+Graham Cray
Old and New and
Future Church
Fresh Expressions
1
• 'Many churches continue to serve
significant sections of society. Yet
the question presses: whom are
these churches not serving?’ Mike
Moynagh
Fresh Expressions
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The challenge to the
churches
• Who will never be reached if you
only do what you do now?
Fresh Expressions
3
The challenge to the
churches
• Who will never be reached if you
only do what you do now?
• Do we have a spiritual responsibility
to those with no knowledge of the
faith?
Fresh Expressions
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Paying our debts
• ‘I am a debtor both to Greeks and to
barbarians, both to the wise and to
the foolish — hence my eagerness to
proclaim the gospel to you also who
are in Rome. For I am not ashamed
of the gospel; it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who has
faith.’ Romans 1:14-16
Theology Point 1.
5
The challenge to the
churches
• Who will never be reached if you
only do what you do now?
• Do we have a spiritual responsibility
to those with no knowledge of the
faith?
• Hence the ‘mixed economy’
Fresh Expressions
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The parish system
‘It is clear to us that the parochial
system remains an essential and
central part of the national Church’s
strategy to deliver incarnational
mission. But the existing parochial
system alone is no longer able fully
to deliver its underlying mission
purpose.’ Mission-Shaped Church
Community church?
• ‘A church in every community in the
land” is an empty boast if it boils
down to there being a church in a
given geographical area, without
any reference to accessibility or
culture.’ Michael Nazir-Ali
Mixed economy
Mixed economy
• ‘We may discern signs of hope.
These may be found particularly in
the development of a mixed
economy of Church life . . . there
are ways of being church alongside
the inherited parochial pattern.’
Archbishop Rowan Williams
God’s economy
• Eph. 2:9 he has made known to us the
mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as
a plan for the fullness of time, to gather
up all things in him, things in heaven and
things on earth.
• Lit ‘as an economy for the fullness
of time’ God’s great plan, his
economy.
Fresh Expressions
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The mixed economy
Celebrating and building on what
is mission-shaped in traditional
forms of church…
…and finding new,
flexible, appropriate ways
to proclaim the Gospel
afresh to those
who do not relate to
traditional ways
Wolverhampton Pioneer
Ministries
Fresh Expressions
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Interplay
• ‘The constant interplay
between the steady,
faithful, ongoing,
apostolic life of the
church and the edgy
and exploratory and
new life that we see in
some fresh expressions
is a vital part of the
health and wellbeing of
the Christian church.’
++Rowan
Williams
THE CHALLENGE TO THE
DIOCESES
• ‘It is for dioceses to think creatively
about how to connect the old and
the new,
• to encourage traditional parishes to
share prayer and energy with new
initiatives in church life,
THE CHALLENGE TO THE
DIOCESES
• and above all to help break down
the perennial suspicion between the
historic mainstream and the risktaking innovators.
• The historic mainstream, after all,
had its origins in risk-taking
innovators.’ Rowan Williams
Three approaches
Fresh Expressions
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attractional method
come
18
engaged method
go and then come
19
emerging method
go and then stay
20
Culture change
Church from the valley…
• baptism
• education
• marriage
• festivals
• Sunday
• sickness
• crisis
• bereavement
• death
The mission task:
From door, to font,
to altar, and
out to serve in the
world
A02 mission context and the mixed economy
11
22
Fishing in a shrinking pool?
‘More of the same just
means less of the same.’
Archbishop of Adelaide Geoffrey Driver
Fresh Expressions
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…to the side of a hill
A few still drawn to
church doors by the
culture
The mission task:
Go to where people are
and make disciples
there
But current culture
draws many away
from, not towards
church
Fresh expression
of church
A02 mission context and the mixed economy
11
.
25
Mixed economy
26
One size does not fit all!
22
Michael Herbst
Insti
Fresh Expressions
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Is this niche church?
Tubestation
freshexpressions.org.uk
tubestation
freshexpressions.org.uk
Fresh Expressions
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Is this niche church?
• Widening the scope of effective
mission
• Mainly new congregations not
independent churches
• Starting points not final destinations
'Ignite' Cliftonville
Theological challenges
Fresh Expressions
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Unity and diversity
• ‘The church must be diverse
because humanity is diverse; it must
be one because Christ is one. Christ
is human, and open to humanity in
all its diversity; the fullness of his
humanity takes in all its diverse
cultural forms.’ Andrew Walls
Unity and Diversity
• ‘Each local congregation must be
knit by bonds of mutual recognition
and mutual responsibility with the
Church in all places and all ages.’
Lesslie Newbigin
Fresh Expressions
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Unity and Diversity
• ‘These bonds must not be so
interpreted that the life-style of
another place or time is imposed
upon the local congregation as a
condition of recognition.’ Lesslie
Newbigin
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Contextual Church
• ‘The character of the local church
will not be determined primarily by
the character, tastes, dispositions,
etc., of its members, but by those
of the secular society in which and
for which it lives - seen in the light
of God‘s redemptive purpose
revealed in Jesus Christ for all.’
Lesslie Newbigin
Fresh Expressions
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The challenge to the
churches
• Who will never be reached if you
only do what you do now?
Fresh Expressions
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Questions
• Who will never be reached if you
only do what you do now?
• How can you get permission to plant
a fresh expression from a more
traditional congregation?
• How do you ensure that traditional
congregations remain contextual?
Fresh Expressions
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+Graham Cray
Old and New and
Future Church
Fresh Expressions
42