1. changing church for a changing world
Generic slide
#visionday
#FExpressionsUS

2. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Matthew 9:16-17 
Cartoon from ASBO Jesus (used with permission) asbojesus.wordpress.com
#visionday

3. 1. Hope How Fresh Expressions is Changing the Landscape #visionday
vision day session 1
This session is designed to last around 1 hour and 20 minutes. Please read it through carefully and practise the timings. Please feel free to adapt and edit this material to suit your local vision day.
Learning outcomes
(For reference only – not intended to share with audience)
Those attending will:
appreciate that a great deal of missional innovation is taking place in the UK;
get a grasp of the range and variety of fresh expressions now in existence;
be enthused by and celebrate what is happening;
understand why fresh expressions are developing;
understand how the Church has responded to that development;
appreciate the changing cultural situation we are in and the missional implications of that;
have opportunity to share their own stories and experience;
share news of an international flavour – sharing the good news stories.
#visionday

4. Church attendance - US #visionday Churchgoing – Scotland
[Please delete slides 31 and if you use this slide]
#visionday

5. Putting it together
There is at least 40% of our population for which the Sunday morning worship service model will not reach. We need to have churches that focus on this percentage and on the other percentage. Both are necessary. Right now, most of our eggs are in one basket.
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6. #visionday

7. some numbers
“Of all Anglican congregations in England, 1 out of every 7 to 8 is a fresh expression of church.”
“For every one person sent, at least another two and a half are now present. This is a 250% increase over time. There is nothing else in the Church of England that can do anything like this.”
“On average… 41% of the attendees [of fresh expressions of church] are under 16. This is significantly higher than in inherited church and is a promising beginning.”
(Report on Strand 3b: An analysis of fresh expressions of Church and church plants begun in the period )
#visionday

9. “…in terms of outreach and evangelism these new expressions of church must surely be considered our best chance for a renewed impact of the Gospel in the West” (Michael Moynagh, Being Church, Doing Life).
#visionday

10. what’s going on All around the country… God’s Spirit is on the move
Christians are trying new things
New types of churches and ministers are being formed
Church leaders are encouraging them
Fresh Expressions helping with training and resources
What’s going on?
All around the country:
Emphasise that this is happening in all places and in all kinds of areas – rural, suburban, and not just where there are ‘lively’ churches.
Point out that there are some in this area too and we will be hearing about those later.
God’s Spirit is on the move – emphasise that this is a movement of God not another strategy;
Christians are trying new things – the range here is immense as the DVD they are about to see will show;
New types of churches are being formed – they are real churches – they look and feel very different but they are real;
Fresh Expressions is helping with training and resources – and there is a national initiative set up to encourage fresh expressions of church and particularly to help with training and resources.
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

11. Missional — to serve those outside church
Contextual — to listen to people and enter their culture
Educational — to make discipleship a priority
Ecclesial — to form church

12. four characteristics Missional — to serve those outside church
Contextual — to listen to people and enter their culture
Educational — to make discipleship a priority
Ecclesial — to form church
Coffeehouse
Messy Church
Running Club
Single Moms
Neighborhood
Three characteristics:
a strong mission focus;
a willingness to re-imagine church so that people can encounter Christ in their culture;
a commitment to the mixed economy of existing and new forms of church.
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

13. some stories
#visionday

14. what is a fresh expression?
a fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church
it will come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples
it will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context
Definition
[Point out that the definition has been written down already for people on the handout notepaper]
This is a provisional definition, offered as a contribution to an ongoing debate about how fresh expressions should be understood. Some would want to define fresh expressions as communities that at first comprise mainly non-churchgoers, with a core of Christians. Others want to include expressions made up largely of churchgoers, who are exploring a different way of being church so that they can serve more effectively friends, neighbourhoods and the wider society.
Giving ‘fresh expressions’ precise meaning is a challenge. There is a danger the term will be defined so loosely that anything fits – that churches will describe things they have done for years as fresh expressions. On the other hand, defining fresh expressions too tightly risks excluding innovative forms of church that have a real mission thrust. The definition above aims to strike a balance between the two.)
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

15. what is a fresh expression?
a fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church
it will come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples
it will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context
Definition
[Point out that the definition has been written down already for people on the handout notepaper]
This is a provisional definition, offered as a contribution to an ongoing debate about how fresh expressions should be understood. Some would want to define fresh expressions as communities that at first comprise mainly non-churchgoers, with a core of Christians. Others want to include expressions made up largely of churchgoers, who are exploring a different way of being church so that they can serve more effectively friends, neighbourhoods and the wider society.
Giving ‘fresh expressions’ precise meaning is a challenge. There is a danger the term will be defined so loosely that anything fits – that churches will describe things they have done for years as fresh expressions. On the other hand, defining fresh expressions too tightly risks excluding innovative forms of church that have a real mission thrust. The definition above aims to strike a balance between the two.)
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

16. What are they not Not the opposite of ‘stale’
Not a rebranding of existing work
Not the opposite of traditional – but the complement to it
Not church-lite
Not about relevance
Definition
[Point out that the definition has been written down already for people on the handout notepaper]
This is a provisional definition, offered as a contribution to an ongoing debate about how fresh expressions should be understood. Some would want to define fresh expressions as communities that at first comprise mainly non-churchgoers, with a core of Christians. Others want to include expressions made up largely of churchgoers, who are exploring a different way of being church so that they can serve more effectively friends, neighbourhoods and the wider society.
Giving ‘fresh expressions’ precise meaning is a challenge. There is a danger the term will be defined so loosely that anything fits – that churches will describe things they have done for years as fresh expressions. On the other hand, defining fresh expressions too tightly risks excluding innovative forms of church that have a real mission thrust. The definition above aims to strike a balance between the two.)
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

17. what is a fresh expression?
In essence: Putting the Church that Jesus loves closer to the people Jesus loves.
Definition
[Point out that the definition has been written down already for people on the handout notepaper]
This is a provisional definition, offered as a contribution to an ongoing debate about how fresh expressions should be understood. Some would want to define fresh expressions as communities that at first comprise mainly non-churchgoers, with a core of Christians. Others want to include expressions made up largely of churchgoers, who are exploring a different way of being church so that they can serve more effectively friends, neighbourhoods and the wider society.
Giving ‘fresh expressions’ precise meaning is a challenge. There is a danger the term will be defined so loosely that anything fits – that churches will describe things they have done for years as fresh expressions. On the other hand, defining fresh expressions too tightly risks excluding innovative forms of church that have a real mission thrust. The definition above aims to strike a balance between the two.)
Share: What is a fresh expression of church? sharetheguide.org/section1/1
#visionday

18. #visionday

19. Option #1
#visionday

20. Option #2
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21. Option #3
#visionday

22. 2. Need Why Fresh Expressions Matter #visionday vision day session 1
This session is designed to last around 1 hour and 20 minutes. Please read it through carefully and practise the timings. Please feel free to adapt and edit this material to suit your local vision day.
Learning outcomes
(For reference only – not intended to share with audience)
Those attending will:
appreciate that a great deal of missional innovation is taking place in the UK;
get a grasp of the range and variety of fresh expressions now in existence;
be enthused by and celebrate what is happening;
understand why fresh expressions are developing;
understand how the Church has responded to that development;
appreciate the changing cultural situation we are in and the missional implications of that;
have opportunity to share their own stories and experience;
share news of an international flavour – sharing the good news stories.
#visionday

23. why do they matter?
they reach out to a changing and diverse society – putting expressions of church closer to people
So why do fresh expressions matter? (2)
Fresh expressions reach out to a changing society.
Lots of changes have created a new cultural mood, to which fresh expressions try to respond. What does this mean in reality?
Share: Fresh expressions reach out to post-modern society sharetheguide.org/section1/3/postmodern
Share: Fresh expressions respond to spiritual openings in society sharetheguide.org/section1/3/openings
POST-CHRISTENDOM UK
UK EFFECTIVENESS
#visionday

24. ‘More of the same just means less of the same.’ - Australian Bishop
#visionday

25. why do they matter?
They are part of God’s call to mission – reaching people that existing congregations or traditional church plants are not reaching
So why do fresh expressions matter? (1)
Fresh expressions are part of God’s call to mission.
They reflect the mission heart of God;
They are a vehicle for proclaiming salvation;
They are a means of making God’s kingdom more real in today’s world;
They can emphasise kingdom rather than institution;
They are fluid and flexible and can follow where God is already leading.
Share: Why do fresh expressions matter?
Share: Fresh expressions are part of God's call to mission sharetheguide.org/section1/3/mission
#visionday

26. why do they matter?
they mobilize God’s mission force – In established/ inherited congregations
So why do fresh expressions matter? (1)
Fresh expressions are part of God’s call to mission.
They reflect the mission heart of God;
They are a vehicle for proclaiming salvation;
They are a means of making God’s kingdom more real in today’s world;
They can emphasise kingdom rather than institution;
They are fluid and flexible and can follow where God is already leading.
Share: Why do fresh expressions matter?
Share: Fresh expressions are part of God's call to mission sharetheguide.org/section1/3/mission
REVEAL STUDY _ UNENGAGED CHURCH MEMBERS LOSING
SMALL GROUPS …. WORSHIP
#visionday

27. a mixed economy/ecology
“The brightest hope for church after Christendom is a symbiotic relationship between inherited and incarnational (fresh expressions) churches. We need each other.” -Stuart Murray
A mixed economy
All this is happening alongside and not instead of the existing church. Rowan Williams has called this a ‘mixed economy’.
[Audio clip plays on second mouse click: “I talk quite a bit … grow in the right way” (25”)]
Share: Fresh expressions and a 'mixed economy' church sharetheguide.org/section1/1/mixedeconomy
#visionday

28. come attractional method A new way of thinking: attractional method
[These three slides are vital to explain the difference between a fresh expression of church and a new way of doing traditional church.]
At the heart of fresh expressions is a different way of thinking about church.
Many existing churches operate with a ‘you come to us’ mindset. ‘Would you like to join us’ is an invitation to come to ‘our’ church, set out as we like, at a time that fits us, in a style that we have pre-arranged. The flow is from outside-in: from the world into the congregation.
Attractional method example: Back to Church Sunday But is it enough?
Share: A different approach to church sharetheguide.org/section1/1/approach

29. go and then come engaged method A new way of thinking: engaged method
Some churches, realising that this doesn’t always work, have tried going out into the community but then try to get people eventually to join them and ‘fit in’ with the way the church operates. There is a degree of engagement but those who show an interest in the Christian faith are still expected to join the club.
Engaged method example: Hope08 (now Hope)
Share: A different approach to church sharetheguide.org/section1/1/approach

30. go stay incarnational method and then
A new way of thinking: emerging method
Fresh expressions have a ‘we’ll come to you’ mindset instead. They start not with an invitation (‘Come to us on our terms’), but with an offer (‘We’re willing to come to you, serve you and stay with you. If you want, we’ll also help you to be church in a way that suits you - in your style, not ours’).
The aim is not to provide a stepping stone into existing church, but to form new churches in their own right. The flow is from the congregation to people outside – not inward, but outward.
Fresh expressions is a new mindset, not a new model of church to be copied. It is a mindset that starts not with church, but with people who don't belong to church.
Emerging method example: Perhaps the best way to describe who we are is as a new-monastic community, a community of followers who are seeking first and foremost to be equipped, resourced and supported in living a life that exudes mission, to reflect a mission and holistic spirituality and to live that life alongside those for whom church has no meaning or real life connection and to be focussed on being agents of transformation in the world in which we find ourselves.
We took to heart the instructions in Luke Chapter 10, to step out, to go lightly and to offer peace where we meet community. So we began to get involved in community: in AFC Telford United Football Club - where we help sweep up after games, spend time in the bar with staff, players and supporters and have got involved in the Trust which owns and runs the club; we regularly have a stall/prayer corner in our local Mind*Body*Spirit fair; we organise children's creation walks - a mix of nature hunt, learning about the environment and Bible stories; and in partnership with our local council and the Methodist Church we run sank•tuary, a safe haven/chill out venue for Clubbers from Midnight to 4am every Sunday morning. In each of these situations we have encountered "people of peace" who welcomed us in: the Chairman of the Football Club, the nightclub owner etc. all of whom have no connection with Church.
freshexpressions.org.uk/stories/safespace
Share: A different approach to church sharetheguide.org/section1/1/approach

31. a process of discernment
church
taking
shape
loving and
serving
building
community
exploring
discipleship
do it
again
listening
A process of discernment
Just before we look at the formative sequence that is being observed in fresh expressions, it is important to note the three continuums that are vital in the formation of a fresh expression:
Prayer and support. The prayers of the wider Christian community are essential.
Listening to God. Fresh expressions must continually be listening to God, discerning His call and following that call, through prayer, the Scriptures, other Christians and God’s world.
Connection. It is vital that fresh expressions remain connected to, committed to and accountable to the wider Body of Christ. And it is vital that the wider Body of Christ supports, resources and prays for the fresh expression.
The story of Somewhere Else illustrates these very well (as does Barbara Glasson’s book Mixed Up Blessings, Epworth).
Share: How might you discern God's call? sharetheguide.org/section1/6/discern

32. A Mixed Economy Church Local Congregation #visionday
A midweek all-age after school
service
A Sunday Evening Association
Youth congregation
Local Congregation
A network of midweek cafe cells clustering monthly
A small community
in a new housing area
#visionday

33. Types of Fresh Expressions Youth Congregations Alternative Worship
Multiple and Midweek Congregations
Network Churches
Community Project Church
Church for Parents & Toddlers
Retirees Church
#visionday

34. Question: “If all we do is what we’re doing now, who may never have their lives transformed by the power of Jesus Christ?”
If people do not know or understand the Christian gospel, do we owe it to them?
Paul described himself as ‘in debt’ to those who had not heard the message (Romans 1:14). It sent him out on missionary journeys. Where might it send us?
In particular, in our communities and networks, who will never hear the message if we only do church where and how we do it now?

35. LACE CORE CLASSES:
Exploring a Call
UM History / Theology / Sacraments
UM Structure / Officers / Social Principles
Spiritual Gifts / Inventories
Priorities of KY Conference
Trends / Understanding Generations
LAY SPEAKING PATH
SERVANT LDRSHP PATH
NEW MINISTRY PATH
Leading Worship
Leadership
Planting Rationale
Evangelism
Personal Discipleship
Demographics
Teaching
Service
Team Building
Preaching
Stewardship
Multiplications
Styles of Worship
Pastoral Care
Ministry Development
Preaching Practicum
Conflict Management
Common Mistakes

36. We need 2-3 Districts who will pilot the new Fresh Expressions project in their LACE program.
Who will volunteer?