The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
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The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
More about The Guide
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.
When asked about success of a church, many people think of numbers. Big churches are seen as success stories, smaller churches, often rural or city centre, seen as 'struggling'. When we do this we reduce the 'members' to 'bums on seats on Sundays' and make the church no more than a religious club. I may be overstating my position a little here but I do not believe the task Jesus called us to is to create churches. Nowhere are we commanded to do this. The word 'church' only occurs three times in two verses of Matthew's gospel. We are called instead to 'make disciples', disciples of Jesus.
This blog was sparked off by the two comment sections on Share - Things that went well and Things to learn from - and I'd be interested in knowing how other FXs (fresh expressions of church) overcome obstacles. 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.
What if I was to invite every member of my street to join a group set up specifically for them on Facebook? This was the crazy idea I had after discovering that my wife was having Facebook discussions with someone living only a few doors away. I drafted a letter from me to all 60 households in our road explaining that I had set up a group on Facebook that would be restricted to members of the road only, and delivered it by hand - having as many doorstep discussions as time would allow.
