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First, it was clear that fresh expressions' leaders are networkers. They are the nodes in the networks that pass through and make up fresh expressions; reaching out and connecting through local churches, church organisations, schools, friends, families, social networking sites, blogs, websites, leaflets and parish magazines. Publicity is important, but word of mouth seems to be the most powerful tool. The networking is frequently multi-directional, as people connected to other church or social activities are brought into the fresh expression, and those who attend fresh expressions may be encouraged to attend other church or social activities.

Secondly, it became clear that networks were strengthened and embedded by people's desire for community. When asked what they liked about their fresh expression, questionnaire respondents repeatedly commented on the social nature of the expression and the friendships they had formed. As community developed, the members appreciated the way they journeyed together in faith.

Thirdly, it was clear that many respondents appreciated the informality and fluidity of the expression they attended. A relatively unconstrained ecclesiology helped expressions respond to both the call of the Spirit and the spiritual and social needs of those attending. As one leader told me, "Our strategy was just to share values and worship together and teach and see what naturally evolved."

Whilst I only studied six fresh expressions, I would be interested to hear other people's stories. Do these themes ring true? Could and should these ideas be embraced by more traditional forms of church too? Are they fresh models for church growth?

Matt Stone is training for United Reformed Church ministry in the Cambridge Theological Federation, and has recently completed an MA dissertation on whether fresh expressions are 'fishing nets or safety nets?' Matt is a columnist for Reform magazine and blogs here.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Beth Keith.

Another issue of ecclesial identity is provoked because the lay-led church is unhelpfully dependent on outside provision of clergy to give them communion. At worst, this is a return to Mass Priests. At best, it is a ceaseless reminder that such a congregation is in permanent dependency on those outside its life and is thereby somehow second class.

If Anglicans deem having a sacramental life essential to ecclesial life through dominical warrant, it is then tiresome, and probably damaging, that such communities are denied the fullness of this dimension. By this, they are made more fragile. Such scenarios have similarities to the nineteenth century overseas problems that bedevilled those works that were 'missions' but denied the status of 'churches'. They had problems of dependence on the professional missionary and on finally becoming designated churches promptly lost most missional desire or impact. Such patterns are not to be repeated.

In practice, members of both network churches in Deal and Sandwich spoke with restrained frustration at how difficult getting suitable 'cover' was and how it made them feel like 'the poor relation'. Understandably, those of a free church persuasion found this doubly irksome. They had no conviction that this priestly requirement was necessary and served only to demonstrate to them the ecclesial imperialism of Anglicanism.

Eucharistic Presidency is an irenic and scholarly read of the Anglican Bishops' last published view of the topic and makes a good case that what is at issue is the catholicity of the church. However, this now exists in tension with the bottom up creation of churches who seek a fullness (or second century Ignatian catholicity) of their life and rightly sense their local oneness is impaired by this arrangement of a near stranger heading up the family meal.

There is also the vexing issue of whether the church is better defined by its overall ministerial arrangements or its localised congregational life. If the number of lay-led fresh expressions grows, the issue will grow sharper.

George Lings is the director of The Sheffield Centre, Church Army's Research Unit. He specialises in church planting and fresh expressions, and Anglican ecclesiology. He writes the quarterly publication, Encounters on the Edge, which can be ordered here.

There is a Share blog on a similar theme here. Share has offered some practical tips on the subject here - go to the brown heading, about halfway down the page, called 'What about the sacraments?'

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Beth Keith.

Churches, especially those with 'professional' employees (often clergy) have a tendency to dis-empower members. At the worst, 'members' are simply the people who must sit and listen to the professional. Members are those who are there to learn, clergy the ones who are there to teach. Members are those who need pastoral care, clergy are those who provide pastoral care. Members are those who are there to be led in worship, clergy are those who are qualified to lead worship. In some churches these things are written into canon law. This seems to me to be contrary to what Jesus taught and the way he taught.

Jesus made disciples. Disciples are learners and disciplined. They are people of purpose who follow a teacher to learn all they can from him. They are people who are growing in their knowledge of, and ability to, live as their teacher has shown. They are people who pass on their learning to each other. They are people who learn by their experience of doing the things Jesus did. This is what those who the church refers to as 'members' really are – or should be. The primary job of the gathered body of Christians, the ecclesia, the church, is to make disciples of Jesus. Disciples who will evangelise, serve, care for each other and whose life is gathered up individually and corporately into a living act of worship of almighty God; disciples who share the mission of God.

The word 'missionary' has gone out of fashion. To many it is irrevocably damaged by connections with colonialism in the Victorian age. But it simply means 'one driven by and committed to a mission'. In a post-Christendom age we need missionaries not members.

Pete Pillinger has been the Methodist Church's Fresh expressions Missioner and a member of the Fresh Expressions Core Team for the last four years. In September he will become Chair of the Plymouth and Exeter District of the Methodist Church.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Beth Keith.

Both FXs we've set up have been in response to hopes in parish profiles that the church would become more inclusive and representative of its local community, but unfortunately a profile doesn't necessarily reflect the mind of the majority of the congregation so setting up an FX can be a bumpy ride.

Our FXs involved setting up weekly all-age Sunday worship at a separate time to the 'main' service. Neither church had much of a history of modern worship and both FXs were initially to meet the needs of younger members of the congregation who were drifting away.

I'm sure other pioneers find that an FX takes time to establish; the first took about two years and our current one has been going since September and is gradually finding its feet. This is part of the natural evolution of such services and is quite a gentle process, but we have found dealing with external factors more difficult.

My questions are:

1. Have other people experienced hostility, or indeed sabotage attempts, from established congregations when setting up an FX?
2. Do you find that most of your church cannot comprehend why people need to experience different forms of worship?
3. Is the reduction of clergy posts going to be a problem? My other half is about to become solely responsible for two sizeable churches with seven services on a Sunday, one of which is our FX. For us, and those who called us here, that is a priority, but the increase in clergy workload isn't going to help and means creating a much-needed FX elsewhere in the parish is impossible at this stage.

Kate Kendall has been doing children's work and worship in churches for nearly twenty years and is married to a vicar in the Worcester diocese. She helped set up two fresh expressions: one in Ely and the latest in the Worcester diocese, both aimed at widening the age profile in middle-of-the-road Anglican parish churches.

If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Beth Keith.

The aim of the site was listed as follows: 'We believe that making the world a better place starts with our own homes and our own streets. These days we are all so busy we know less and less about each other. This site aims to foster a stronger sense of community on our street.'

As God-incidence would have it, I was able to pick up on the big lunch initiative which has been promoted via TV adverts recently and suggest a street party on July 19th. The feedback has been really good, with 11 households responding within two days. Comments received have included: 'A great initiative. I have often thought we were all a bit isolated and incommunicative. So, well.done' and 'Fantastic idea'.  I have found out which householder has been resident  in my road the longest time (50 years) and the names of five families I hadn't even met. I know it is early days but the signs are very encouraging.

On a related issue I set up a private Facebook group for a small faith enquirers' group a local church was running. This has led to some very interesting conversations. One person who didn't say anything much within the group opened up in a big way on the site and we were able to pray specifically for some very serious 'baggage issues' with which they had been struggling for years. The whole experience was liberating and mutually supportive.

Isn't it ironic that the virtual community has led to improved understanding and a stronger desire to be better neighbours in the real community?

David Coleman is Church Army's Communications Manager and is doing his best at the moment to resist a calling to ministry.