The Guide
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
What is the Guide?
The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
What is in it?
The Guide will contain five core sections:
- What are fresh expressions all about?
- How do fresh expressions develop?
- How might we start a fresh expression?
- How can we sustain our fresh expression?
- How might we support fresh expressions?
Content for the first two sections is available now. We are developing material on 'forming community', 'evangelism', 'discipleship' and 'worship' for the third section, and we have started adding pages to the last two sections.
All the material is based on listening to hundreds of different stories on how fresh expressions begin and are sustained.
If you have suggestions for what should be included, please 'comment' at the bottom of this page.
In time, we hope practitioners will help us develop additional zones – eg, 'fresh expressions among young people' and 'fresh expressions in rural areas'.
We see this as a long-term project.
How is the Guide being developed?
We want the Guide to be highly
interactive – to draw on users' experiences and to include some of
their stories.
To kick start the process, we are offering some initial thoughts based on what we have seen and heard.
There are lots of case studies and examples already and we want you to add more.
There is
space on every page for you to add your comments, to interact with the
material and to comment on each other's comments. (In order to comment,
you need to Join
Share and then Log
in.)
In the light of these comments, parts of the Guide will be re-written and offered afresh to practitioners – 'This is what we think we have heard. Have we got it right?'
Again, users will be able
to comment, providing a further chance for us to update the Guide.
This interactive process will be continuous.
The editor is Mike Moynagh, Andrew Wooding manages the site, Emma Garrow researches and writes the case studies, and there is an editorial team at present comprising Steven Croft (chair), Bob and Mary Hopkins, George Lings, Pete Pillinger, and Mike and Andrew.
Is this you telling us what to do?
Content won't be top down ('We're telling you how to do it'), nor will it be bottom up ('Let's create knowledge Wikipedia style'). Content will be created side to side.
From one side there will be an offering of what we think works best. This will be based on the experience of practitioners and research, which is increasingly available. From another side, there will be the reaction of the Guide's users.
Constant interaction between the two will enable our shared understandings to continually evolve.
The content is very much our first thoughts on these subjects. We are not at all sure that we have got them right. In some cases we are flying a kite, trying out an idea to see whether it resonates with those who are pioneering new forms of church.
We don't want the Guide to reflect the opinions of a few, but to be the shared wisdom of the pioneer community as a whole. So please add your comments to the pages. What have we left out? What do you disagree with? How far does what we have written connect with your experience?
Your comment could be a great help to other users of the Guide.
Why do we need the Guide?
Because fresh expressions are too important to be done without any attempt to discover what works well.
Would you expect to become a top footballer without learning the best techniques? What would you think if your doctor refused to adopt better ways of doing things?
In fresh expressions we are seeking to serve other people. We have a responsibility to them (and to God) to do this the best we can.
The Guide is a resource to help practitioners do their best. They can learn from other people's experiences - What went wrong? What worked well?
Why keep inventing the wheel?
Maybe you have experience and knowledge to share. Why keep it locked up in your head? Here's a chance for you to help other people.
What are the principles behind the Guide?
Comments
Re:Source
Posted by Craig Andrew Gilman on 10 October 07 - 11:16
I also just started the Re:Source course
http://www.resourcechurchplanting.com
I'm also about to launch a project to reach out to the Goth subculture called the Ulfilas project. Ulfilas was a bishop who translated the Bible from Greek into the language of the Goths... I'm trying to do the same for contemporary goth culture!
Posted by Rev Liz Childs on 15 October 07 - 12:36
Posted by Andrew Wooding on 17 October 07 - 09:59
My only Goth experiences (I think) are occasionally listening to The Cure and watching Tim Burton movies.
Posted by Craig Andrew Gilman on 11 April 08 - 19:47
Posted by Edward Green on 11 April 08 - 12:00
Posted by Craig Andrew Gilman on 11 April 08 - 19:45
Just to let you all know too. I have set up the group inside the 3D world secondlife.com and its thriving! We have people from all over the world getting involved.
Posted by Sarah Thomas on 13 May 08 - 14:03
review
Posted by Pete Hobson on 13 November 07 - 16:40
Posted by Andrew Wooding on 16 November 07 - 11:25
Posted by Nikki Foster-Kruczek on 22 November 07 - 15:38
Posted by Ben Clymo on 29 April 08 - 16:28
What's the future of Sunday worship?
Posted by Jeremy Noles on 15 February 09 - 21:00
But the question that's nagging me is, what then is the future for Sunday morning worship? We have been finding it extremely difficult to grow our Sunday morning congregation in any significant way - and the minimal growth we do see is predominantly transfer growth. This is a key reason why we recognise the need to engage with Fresh Expressions - what we're doing at the moment isn't connecting with the vast majority of our community.
But in our case at least, it's our Sunday congregation who are resourcing (through time and money) our existing Fresh Expression, and in reality will need to start and resource (at least initially) any others God leads us to begin - it seems likely to be years before our Messy Church 'congregation' will be in a place to launch Fresh Expressions of their own.
My concerns are twofold:
1) How will we continue to start and resource further Fresh Expressions to try to reach the many other networks and people groups within our community, when the 'resource pool' (for want of a better term) for starting and resourcing them i.e. our core Sunday congregation, is not growing (numerically at least)?
2) If Fresh Expressions are needed because Sundays are not working - because of the style or worship and/or the day/time at which it happens - are we ultimately looking at the end of Sunday church as we know it? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the 'Mixed Economy'; I'm just struggling to see how how to continue to grow the 'inherited' bit of the mixture.
Of course it may be that others are still finding ways to encourage significant growth (through conversions and not just transfers) on Sundays - in which case I'd LOVE to know what's working, as this is a real area of difficulty for us. And of course I know context is everything and what works in one place can't necessarily just be transferred to another - but some ideas would still be helpful!
Sorry for the long post, and the questions rather than comments, but I'd be very interested in any views on any of the above. Hope I've made some sense and these aren't stupid questions. Do come back to me for clarification if necessary.
Jeremy Noles