e-xpressions March 2010 | Fresh Expressions

Welcome

Welcome to the March edition of e-xpressions. New stories on our website this month include:

March's podcast includes more from Presence, news from the Church of England General Synod and an interview with Richard Moy of Wolverhampton Pioneer Ministries (from the Faith and fries story).

Learning to take time

At the changing the landscape event on the Lincoln Showground, Archbishop Rowan reminded us that

Fresh Expressions is not a quick fix. It's not an instant solution to the Church's problems of membership and support, or whatever – it's not a quick fix for the issues and needs of those involved.

We live in an impatient society and an instant culture, often under financial and other pressures to demonstrate 'results'. But some things simply can't be done instantly. They take time and require the right conditions. The planting of a fresh expression of church, and the growth of men and women into Christ, both fall into this category.

As the Archbishop said,

It takes time to be a Christian. There are things that instantly make sense and make a difference and there are things that slowly, and sometimes rather painfully, find their way into your mind and heart.

I found one image from the Lincoln event particularly helpful. Chris Russell, the vicar of St Laurence Reading, spoke of the need to 'lay a path' for young people to Jesus. 'Path laying' is a good image for both the task of establishing a fresh expression, and for the task of helping those who belong to it to grow in Christian maturity.

Through listening to God, and meeting and serving people where they are, we discover where the path has to start. We are also clear where the path is not intended to go. It will not normally lead out of the community or network to which God has called you and will call them. But it is intended to lead to faith in Christ in a community, which will embody and serve him there. But the path will be laid one step at a time as Christ prepares the way. At the simplest level we call the steps 'loving and serving', 'building community', 'exploring discipleship' and 'church taking shape'. But these are only outline descriptions to help provide an overall sense of direction. There is no alternative to the patient process of listening to God and to people as each step is laid. We are path-layers to Jesus for those who don't know him, and don't know how to find him. We should not be surprised that it takes time.

But we are also path-layers, so that those who belong to our fresh expression can grow, with us into Christian maturity. This requires a well-beaten path of Christian habits and practices through which the Holy Spirit forms Christian character. The style and language of these will need to be appropriate to the fresh expression and its content, but we need to be aware that there is something deeply counter cultural about Christian disciplines – regular prayer, learning from scripture, worship, Holy Communion, community and sacrificial service are intended to make us something that we will never become naturally. They are the pathway to becoming like Christ. And that also takes time.

+Graham

To coincide with the launch of FEASTs, a number of pages on FEASTs were added to the Guide part of the Share website:

What are FEASTs?
How can I start one and what sort of people do I need?
What are some already existing examples?

All of these answers and more can be found on the new FEAST pages.

The Share guest blog continues to be published each Monday. Recent blogs have included a challenge to the way we think about leadership and ordination by Mark Berry, John Maher sending his thoughts from Arizona in the States, and Will Sudworth claiming that church decline is self-inflicted.

Changing the landscape

Over 450 people joined us at the Epic Centre, Lincoln to hear Rowan Williams and Martyn Atkins explore the way ahead for fresh expressions of church.

Both speakers were keen to stress the need for long-term thinking and patience with fledgling churches and talked of the need for 'mutual respect and mutual accountability between fresh expressions and the traditional church. You can listen to both Rowan's and Martyn's addresses in full.

Changing the landscape was the first major Fresh Expressions gathering since the United Reformed Chuch joined the movement last year and URC General Secretary Roberta Rominger was present to be formally welcomed to the partnership.

The event also saw the launch of a long-term strategy to support and encourage fresh expressions of church through FEASTs (Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Teams) - bringing together pioneers, permission-givers and champions across both small and large areas to encourage prayer, to train, resource and map fresh expressions and to identify and support pioneers. You can find out more on our FEASTs page.

Finally, we heard the practitioners' view from Elaine Lindridge and Chris Russell. You can watch both of their presentations on the changing the landscape page.

For more information you can read the full changing the landscape press release.

mission shaped ministry continues to blossom

With Spring approaching, four more mission shaped ministry courses are ready to burst into life. The Diocese of Bath and Wells and the Plymouth and Exeter District are partnering to present a course in Minehead starting on March 27th.

In April, courses will get underway in Muswell Hill (London), Bromyard (Herefordshire) and Okehampton in Devon, where the local ecumenical team are preparing for their sixth course.

From Plymouth to Inverness, msm continues to spread across the UK with a further 20 courses at various stages of preparation. It is being delivered in all manner of contexts from small rural towns to city centres.

To make the course even more suitable for a range of learning styles, msm team members have been working with creative partners to prune and refresh the units on offer. The response to the units that have been revised so far has been very positive.

I've just read through the new values unit for the msm course. I'm really impressed; it's a lot tighter and gets to the heart of how we understand our values.

Jeff Reynolds, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District Mission Enabler

The life and work of msm is now overseen by a Board established by Fresh Expressions. For more information about msm or to enquire about having a course in your area please visit the msm site or email msm@freshexpressions.org.uk.

For details of course teachers, board members and more you can read the full msm press release.

mission shaped congregations

Hot off the press, our brand new resources mission shaped congregations is published on 16th March 2010.

An interactive DVD-ROM to help you plan a mission-shaped Sunday worship service, mission shaped congregations includes sermon notes, prayers, reflections, hymn and song suggestions, activities, a children's talk and a short video sequence to enable you to put together a worship service introducing fresh expressions of church and mission-shaped thinking.

Materials can be mixed and matched from four different 'streams' and also included are a PowerPoint presentation and discussion notes for use in midweek meetings, house groups, church councils or PCC meetings.

A brilliant resource for congregations just beginning to explore new ways of being church - easy to use and crammed full with relevant resources to get your congregation thinking about becoming a mission shaped church.

Mark Russell, Chief Executive Church Army

mission shaped congregations is available from our shop for £10 plus delivery.

Training, jobs and events

Our next vision day is in Gloucestershire on 22nd May - if you'd like to see a vision day closer to you, why not help us to organise one - email us at vision@freshexpressions.org.uk.

Other training we're aware of includes how to run a cafechurch on 20th March in Tunbridge Wells and you can catch Graham Cray's seminars at Spring Harvest on 7th and 11th April in Minehead or 14th and 16th April in Skegness.

And finally

You can follow our latest breaking news, thoughts and updates on our Facebook page or our Twitter page - we're at /freshexpression on both.

See you next month,

The Fresh Expressions team.