1. Mission Shaped Church Learning to be a “both-and” The Sheffield Centre
Presented by
The Sheffield Centre
Church Army’s Research Unit

2. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%
AND
Creating new ways to connect with the furthest away 60%
A “Mixed Economy” Church is traditional and fresh expressions all facing outwards
Anglicans and Methodists are working together on this agenda
Specific groups now exist to help churches learn how we can learn to do this.

3. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
The principle is connecting two things
Who we want to reach
What will help them
Lets take an analogy…..

4. Are Churches like cars ? Create an image ! Often going wrong !
Expensive to run and repair !
Here are two cars I have owned and loved
MG Midget 1970
BMW 520i 1991
To drive, in winter, from Sheffield to Poitiers which would I take ?

5. Here’s a thought There is no quintessential car that can do everything
There are only expressions of cars
So it depends who wants to travel to where, why and how.

6. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%

7. Different Mission Fields
Regular attenders – at least monthly (10%)
The 40% Nearer to us
Fringe - less than monthly (10%)
Open de-churched (20%)
MSC p 37-40

8. Flourishing old expressions
Some Traditional expressions are growing
Cathedral attendance up
1662 Services started
Visits to Holy Places
Retreats and Spiritual Direction
MSC pp 73-74

9. Church for the 40% nearer Existing Expressions suit some
Traditional Christian worship
Family and All Age Services
A case study can be read in Encounters on the Edge Number
Fresh Expressions – may do it yet better
Alternative worship communities 12
Café church 6
Cell church - alongside congregation 3,20
Midweek and Multiple congregations 11 & 8
Network based church 7, 19
Traditional [conventional] church plants 9, 15

10. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%
AND
Creating new ways to connect with the furthest away 60%

11. Furthest Mission Fields
Regular attenders – at least monthly (10%)
The 40% Nearer to us
Fringe - less than monthly (10%)
The 60% Further from us
Non Churched (40%)
Open de-churched (20%)
Closed de-churched (20%)
MSC p 37-40

12. Where do you START in which context ?
Target
Group
The
Fringe
Open De-
churched
The Non -
Closed
De-Churched Or
Mission
Context
Christen-dom
Pre -
Christian
Post
Anti
Starting
Place
WORSHIP
EVANGEL-
ISM
COMMUNITY
theirs and ours
Apology
Climate
Warm
Cool
Cold to....
Arctic
“Style”
Control
Dialogue
Partnership
Listen ?

13. Fresh Expressions for the 60%
A case study can be read in Encounters on the Edge Number
Base Ecclesial Communities
Café church 6
Cell church – from scratch 3, 20
Community initiatives creating church 1,2,6, 14
Network based church 7, 19
New Monasticism
Youth congregations 4, 21
Archbishop CP conference June 2004
“…what has been so extraordinary, so life giving and wonderful in the last decade or so, is more and more stories coming in of how those fresh encounters happen….. God is showing us examples of what the church is, in startling new ways, because we are seeing what corporate forms of life actually happen when people meet Jesus.”
To order stories go to

14. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%
AND
Creating new ways to connect with the furthest away 60%
A “Mixed Economy” Church is traditional and fresh expressions all facing outwards

15. The source of the phrase that
We need mixed economy thinking
That quote …
“We have to ask whether we are capable of moving towards a ‘mixed economy’ church, recognising church where it appears and having the willingness and the skill to work with it”
In last year’s General Synod he said:
“We have to ask whether we are capable of moving towards a ‘mixed economy’ church…
The Archbishop of Canterbury in the General Synod, July 2003

16. Something like this ? English Emmental ? Mixed Economy means
“Fresh Expressions and Church Plants fill the holes the parishes cannot reach”
English Emmental ?
Something like this ?
Mixed Economy means
being glad that …
MSC p 35

17. Mixed Economy is not … And A mixture of …. Mission-shaped Churches
Mis-shapen Churches
A mixture of ….
Mission-shaped Churches
Mixed Economy means growing a mixture of inherited and emerging expressions
all of which are becoming Mission-shaped

18. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%
AND
Creating new ways to connect with the furthest away 60%
A “Mixed Economy” Church is traditional and fresh expressions all facing outwards
Anglicans and Methodists are working together on this agenda

19. Confusion to avoid
“Both And” language it not about ecumenical partnerships.
It is about growing traditional and fresh expressions to help different groups.
Any expression could be ecumenical
None have to be …

20. Learning to be a “both-and” Church
We don’t stop all we are doing
Existing ways, done well, can reach the nearest 40%
AND
Creating new ways to connect with the furthest away 60%
A “Mixed Economy” Church is traditional and fresh expressions all facing outwards
Anglicans and Methodists are working together on this agenda
Specific groups now exist to help churches learn how we can learn to do this.

21. How interesting ! “Mixed Economy” Pastoral Measure Church Review Comms
Group
Church
Comms
Spending
Review
“Mixed Economy”
Pioneer Groups
CMS
Church Army
ACPI
CPAS
NWBC
Fresh Expressions
[Son of Springboard]
Steven Croft

22. Questions to consider
What do you think of this both-and direction for the future?
What can be done to make your own church more mission-shaped?
What needs to be done locally to put this both-and thinking into practice?

23. The Fresh Shape to Mission and Church
Question: What might be differences between a Mission-shaped Church and a Church-shaped Mission ?
Mission-shaped Church Go
Bottom up
Listen to context
Values
Process
Start small
Weakness
Indigenous people
Discover
Church-shaped Mission
Come
Top down
Invite to services
Vision
Program
Enough to impress
Strength
Wider church
Dictate
…Direction…
…Source…
…Start Point…
…Energy…
…Focus…
…Resources…
…Power…
…Partners…
..What is church?..
…Other…

24. The Fresh Shape to Mission and Church
Question:
What are the differences between a Mission-shaped Church and a Church-shaped Mission ?
From: How to share the Gospel using Alpha, Emmaus, etc. in “come to us” mode
To: Exploring how to be Church in “go to them” model
Mission-shaped Church p12 para 2