Rural
Pioneering?
Rural
Fresh
Expressions?
Welcome
This is a workshop about Rural Fresh Expressions but I also refer to Rural Pioneering…
what’s going on
all around the country
• God’s spirit is on the move
• Christians are trying new things
• new types of churches are being
formed
freshexpressions.org.uk
What’s going on?
All around the country:
Emphasise that this is happening in all places and in all kinds of areas – rural, suburban, and not just where there are ‘lively’ churches.
Point out that there are some in this area too and we will be hearing about those later.
• God’s Spirit is on the move – emphasise that this is a movement of God not another strategy;
• Christians are trying new things – the range here is immense as the DVD they are about to see will show;
• New types of churches are being formed – they are real churches – they look and feel very different but they are real;
• Fresh Expressions is helping with training and resources – and there is a national initiative set up to encourage fresh expressions of church and particularly to help with training and resources.
Guide: What is a fresh expression of church? freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/whatis
three characteristics
• strong mission focus
• willingness to re-imagine church
• commitment to both existing and
new forms of church
freshexpressions.org.uk
Three characteristics:
• a strong mission focus;
• a willingness to re-imagine church so that people can encounter Christ in their culture;
• a commitment to the mixed economy of existing and new forms of church.
Guide: What is a fresh expression of church? freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/whatis
a mixed economy
“ Mixed economy is
essential because
it gives the
balance between
stability [and] an
openness to the
Spirit of God doing
new things.
Justin Welby
freshexpressions.org.uk
A mixed economy
All this is happening alongside and not instead of the existing church. Rowan Williams has called this a ‘mixed economy’.
[Justin Welby audio clip starts on second click: 0:40]
Justin Welby has affirmed the concept of mixed economy advocated by his predecessor as Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams saying 'Mixed economy is essential because it gives the balance between stability – a location in place and nature – with the catalyst of an openness to the Spirit of God doing
new things. And we need both. Without stability you end up just following fashion, and without the catalyst of the Spirit you end up just becoming utterly embedded and unable to move in what you've always done'.
Guide: Fresh expressions and a 'mixed economy' church freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/mixedeconomy
some stories
freshexpressions.org.uk
Some stories
Play the following DVD sequence:
• starter stories
(edited from expressions: the dvd – 1 and expressions: the dvd – 2)
[W01.02, 2.36]
This is a montage of short soundbites and clips from the first two Fresh Expressions DVDs.
some stories
freshexpressions.org.uk
Some stories
Play the following DVD sequence:
• starter stories
(edited from expressions: the dvd – 1 and expressions: the dvd – 2)
[W01.02, 2.36]
This is a montage of short soundbites and clips from the first two Fresh Expressions DVDs.
your reaction?
• What strikes you in what you have
just seen?
• Are there common aspects?
• Is anything similar happening where
you are?
Feedback
Spend about 5 minutes now in twos and threes sharing your immediate reaction to what you have seen:
• What strikes you in what you have just seen?
• Is anything similar happening where you are?
Spend a few minutes getting feedback from one or two groups
Rural Pioneering!
H
G
U
O
T
➢Supporting traditional church
while developing new ways of
being church
➢Small often older congregation –
enough keeping traditional going
➢Structures not working – teams /
minster model / amalgamation
- villages relate to villages
differently to towns?
T
I
What is rural
S
”
What’s your context?
Describe your context in your group.
try this
the word became flesh and moved
into the neighbourhood…
(John 1)
Incarnational Exercise
Invite everyone around the tables to remove their accessories, rings, watches and mobile phones etc and place them in the middle of the table. Ask them to swap them for another person’s and try something else on.
Ask the following questions of people with a roving mike:
• What does it feel like to give up your items?
• Would it be easy to replace your items with someone else’s?
• Did the item you put down have special value to you?
• Does another person’s watch or ring fit you?
• Does it feel strange or comfortable or unfamiliar to wear or hold another person’s accessories?
• Would you prefer someone else’s or your own?
• What other items are you wearing that express something about you to others and what do they say?
• How easy would it be for you to give up all of your clothes, accessories and jewellery to express yourself in another way?
Link this exercise with the fact that in the incarnation Jesus gave up all he had.
what is a fresh expression?
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
freshexpressions.org.uk
Definition
[Point out that the definition has been written down already for people on the notepaper]
This is a provisional definition, offered as a contribution to an ongoing debate about how fresh expressions should be understood. Some would want to define fresh expressions as communities that at first comprise mainly non-churchgoers, with a core of Christians. Others want to include expressions made
up largely of churchgoers, who are exploring a different way of being church so that they can serve more effectively friends, neighbourhoods and the wider society.
Giving ‘fresh expressions’ precise meaning is a challenge. There is a danger the term will be defined so loosely that anything fits – that churches will describe things they have done for years as fresh expressions. On the other hand, defining fresh expressions too tightly risks excluding innovative forms of
church that have a real mission thrust. The definition above aims to strike a balance between the two.)
Guide: What is a fresh expression of church? freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/whatis
what are they not?
What is not a fresh expression?
You will need to read the caption out loud:
Reverend Collins’ new 8am ‘hip hop communion service’ didn’t quite connect with the congregation at St Mary’s.
Cartoon originally published in Youthwork Magazine.
Coffee culture!
SPACE for everyone
Messy Church
Forest School / Church
partnerships
First steps
•
•
•
•
Listen to your community
Community audit
Identify a need
Encourage participation
who is in your community?
Character Exercise (part 1)
As a group think of the people in your community who do not come to church.
What do they do? How old are they? where do they meet? Do you know what they need in life? What do they like?
If you have come as a group and can quickly identify a character from your community that you would love to see as part of your fresh expression, describe this person.
start with loving & serving
Character Exercise (part 2)
• How might you share love and service with these people? (recognising that they will have much to offer you).
• What will it look like?
• What might you learn?
• Where is God at work so that you might join in?
Invite the table groups to share their thoughts.
Invite feedback from some of the groups.
Pioneering ministry
“ Pioneering ministry cannot be done
to a community by someone who
knows what they need, it can only
be done with a community by
someone who shares their need.
Angela Shier Jones
a process of discernment
listening
underpinned by prayer, ongoing listening and relationship with the
wider church
freshexpressions.org.uk
A process of discernment
Just before we look at the formative sequence that is being observed in fresh expressions, it is important to note the three continuums that are vital in the formation of a fresh expression:
• Prayer and support. The prayers of the wider Christian community are essential.
• Listening to God. Fresh expressions must continually be listening to God, discerning His call and following that call, through prayer, the Scriptures, other Christians and God’s world.
• Connection. It is vital that fresh expressions remain connected to, committed to and accountable to the wider Body of Christ. And it is vital that the wider Body of Christ supports, resources and prays for the fresh expression.
The story of Somewhere Else illustrates these very well (as does Barbara Glasson’s book Mixed Up Blessings, Epworth).
Share: How might you discern God's call? sharetheguide.org/section1/6/discern
a formative journey
listening
loving and
serving
building
community
exploring
discipleship
church
taking
shape
do it
again
underpinned by prayer, ongoing listening and relationship with the
wider church
freshexpressions.org.uk
A formative journey
So what does the formative journey of fresh expressions look like? Typically we are seeing this sequence:
• Loving service – Unlike many traditional church plants, a fresh expression is unlikely to start with worship. If you launch a worship service, you know who is going to come – Christians! So if the aim is to serve people who do not come to church, you may not get very far. Instead of starting with a worship service, fresh expressions are more likely to begin with loving service. So a key foundational question is: In the culture, context, community that
we are called to serve, what are the needs that we can respond to with a practical expression of God’s love?
• Community – Building community within the context of loving service is vital. People you are called to serve may not come back if they do not feel accepted and valued. But if friendships form, the coffee may be dreadful, the venue may not be perfect, there may be no wind to fly your kite, but people will still turn up. They will come because they like each other. Your act of service will become an opportunity to meet with others. Creating
community may be the biggest service you offer.
• Discipleship – This is the process through which people explore and are nurtured in the Christian faith, including learning how to worship together.
There are at least three evangelistic pathways from community to discipleship:
- Include an explicitly Christian dimension from an early stage;
A luncheon club might put candles on the tables after the plates have been cleared, play some Christian music, read a few verses from the Bible, allow time for silent prayer and ask someone to read a couple of written prayers – all lasting about 20 minutes. Guests could leave after lunch if they wished, or stay on for this time of reflection. As prayers are answered, this short act of worship might lead to fortnightly Bible study after lunch, or a
separate discipleship course.
- Include a more general spiritual dimension from an early stage;
At the end of the evening, members of a divorce recovery group might be invited to share a period of quietness, in which they could pray to God or think positive thoughts about each other. The leader could quietly pray that the Holy Spirit graciously responds. In time, they might be invited to share with the person sitting next to them their hopes and concerns about the coming week, and then pray for – or think positive thoughts about – the
other person. Feedback on whether this was helpful might create openings for the group to discuss what God is like and how he gets involved in people’s lives.
- Create opportunities to form a separate explorers' group;
As relationships develop and personal evangelism takes place, some people may become interested in examining the Christian faith. A group might meet at a different time of the week for this purpose.
This part of the journey is the one that people most often struggle with. Take a little time to develop this further with the notes below.
• Church – As the formative journey unfolds with needs being met, community forming and discipleship developing, the fresh expression moves towards becoming fully church for those involved.
Just in case anyone asks:
• Where’s the Worship? – All that we offer to God, including loving service and the development of fresh expressions that express God’s love, can be seen as part of a life of worship. One of the joys of fresh expressions is to see new forms of worship emerge from within the newly forming communities. Rather than having a liturgical style imposed upon it, worship grows from within the community giving it a rootedness and authenticity which both
honours God and feeds the ongoing life of the maturing expression. This worship can emerge at any stage in the formative journey.
• Where’s the evangelism? – You may ask! The whole journey is evangelistic.
Share: How do fresh expressions develop? sharetheguide.org/section1/5
It’s all about
relationships and
service.