Fresh Expressions is an international, cross-denominational, creative movement of Christians working alongside existing congregations to cultivate new forms of church for those who have never been involved in church or who have left the church. The purpose of Fresh Expressions isn't to get people to attend a traditional or typical form of church on Sunday mornings. The purpose of Fresh Expressions is to connect with people, especially those who would never enter a church building, to form new faith communities in places where people are already gathering in contemporary culture. "Fresh Expressions are places where the people of God communicate the love of God in new and compelling ways."

" 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" – FX Denominational Partners, 2006

History

The Fresh Expressions movement officially started in the United Kingdom in 2004 after a report from the Church of England shared ways in which churches and Christian faith communities had been creatively and intentionally responding to a rapidly post-Christian society since the 1990s. The 2004 Mission Shaped Church Report, a report of the

General Synod of the Church of England The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...

and instigated by Archbishop Rowan Williams, revealed that, despite the statistical decline in church attendance and the rapidly changing culture in the UK, "fresh expressions" of church were emerging and thriving across the area. The report also shared encouragement and recommendations for the future practice of the pioneering and creative movement of doing 'church' differently. From this the Fresh Expressions initiative was born, beginning as a partnership between the Church of England and the Methodist Church with the leadership of Bishop Steven Croft and Reverend Peter Pillinger. The partnership has since expanded to include a number of other church traditions and organizations in the UK and beyond, including the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, the

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

, the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

, and the

Baptist Union Baptists Together (officially The Baptist Union of Great Britain) is a Baptist Christian denomination in England and Wales. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and Churches Together in England. The headquarters is in Didcot. H ...

. Today, Fresh Expressions works with denominations, regional church bodies, individual congregations and ministry leaders to provide vision and actionable training. The movement has birthed thousands of new faith communities and has taken root in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.

"Nothing else, as a whole in the Church of England has this level of missional impact and the adding of further ecclesial communities, thereby feeling ecclesial re-imagination." - George Lings, Day of Small Things'''

Fresh Expression values

While Fresh Expressions can take several different forms, several key features unite fresh expressions, providing clarity around what makes something a Fresh Expression. Fresh expressions are missional, contextual, ecclesial, and formational.

A Fresh Expression is missional

Each fresh expression is aimed to reach those who don't go to church. Fresh expressions are not meant to be Bible studies for church people in unique places. Fresh expressions are to be uniquely and intentionally designed to create new forms of church in society with those who do not attend church.

A Fresh Expression is contextual

Each fresh expression is grounded in the language and culture of the particular community it is trying to reach and its context. Based on its context, the fresh expression seeks to find culturally appropriate and effect ways of reaching people to share about Jesus. The mutual interests of those the fresh expression is connecting with creates the bond for these groups. Fresh expressions can be rural, suburban, or urban. They can be in public spaces, housing projects, or college dormitories. Some are aimed at specific groups, like bikers, artists, or those suffering homelessness.

A Fresh Expression is ecclesial

Each fresh expression intends to become church for the people it reaches in its context. Fresh expressions are ''not'' to operate as ministries of a specific church - the are to operate as a church, as an expression of church. While fresh expressions do not seek to get people inside typical and traditional churches, fresh expressions still seek to make disciples.

A Fresh Expression is formational

Fresh expressions seek to form disciples of Christ. Like traditional expressions of church, fresh expressions seeks to develop disciples. How discipleship is lived out will vary based on the context and community of each fresh expression.

Criticism

Canon Dr. John Dunnill of

St George's Cathedral, Perth St George's Cathedral is the principal Anglican church in the city of Perth, Western Australia, and the mother-church of the Anglican Diocese of Perth. It is located on St Georges Terrace in the centre of the city. On 26 June 2001 the cath ...

says that a Fresh Expressions project can sometimes be more about form than substance.J. Dunnill "The Mission-Shaped Church and the Formation of Disciples" ''St Marks Review'' (2006) No 200 p.34 Alison Milbank has argued that aiming to be independent congregations in this way undermines existing authority structures within the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

system. Andrew Davison and Milbank further criticised Fresh Expressions from a broadly

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

perspective for separating themselves from geographical parishes, holding to a weak

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the ...

, abandoning

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

services, and promoting 'choice-led individualism' over Anglican traditions. There is some debate as to how to measure success for a fresh expression. The three (or four) selfs offer a useful lens by which to measure governance, finance, and reproducibility, but say little about the underlying health of the mission or discipleship of the church. Michael Moynagh recommends the four 'f's of fruit (is the community deepening in their faith?), flow (are members who move on being helped into another form of Christian community?), family (is the church connected to denominational or group networks?), and freedom (does the church have appropriate levels of independence in decision making?). Andrew Dunlop prefers a more theological approach to success, taking account of the action of God in the life of the church community and in the lives of individuals.Andrew Dunlop, ''Out of Nothing: A Cross-Shaped Approach to Fresh Expressions'', (London: SCM Press, 2018)

References

External links

Fresh Expressions UK official website

Fresh Expressions Canada official website

Fresh Expressions US official website

Church Times article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fresh Expressions Methodism Church of England societies and organisations Anglicanism Christian missionary societies Missional Christianity Emerging church movement United Methodist Church