Are fresh expressions proper church? what is at the heart of church?what is at the heart of church? what must always happen in church?what must always happen in church? what can change?what can change? how can we preserve our identity?how can we preserve our identity? SHARE website

Distill the essentials of the churchDistill the essentials of the church Describe the richness of the churchDescribe the richness of the church Discern and define the presence ofDiscern and define the presence of the church the church Derive the practices of the churchDerive the practices of the church Develop the maturity of the churchDevelop the maturity of the church Ecclesiology

Holy “UP” Apostolic “OUT” Catholic “OF” “IN” One Enduring Marks Four linked Journeys Jesus focus Jesus followers Church is any expression of the life of Jesus in communal form OHCA

A fresh expression is a church plant or a new congregation. It is not a new way to reach people and add them to an existing congregation. It is not an old outreach with a new name. (rebrand) Nor is it a half way house, which people belong to for a while, on their way into Christian faith, before crossing over to ‘proper church.’ This is proper church.’ Graham Cray. An Introduction to fresh expressions

‘ What then are the marks of the church in a post modern culture, that is, of an emerging church ‘ The traditional church must recognise that much of what we recognise as traditional today was itself once revolutionary and even ‘emerging’ and therefore to be open to today’s creative thinking. The latter should be wary of loving newness for newness’ sake.

Learning Church related to the apostles biblical and contemporarybiblical and contemporary authorative and tentativeauthorative and tentative prophetic and pastoralprophetic and pastoral gifted and studiedgifted and studied

Caring Church related to each other share in togethershare in together share out togethershare out together share with each othershare with each other

Worshipping Church related to God biblicalbiblical congregationalcongregational spiritualspiritual moralmoral

Evangelising related to world outside understand identity and vocationunderstand identity and vocation message which is revealed and contextualmessage which is revealed and contextual church must be itself- community of lovechurch must be itself- community of love fidelity to scripture and sensitive to peoplefidelity to scripture and sensitive to people

The challenge of fresh expressions to ecclesiology- reflections from the practice of Messy Church. Claire Watkins and Bridget Shepherd

Can a community not centred around personal faith, the Eucharist or Sunday worship be church? worship be church?

‘ Through true hospitality and creativity, those who come move from being clients for whom we provide. They become guests for whom we care. They also become co-creators with whom we are partners.In the end, even the distinction between host and guest dissolves and so all age, Christ centre community emerges. Lucy Moore

strong theme of communitystrong theme of community church to the unknown Godchurch to the unknown God church litechurch lite

‘Is Messy Church an appropriate environment for people to learn the life of faith, if they are wanting or willing to learn?’

communitycommunity community and or communioncommunity and or communion ecclesiological overflowecclesiological overflow contextual-cultural assumptionscontextual-cultural assumptions reality of church which resists thereality of church which resists the setting of clear boundaries / setting of clear boundaries / simple identifications simple identifications journey into discipleshipjourney into discipleship

‘ a place of the outpouring of grace and the Spirit in ways appropriate to the people present,with all their personal and cultural particularities, a place of encounter with the Risen Lord whether or not all recognise Him.’

Messy church offers hospitality It offers opportunities to experience community and communion with Christ. A stretched notion of church. ‘ It is a place where the body of Christ is offered on behalf of others, an offering through which the body of Christ can be encountered and known.’

Two structures of God’s redemptive mission redemptive mission Ralph D Winter

New Testament Church created along synagogue lines embracing the community of the faithful in any given place Missionary band semi autonomous group of committed workers who affiliate themselves as a second decision beyond membership in the first structure

Modality is a structured, complex and diverse fellowship in which there is no distinction of sex, age, wealth, culture Emphasis on nurture and fellowship, stable with relatively low demands

Sodality is a structured fellowship in which membership involves a second decision beyond modality membership and is limited in some way. Often dedicated to one task,it is deeply relational and task orientated.

both structures are churchboth structures are church missional energy tends to be in sodalitymissional energy tends to be in sodality assume modalities need to be establishedassume modalities need to be established rather than mission sodalities rather than mission sodalities which structure is best suited for church plantingwhich structure is best suited for church planting if the modality is doing its job should be moreif the modality is doing its job should be more sodalities sodalities

Homogeneous Unit Principle HU is ‘a section of society in which all members have some characteristic in common.’ people like to become Christians without crossing, racial, linguistic or class barriers.

riches of cultural diversityriches of cultural diversity each church should be rooted in the soil of its local culture each church should be rooted in the soil of its local culture unity of the churchunity of the church how express the unity of the body. Single new humanity how express the unity of the body. Single new humanity

a HU cannot be complete in itselfa HU cannot be complete in itself balance need to evangelise and livebalance need to evangelise and live in love and justice in love and justice relation to local culture-idolatrous /self centredrelation to local culture-idolatrous /self centred what binds might be evilwhat binds might be evil realist attituderealist attitude cheap grace or ask too muchcheap grace or ask too much church as sign of eschatological hopechurch as sign of eschatological hope