Fresh Expressions – a Primer
Did you know that Anglicans and Baptists are forging partnerships to envision new forms of church for our changing culture? Yes, they are. How are they doing this? The Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic and the Baptist General Association of Virginia are partnering together through Fresh Expressions US.
Fresh Expressions originated nearly 10 years ago among leaders in the Church of England and the British Methodist Church as a way to deal with declining church attendance in the UK. In December 2010, The Falls Church Anglican and Columbia Baptist Church played host to the first meetings of what is now Fresh Expressions US. In those meetings, attendees discussed the sorts of cross denominational partnerships necessary to overcome the projected decline in church involvement here in the US.
Fresh Expressions of church exist especially for those who have never been involved in church (un-churched) or people who once were part of a church, but left for whatever reason (de-churched). While a fresh expression of church might look different from the structure of a more established church, they are best conceived and orchestrated in partnership with established churches.
If the goal of a church (new or established) is to do mission better or more imaginatively in order to attract more people to their church, it isn’t a fresh expression of church. The aim of a fresh expression isn’t to provide a stepping stone into an existing church, but to form a new kind of church that steps out in its own right.
Instead of starting a church with a worship service, Fresh Expressions of church begin with a process of listening to and learning from the community. Fresh Expressions of church are Incarnational, coming alongside people and places and infusing them with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Because Fresh Expressions start small and are often connected to an established church, there is less immediate financial pressure for these endeavors to become fully-functioning institutions with all of the trappings (staff, buildings, programs) that can become the focus of church. Indeed it is often those things that, while good, are not necessary for the core of an ‘ecclesia’, and often impede the mission of God among people who are not predisposed to ‘church’.
To learn more about Fresh Expressions, consider attending the Fresh Expressions National Gathering March 28-29 in Alexandria, Virginia, at the First Baptist Church there. Plenary speakers include Bishop Graham Cray, Archbishop’s missioner and first team leader of Fresh Expressions in the UK; and Dr. Cherith Fee Nordling, associate professor of theology at Northern Seminary. The National Gathering will also feature workshops on Fresh Expressions for the Workplace. Contact Mary Amendolia at mamendolia@tfcanglican.org or visit http://freshexpressionsus.org/national-gathering/ for details.