Fresh Expressions

In 2004 the Church of England and the Methodist Church set up a joint initiative to encourage and support fresh expressions of church life as a form of mission outreach. It is now more widely ecumenical and covers Scotland and Wales as well as England. A fresh expression is defined as '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.' Such ventures are seen as being integrally linked to one of the historic churches rather than as independent congregations or breakaway denominations. Since 2008 a number of such ventures in Methodism have been supported by Venture FX.

Sources
  • Mission-Shaped Church: church planting and fresh expressions of church in a changing context (2004)
  • Fresh Expressions in the Mission of the Church (2012)
  • Conference Agenda, 2004 p.128; 2008 pp.343, 564

Entry written by: BEB
Category: Organisation
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