Fresh Expressions Beginnings
The beginnings of this movement was in 2004 with the Church of England report called Mission-shaped Church which called for new ways of approaching mission and church planting. The report maintains that the existing parochial system alone – relying on people coming to church regularly – is not enough and that we need a ‘mixed economy’ of the traditional and new forms of church.
The term fresh expressions of church came from this report and has subsequently been defined to mean
‘ 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 is important to realize that this is not a new development. From the beginning of its history, the church has been challenged to continually develop itself so that it is able to continue God's mission. Fresh expressions are a continuing part of church history.
To support this work in local churches the Archbishop of Canterbury initiated the development of the Fresh Expressions organisation which is an initiative of the Church of England and the Methodist Church. It has been operating since September 2004 and is now led by Bishop Graham Cray. It aims to help Christians of any denomination think about ways of starting and growing fresh expressions of church in their area. David Male also acts as an Associate Missioner for them.
Useful links
- Resources
- Fresh Expressions home
- History of Fresh Expressions movement
- Training in Fresh Expressions