fresh expressions
connecting with our communities
Fresh Expressions of church are new types of church that tend to (though not always) develop outside of church buildings, amid contemporary culture and in ecumenical settings. They are likely to look different to traditional church, and take many different forms, such as Messy Church, Café Church or Alternative Worship to name but a few. They are formed specifically to share faith with people who don’t ‘go to’ church and have grown up without knowledge of Jesus. These churches emerge when Christians work within the community to love and serve – demonstrating and sharing their faith as they go about their work. They are not ‘bridges’ into traditional church, they are ‘real church’ in their own right.
For some people, the traditional church (sometimes called the ‘inherited’ church) meets their needs, this is especially true for people who have belonged to church for many years. However, there have been dramatic changes in society over the past few decades, and lifestyles have changed, leaving little space for, and sadly, little interest in church.
At the same time, there has been a rise in interest in ‘spirituality’, with many people claiming to be ‘spiritual, but not religious’.
If we – in the churches – are to reach out to people who are hungry for ‘spirituality’, we will need to be relevant to their way of life, which means that churches need to try something other than their old ways of reaching out.
Although fresh expressions of church can appear to be very different, they all share a set of values, which are explained as follows:
is Missional
Sharing the love of Jesus by behaving as Jesus did – loving and serving in the neighbourhood, outside of the church environment
is Contextual
A community which is always adapted for and adapting to their situation.
is Formational
Our priority is to form disciples, by journeying with people and helping them to understand and become more like Jesus
is Ecclesial
FX is intentional about forming some kind of church
These are the values which should apply to all expressions of church, and the Fresh Expressions movement encourages all churches to move towards better expressing these values.