone on the Fresh Expressions website (www.freshexpressions.org.uk) and one in three Methodist ministers who are seeking a new post in 2007 want to be actively involved in fresh expressions of church in their next circuit.  A national course has just been launched (Mission Shaped Ministry) to equip Christians for this new challenge and mentors offered to help local initiatives.
 
Recent TEAR Fund research suggests 60% of the population will have little to do with church as most of us know and love it.  Church for them is going to look very different. So we do face a real challenge: to find new ways of helping people build church, which works for them, wherever they are.
 
This catalogue is full of material to help you. There are the Fresh Expressions DVDs and booklets. All these can be used by individuals or small groups as you begin to explore mission in new ways.  You’ll be amazed what is happening up and down the country.  But there are books for those who want to dig deeper too – written by those who believe that we need to grasp the new opportunities we have to share our faith and help build God’s kingdom. Enjoy exploring. There is much work to do but many signs of God’s grace.
 
Norman Ivison
Director of Training and Events
Fresh Expressions