IMAGINEIMAGINE….….

Question?Question?

If you had to describe the essence of what a church is in short phrase what would

it be?

Bible MetaphorsBible Metaphors

• Body 1 Cor 12:13

• Household Eph 3:19

• Flock Acts 20:28

• Field 1 Cor 3:9

• Temple Eph 2:21

• Eklessia= called out ones

Machine or Organism?Machine or Organism?

Are we alive?

MRS GRENMRS GREN

HeptagonHeptagon

MovementR

espiratio

n

Sens

itivi

tyGrowth

Reproduction

Exc

reti

on

Nutrition

MovementMovement

Plants move in response to the sun. We should be moving in response to the son

RespirationRespiration

We need to be breathing in God’s Spirit to release energy with in the church

SensitivitySensitivity

Are we willing to change Are we willing to change in response to our in response to our surroundings, culture, surroundings, culture, people’s needs, etc.people’s needs, etc.

GrowthGrowth

Growth happens in seasons. What limits growth in the church?

ReproductionReproduction

Have we forgotten God’s first command to man? “Be fruitful and increase in number.” (Gen 1:28)

ExcretionExcretion

Excretion is the removal of substances which were good but all nutrition from them has been used.

NutritionNutrition

Do you have a balanced Diet?

Fresh ExpressionsFresh Expressions

• "Fresh expressions are new and different ways of being church in a changing culture."

• A fresh expression of church is not normally seen just as an additional activity or simply a stepping stone for people to Sunday services but as something with the potential to be or become church for those who take part."

Elements• 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.

MY STORY

Cultural context

Discuss how culture in Britain has changed over the last 50 years. If you are younger compare your Grandparents culture to your own.

Some of those changes include

• Mobility

• Family life – divorce

• Employment (esp. increase in women)

• Free time

• Media, and Internet

• Communication

• Fragmented Society

• Church attendance

Changes in thinking

Word based Image based

Learning through Learning through thinking experience

exploration for exploration for wider truth my truth

Rational as worship Heart as worship

Head & Individualistic Feeling & Shared

Is it right Does it work

Hay & Hunt 2002Frequency of report of religious or spiritual experience in

Britain for years 1987 and 20001987 2000 %

increase

A patterning ofevents/transcendent providence

29% 55% 90%

Awareness of prayer beinganswered

25% 37% 48%

Awareness of the presence of God 27% 38% 41%

Awareness of a sacred presence innature

16% 29% 81%

Awareness of the presence of thedead

18% 25% 39%

Awareness of an evil presence 12% 25% 108%

CULUMATIVE TOTAL 48% 76%

Postmodern p

Things have changed

So what are we going to do about?

Fresh Expressions a solution?

• There is no one solution

• Many cultures/sub cultures calls for many different types of churches.

• People for the most part will not come to us, we have to go to them.

• Gives us an opportunity to use our God-given creativity

What is a Fresh Expression?Alternative worship communities

Base Ecclesial Communities

Café Church

Cell Church

Churches arising out of community initiatives

Multiple and midweek congregations

Network focused churches

Schools based church

Seeker church

Traditional church plants

New monastic communities

Youth Congregation/church

Examples

How do you start?

Who are you trying to reach?

What is there culture?

Where are they already?

What do you enjoy doing?

Where are the points of connection?

What is God already doing?

Are there people already interested?

What Culture

• Get into groups if possible with either people who live in town or in a village.

• Discuss what the culture of the town/village is.– Who lives there (age, class, employment, how long,)– How do they relate to each other and where – What points of connection are there– What do people believe

Where to start?

WorshipCommunity

Mission

Question and (maybe) answer

session!

Resource• Mission Shaped Church, Cray et al Church

house Publishing• Emergingchurch.intro M. Moynagh, Monarch• Post-Christendom S. Murray, Paternoster• Church After Christendom, S. Murray,

Paternoster.• Messy Church, L Moore, Barnabas• The Passionate Church, M. Breen, NexGen• Emerging Churches, E. Gibbs R Bolger, SPCK

Resources Cont.• Expressions: The DVD – 1and 2: N. Ivison

Church House Publishing, 2006• www.freshexpressions.org.uk• A New Kind of Christian (trilogy), B. Mclaren, • Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell, Zondervan• Planting Churches, Stuart Murray, Paternoster• Evaluating Fresh Expressions, Croft et al.

Canterbury Press• Emerging Evangelism, J. Finney, DLT• Irresistible Revolution, S. Claibourne, Zondervan• The Prodigal Project, M. Riddell, SPCK