Vision day session one

In the first session we were introduced to what fresh expressions actually are and given examples of them. My introductory post covered much of what fresh expressions are in broad strokes. This reflection is about what they are more specifically.

The speaker gave us some examples of which fresh expressions were already out there successfully running. I won't go into detail as there's plenty about them at the fresh expressions website.   She then talked about the 3 types of church:

1. Attractional - in this one you aim to preserve the status quo, you invite people to join your church, grow the congregation without any change, they can change to fit you not the other way round.  This is a generalisation of course. Some churches are very skilled at the attractional method, but sadly the vast majority aren't. 
2. Engaged - this church goes out into the community, gets involved and uses that as a basis to get people back into church. This is more successful than attractional as it brings more people in as they can see what you are about. 
3. Emerging - get out into the community and stay there, don't worry about going back to the Church building, create the Church where the people are most comfortable.

Number 3 is pretty much the definition of fresh expression. Go out into the community, make friends, start a dialogue about Jesus and let it naturally occur where people gather.  An example we were given was a group of twenty somethings who 'didn't go to church!'  but did meet up every couple of weeks to discuss God over a meal.  They were shocked to realise that what they were doing WAS church. A gathering of disciples of Christ sharing the Gospel together.

The key is to find where there is a spiritual need and fill it. As John 1 says in certain translationsb

"The Word became flesh and moved into the neighbourhood"

It is upto us to make the word flesh in our own neighbourhoods, make it real and approachable rather than hiding it behind dogma and tradition. Sadly, as much as I do enjoy traditional services, I love my bells and smells!, it isn't what people these days want. They have far too many negative connotations associated with it after generations of growing apart from 'the church' and the various scandals that have come to light.  We need to reinvent church for the modern times by returning to what it originally was: People exploring the great mystery of faith together.

She then helped us see why the need for this is so important by getting us to put whatever the most precious thing we had on us onto the table and swap with the person next to us. It felt uncomfortable taking my wedding  ring off and having  someone else holding it, and it felt weird holding that persons possession too.  It was a quick and easy way to show the difference between churches. Just because you are comfortable with your own way it doesn't mean other people will be.

She then gave us a list of how FE can provide for today's society:

• Through FE you can help to feed the growing  spiritual hunger people have. There are hundreds of mind, body and spirit sessions out there as people try to find their spirituality, why not embrace some of their ideas and show how it all actually links back to the need to connect with God? 

• We are a multicultural society now more than ever. The original missionaries got nowhere if they tried to remain true to their English upbringing, it was by adopting the local culture and adapting their services to meet its needs that they gained traction and moved forward. 

 

• People are busier than ever, Sunday is no longer a day of rest and church, it's a day to get things done. People prefer to meet with God when they are free so we should embrace that and offer it when it is required.

• Churches are great but were built to be imposing and that jars with modern sensibilities. People feel put off by them. So we should find new places to worship,be it the pub or a Costa coffee or just in your own home as part of a cell group. 

• As I said before Christianity has been declining for two or three generations now. Some people have never been to church, they are beginners. We need to show them who God and this Jesus fella actually are from scratch, assuming no prior knowledge. Sadly church service liturgy more often than not complicates matters even further as it can be dense to get through. Strip back to basics! 

• There are more networks available now than ever before. The digital age is an age of connectivity. Barriers between denominations are crumbling and ecumenical working parties are the new norm. We should use this momentum and technology to really spur forward the Christian message and forget the infighting.  Difficult?  Yes, impossible? Not at all. 

 

• People stick around in church longer if there is a place for people of all ages there. They see the succession they can take so they know they will always have a method of worship they enjoy there for them. So FE should be created that appeals to all ages if possible. 

• People want to explore God. Not be told about him in a dry sermon which they fall asleep during. Education has fundamentally changed recently. No longer are people spoon fed, they are encouraged to enquire. This is how people learn now, and we need new methods of passing the Gospel onto them. 

• Finally and most fundamentally the underlying principle to it all should be loving service.  God so loved the world that he sent his only son Jesus down to help us.   We should love our communities and go out among them to help them with their exploration of faith and issues in their lives. 

A lot was covered really in that first hour and I've tried to cover it with my reflection as well here. It definitely helped me to see what a fresh expression truly is and to distance myself from the view that it was something done to bring people into church buildings, rather to bring them to Jeses Himself.


What are your thoughts on it? Do you agree with what I've put or do you have different ideas? Let me know in the comments section!