STARTING A FRESH EXPRESSION Melbourne

HOPE FOR THE CHURCH  ‘Many leaders are giving up on existing congregations in the misguided belief that there is no hope among the established ones. But the biblical stories which lead to the Incarnation keep telling us these are the very places where God’s future emerges.’ Roxburgh + Romanuk

But God ….  ‘God continues to create new futures in the most inauspicious of places.’  ‘The biblical narratives are full of stories about places and people without hope who became centres of the Spirit’s creative, world changing, activity.’ Roxburgh + Romanuk

LEADERSHIP  ‘Leadership is about cultivating an environment that innovates and releases the missional imagination present in a community of God’s people.’  ‘An environment in which the Spirit given presence of God’s future may emerge among the people of God.’

Prayer and Support Connection Listening and Following God’s call Loving Service Evangelism and Disciple- Making Forming Community Evolving Worship 11

An Outline Process 1. Build Mission Centred Values 2. Listen and Pray 3. Prune a little 4. Form a team 5. Feed your imagination 6. Explore partnerships 7. Form community 8. Allow growth to maturity

1. Build Mission Centred Values  To share God’s mission  To welcome others  To reach out to new communities  Service and discipleship  Awareness of the Spirit’s work  A continuous process – nourished by mission

2. Prune a little….  Are structures and meetings necessary?  Release energy for new things  Rest  Set sustainable rhythms  Tackle pastoral dependence  Change down a gear or two  Learn to travel light

3. Listen and Pray  To the local community and culture  Mission audit  What is God doing?  What is God’s call?  Learning community discernment  To focus on what you are already doing?  To begin something new?  Both?

4. Nourish your imagination  Read scripture together  Revisit the tradition  Look at the web  Listen to the stories  Research and visit what others are doing  Go to some training events

Listen to the Community Nourish the Imagination New Possibilities + Prayer

Listen to the Community Nourish the Imagination Vision

Reading the Community

St. Faith’s Maidstone

5. Explore Partnerships  With other churches  With church authorities  With other agencies in the community  Lines of Connexion

6. Form a Team  Not a solo enterprise  Practical support  Connexion  Prayer support  Mission accompaniment

7. Form Community  The place to begin  Loving service before worship service  From community build faith

8. Allow growth to maturity  Time  Space  Grace  Support

Reading the Church

8 til late Balcony

8 ‘til late Stepping Stones Greenerway CoNnect Trans4m Greenerway “NO LIMITS” Lighthouse 8 til late Emerg e

CoNnect - loving the people of North Deal

CoNnect  Praying for North Deal

8 ‘til late Stepping Stones Reaching families in easy steps

Stepping Stones  At Castle Community College

8 ‘til late No limits Through God’s love to work alongside people in need of care to help them achieve their maximum potential - to God’s love

No limits - at Martha House No Limits - at Martha House

8 til late A network of Clusters reaching working families

8 ‘til late Greenerway Joining with others in caring for God’s world

8 ‘til late Trans4m Addressing today’s life issues to bring about transformation of individual lives and communities

fragile & provisional  The highest lifetime professional baseball hitting average in history: Ty Cobb, the Georgia Peach. (played ).  Average:.367

Ty Cobb: our hero  He’s the best baseball hitter in history.  He’s in the baseball hall of fame.  He missed 2 hits out of every 3.  It’s OK to miss.

it’s OK to miss  Give pioneers the freedom to fail.  Create a climate of permission.  Honour the fragile and provisional.  Enter the hall of fame!

STARTING A FRESH EXPRESSION Melbourne