Fresh Expressions
Fresh Expressions of church are new types of church that tend to (though not always) develop outside of church buildings, amid contemporary culture and in ecumenical settings.
They are likely to look different to traditional church, and take many different forms, such as Messy Church, Cafe Church or Alternative Worship to name but a few.
They are formed specifically to share faith with people who don鈥檛 鈥榞o to鈥� church and have grown up without knowledge of Jesus. These churches emerge when Christians work within the community to love and serve 鈥� demonstrating and sharing their faith as they go about their work.
They are not 鈥榖ridges鈥� into traditional church, they are 鈥榬eal church鈥� in their own right.
As we focus on sharing faith and bringing new disciples to Christ, it is important that churches connect with our communities, and the Fresh Expressions movement offers training resources to help churches and Synods as they explore.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash
The Fresh Expressions journey is a 6-part framework used by practitioners:
- Listening
- Loving and serving
- Building community
- Exploring discipleship
- Church taking shape
- Doing it again
The journey is underpinned by:
- Prayer
- Ongoing listening
- A relationship with the wider church
Image: Fresh Expressions
Fresh Expressions values
Although fresh expressions of church can appear to be very different, they all share a set of values.
Missional: they share the love of Jesus by behaving as Jesus did 鈥� loving and serving in the neighbourhood, outside of the church environment
Contextual: they are always adapted for and adapting to their situation.
Formational: their priority is to form disciples, by journeying with people and helping them to understand and become more like Jesus
Ecclesial: they are intentional about forming some form of church.
When you think about it, these are the values should apply to all expressions of church, and the Fresh Expressions movement encourages all churches to move towards behaving according to these values.
Find out more
The 国产无码 has been a partner in the Fresh Expressions movement since 2009, and the 国产无码 Coordinator is available to provide advice and support.
For more information, visit the .
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