september 2010 update

Hi there!

It seems a really long time since I last sat down to key in the lastFresh Expressions Canada  FXCA update back in  early June. Lots of interesting things have happened since then, and there are lots more coming up for the Fall. We are really excited about the launch of the first mission shaped ministry course to be run outside of the UK! (details below). As well, there are opportunities to connect with us in person this Fall in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.  So, without more ado…

1. The content The course is a ministry-based, practical orientation to church planting and fresh expressions of church. It is adapted (with permission) from the materials developed by Fresh Expressions UK.

2. Who is it for?msm is primarily for teams (ordained or not) who are thinking and praying about the possibility of pioneering a fresh expression of church, as well as for those who are already involved in one. The hope is that over the course of eight months the course will enable you to take practical steps forward towards the realization and growth of that vision.  Complete details.

Lucy Moore, (inventor of Messy Church,) touched down in B.C. and Alberta in June, for ten days of Canadian messiness! Shortly after arriving home in Cowplain, Hampshire, she wrote this in her blog.

“The flight home was in the company of a young Canadian figure skater come to train for the summer months at Nottingham ice rink. She was full of drive, ambition, vision, confidence and though it was hard to assess her degree of talent whilst jammed into Economy Class, she obviously felt that the future was packed with opportunity. Her mum had loved her enough to let her leave home for two months and spread her wings. Without wanting to get too sentimental about it, I feel the same for Messy Church, the young fresh expression I’ve helped drop off in Canada. It’s all in such good hands:…” more

Join us for a Messy Fiesta on Saturday, November 6 at Trinity Anglican Church, Simcoe, ON, from 10 am to 3 pm. Cost is $20.00. For more information and a registration form click here

Andy Kalbfleisch, of Ancaster, ON, (who with his wife Sue Kalbfleisch, have made many “mission-shaped” videos) tells part of his transition from jump rope entrepreneur to filmaker, in a recent blog posting on the Share website.

“Before all this started I wondered if I would be bored when I finally retired. Now I know that the joys of volunteering to share the Gospel story in new and different ways has become the most rewarding time of my life.” Read the full story here.

The most recent of Andy & Sue’s videos can be seen by clicking on the following link

A fresh expression of church at Cameron House, a women’s shelter in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in partnership with the Rural Outreach Committee and Faithworks, Anglican Diocese of Toronto.

Saturday October 16th, Calgary, Alberta, click here for poster.

Saturday, October 30th, Mint Brook Camp, Gambo Pond, Newfoundland.

Check the website for more details or contact vision@freshexpressions.ca

Fresh Expressions of Church: What are they and why should our church have anything to do with them? If you and your church are asking these questions the Mission-shaped Intro (MSI) Course is for you.

With MSI you will:

• Discover what has changed in our culture around us and how the church is called to respond.
• Examine what Fresh Expressions of church are and why they are important to the future of the church.

• Discover where God is working in your neighbourhood and how you might join in.

For more information on msi in Edmonton contact Thomas Brauer at thomas.brauer@freshexpressions.ca

for msi in the Toronto diocese click here, or email Jenny Andison at jenny.andison@freshexpressions.ca

for msi in St. Catharines, ON, please contact: Rev. Paul Miller at 905-935-5369 or paul@firstgrantham.org

Each month the Share website in England sends out  Share Thoughts, a free monthly email with a thought-provoking article, containing material of great interest to the church. In the August edition the article below appeared, which we reproduce in full with the kind permission of Fresh Expressions and Share.

We thought it would be of great interest to many Canadians and could even start an online discussion of the issues it raises. At the end of the article we have asked a question to which we would like you to respond! (Read more)

We need your stories of what’s going on in your area, to put on the FXCA website. Stories of attempts to start something new, something which may stand a chance of developing into a fresh expression of church. Here is an example of what we are looking for, from Peterborough, ON, something that started as a result of a casual remark.  Is it a fresh expression of church? I guess we’ll have to just wait and see! Please send your story with photos to web@freshexpressions.ca

I am going to be in Halifax, NS, October 22th-23rd, and would love to meet any of you who can get to the event at which I am speaking.  It would be great to see you!

Please continue to pray for all of us involved in encouraging “the development of fresh expressions of church alongside more traditional expressions, with the aim of seeing a more mission-shaped church take shape throughout the country.” Yes, it’s a huge job, but with God nothing is impossible, even though it is seldom easy!

Thanks so much for your interest in Fresh Expressions Canada. As we commence our third year of life, if you would like to support the work financially you can do so online by clicking here and filling out the form, selecting “Other,” from the “I would like to direct my gift to:” options, and writing Fresh Expressions in the “Please Specify” box.

Yours in the power of the Holy Spirit!

the Fresh Expressions Canada team, Ryan, Sue, Thomas, Jenny, John, &…

Nick Brotherwood

Team Leader-Fresh Expressions Canada

nick.brotherwood@freshexpressions.ca

Canada is a significant destination for Diaspora Christians around the world, some fleeing persecution, others poverty and war, and some are on the move (I think) because they’ve been called by Christ to missionize the western world—like the Filipino church planter I met in North York who planted an intercultural church in Mississauga which then birthed another congregation in Etobicoke even before the Mississauga church secured their first pastor.

They are not reticent about their faith.  Like the Christians of the early Roman Empire serving the established classes, I am hearing anecdotal evidence of children demanding to go church because their nannies have told them about Jesus, personal caregivers leading seniors to faith in Christ, receptionists praying with clients in the waiting room, and other professionals I dare not name in print lest we jeopardize their timely unawareness of the need to compartmentalize faith so it cannot seep into the workplace.

Twenty years ago, I thought God had brought us the nations of the world so we could share Christ. Now I think I had it backward.  We are the ones who need to learn that faith is no less a passion than World Cup Football, and spiritual conversations are as natural as discussing the weather.  We are the ones who need to forget that our brand of Christianity had its capital in Europe—perhaps temporarily—and remember that the Church has always been the world’s most truly multi-national, multi-ethnic, inter-cultural corporations.  We are the ones who must adjust to the new reality beyond our cultural borders where it is more normal to purchase a theatre to turn it into a place of worship than to sell a church and turn it into condominiums—and that others are doing just that in our midst.

Soong-Chan Rah, a 1.5 generation Korean-American scholar in Chicago has it right when he says that the real wave of transformation in the North American church will not be ushered in by hip young white guys with goatees and book contracts with the Christian media juggernaut, but by intercultural ministries.  First generation immigrants often arrive with a vibrant faith, but with too many cultural barriers to communicate easily into other people groups. Their children, however, who arrive as young people but grow up with vibrant faith and a Canadian education and accent—these 1.5 generation immigrants are shaping up as a formidable force on the Canadian landscape.

Five years ago, I thought that perhaps 50% of church goers in the Greater Toronto area on any given Sunday morning were in black majority or immigrant churches.  No one knows how many unregistered churches there are, but I suspect the percentage of worshippers is much higher today.

The aim of the course is to explore the ‘why’ of creating fresh expressions of church rather than the ‘how’. The six week course takes us on a journey looking at the ever-changing nature of our social communities, and why the church needs to rethink its approach to those communities in meaningful and relevant ways.

The course is designed to present those changes in an informative and interactive way, and is suitable for both clergy and lay alike of any denomination. The ninety minute to two hour interactive sessions are delivered through verbal presentation, powerpoints, movie clips and stories with group participation.

User review

“The entire leadership team from our church, The Living Room, attended Mission Shaped Intro. Although our church is already quite missional, MSI helped us advance the dialog regarding our expression of church. It also helped us face some old paradigms we weren’t even aware we had. Whether you’re part of an established traditional church or part of a new emerging church, Mission Shaped Intro will help you rethink and reach out in fresh ways.”

Michael Jones
Lead Pastor
The Living Room, Montreal, QC

for information on the courses in Ontario, email Jenny Andison at jenny.andison@freshexpressions.ca

for information on the courses in Alberta, email Thomas Brauer at thomas.brauer@freshexpressions.ca

On Saturday, November 6th Trinity Anglican Church in Simcoe will host a Messy Fiesta from 10am to 3pm.

Messy Church (MC) aims to create the opportunity for adults and children to enjoy expressing their creativity, sit down together to eat a meal, experience worship and have fun within a church context.

You will have an opportunity to experience what Messy Church can offer your Church.  The session will allow you to experience a Messy Church, brainstorm your own Messy Church, gather resources, and explore the history of this innovative way of being Church in a changing world.  You will take away knowledge, skills and materials to help you get started.

MessyFiesta Simcoe info and reg

For more information, contact Sue Kalbfleisch

But those days are long gone. These days, if you build it . . . does anybody care? Very few Canadians are waking up on a Sunday morning, groaning, “If only there were a new church going up in this neighbourhood, I would be there like a shot—and take my kids too!”

So how do you begin a new Christian community where none exists at present and where there is little or no “Christian memory” to help us get jump-started in the community?

This is where the Fresh Expressions initiative in the UK is so helpful. They are learning that, in order to begin a new Christian community these days, you need to start much “further back” than was the case fifty years ago. But what does “further back” mean?

The process often seems to happen like this:

(a)    Try to discern what God is doing in your community: look, listen, pray

(b)   Build relationships, meet whatever needs you can

(c)    Encourage natural, relational evangelism

(d)   Offer discussion groups or Bible studies or Christianity 101 for those who are interested

(e)    As people come to faith and are baptized, start a Eucharistic community.

This is not a formal “system” (these things by their nature resist systematization) and events do not usually unfold as neatly as this implies.

But this outline does show that a process is involved, and that growth from tiny beginnings into a mature church takes time—maybe several years. It’s like human growth: embryos can’t do most of the things that mature adults can do. However, unless a human being goes through the embryo stage, they will never become a mature adult. For that reason, nobody criticizes an embryo for not being on facebook.

But how do we learn in practice to do this new, post-Christendom kind of church planting? One course that has been very successfully used across the UK is mission shaped ministry, and this September it is being offered in Canada for the first time, at Wycliffe College in Toronto. Here’s the basic information:

1. 1. What is this course?

mission shaped ministry (msm) is a ministry-based, practical orientation to church planting and fresh expressions of church. It is adapted (with permission) from the materials developed by Fresh Expressions UK.

1. 2. Who is it for?

msm is primarily for teams (ordained or not) who are thinking and praying about the possibility of pioneering a fresh expression of church, as well as for those who are already involved in one. The hope is that, over the eight months, the course will enable you to take practical steps forward towards the realization and growth of that vision.

The course is also suitable for senior church leaders (equippers and encouragers—“permission givers”) who can check it out, and then encourage others to take the course and to become involved in pioneering ministries.

1. 3. The teaching

The lead teacher is the Rev Dr. Connie denBok. Connie is a pastor in the United Church of Canada, has herself planted three churches, and is an outstanding teacher who has taught at Wycliffe before. She is excited about the syllabus because it has been put together by practitioners of church planting, and because it is very “hands-on.” Connie has an extensive network of church planting friends in different denominations and of varying ethnicities, who will be helping with the course at different points.

1. 4. The dates

The course runs from September till April. The schedule is rather eccentric, involving 6 Thursdays (7.00-9.00), 3 Saturdays (9.30-4.30) and a residential weekend at the convent of the Sisters of Saint John the Divine (SSJD) in the north of Toronto. The exact dates for the coming year are these:

Saturday Sept. 18

Thursday evening Sept. 30

Thursday evening Oct. 14

Saturday Oct. 30

Thursday evening Dec. 2

Thursday evening Jan. 13

Weekend of Jan. 28-30

Thursday evening Feb. 17

Thursday evening Mar. 10

Saturday Mar. 26

1. 5. Distance learning

Interest in this course has come from people not living within easy reach of Wycliffe College—all the way from PEI to BC! It is perfectly possible for a cohort or team to participate from a distance: we would bring you in by video conferencing for the Thursday evening and Saturday classes.

Important proviso: As you will see from the schedule above, a residential weekend is part of the course. If you are within driving distance of Toronto, we will expect you to attend the weekend in person. If distance makes this impossible, your participation will depend on whether you can organize a parallel residential weekend for your team in your area. As well as participating in some of the weekend sessions by video conferencing, since some of the sessions are participatory (e.g. worship, prayer ministry), we would ask that you find a suitably experienced leader/teacher who can be briefed beforehand and who can then lead those sessions during your weekend. We are very willing to discuss this on a case-by-case basis.

1. 6. Cost

The special introductory cost of this first the course is $150 plus $200 for the residential weekend. (If you are not able to come to the weekend, but are arranging your own, obviously the $200 will not apply. You can make arrangements to charge participants in your own local weekend whatever the local cost is.)

You can either pay the two amounts upfront and receive a 10% discount—making a total of $315. Or you can pay $150 now and the other $200 at the time of the weekend.

1. 7. Registration

The registration form with details of how to pay, can be found here (PDF if you want to print it out, or RTF if you wish to fill it out and submit it by email).

1. 8. What if I am a student at TST?

(TST is the Toronto School of Theology and comprises seven federated seminaries—Wycliffe, Trinity, Emmanuel, Knox, Regis, St Michael’s and St. Augustine’s.)

It is possible to take this course for credit towards your Master’s degree. See information, see the TST website here or contact me, John Bowen, at john.bowen@utoronto.ca for further information.

We thought it would be of great interest to many Canadians and could even start an online discussion of the issues it raises. At the end of the article we have asked a question to which we would like you to respond!

Share thoughts – August 2010

exploring fresh expressions of church together

Rural fresh expressions

On a rural housing estate in North Oxfordshire, Church Army pioneer Ian Biscoe got to know his neighbours, put on a Christmas talent show at which Alpha was advertised, ran the course, turned it into a Thursday evening discipleship group, and enabled the group to be church. Five years later there were four congregations with 100 to 120 people overall.
David Muir, a pioneer minister in Devon, has offered these ten tips for people wanting to develop fresh expressions of church in rural areas.

1. Do some serious homework on the social realities in your area

The countryside is hugely varied, so beware of generalisations about what ‘country people’ are like.

2. Do assume that countryside people are well disposed to the Christian faith

Most are. So think hard before using language like ‘becoming a Christian’.

3. If you are new to the countryside, get involved

Traditional countryside people will always see you as an in-comer, but it will only take a couple of years to be accepted as an ‘OK in-comer’.

4. Beware of the idolatry of nice village life

This is a temptation for the traditional inhabitants of the countryside and for in-comers seeking their rural idyll.

5. A community centred on its own well-being is a form of selfishness

The church must challenge this rather than collude with it to gain acceptance.

6. Support the church building

It is a social symbol that continues to have some Christian opportunities. Attending funerals will open some doors.

7. Accept that we have lost the battle for weekly public worship

‘Public’ worship was a Christendom idea and we need to let go of it. Think about how else to give expression to a living faith community.

8. Support the vicar

People still want clergy for baptisms, weddings and (most of all) funerals. So support ministers in their traditional roles, and find ways to link their ministries to whatever fresh expression of church you feel called to develop.

9. Refuse to be trapped by geography

Countryside people travel, often quite long distances, to things they really want to go to. So think wide. Doing something ‘just for our little community’ is killing the countryside socially.

10. Think ‘sustainability’ rather than ‘funding’

Evangelism by largesse is another Christendom idea that needs to die. It fosters dependency rather than initiative. Grants run out. So keep it simple. Start what the group can sustain.
Do you agree with David? What else might you add? Have you an experience of rural fresh expressions that you can share? You might like to comment on the Share page, Rural fresh expressions.
For more thought-provoking articles on different aspects of fresh expressions of church, visit the Share website. To discuss with others, join the Share Community.

Subscription options
Fresh Expressions UK has two mailing lists, one for the main e-xpressions newsletter and one for Share thoughts. Subscribe here.

Question: “In what ways do Canadian rural situations differ from, or match, the English rural scene?”

Please key your response in the comments box below. I hope we can get a good discussion started!

In a recent blog posting on the Share website, Canadian  Andy Kalbfleisch, of Ancaster, ON, tells part of his transition from jump rope entrepreneur to filmaker.

“Before all this started I wondered if I would be bored when I finally retired. Now I know that the joys of volunteering to share the Gospel story in new and different ways has become the most rewarding time of my life.” Read the full story here.

Saturday October 16th, Calgary, Alberta, and Saturday, October 30th, Mint Brook Camp, Gambo Pond, Newfoundland.

Check back for details or contact vision@freshexpressions.ca

Harold Percy

Now Harold is retiring, and a dinner is being organized in his honour. Among those paying tribute to Harold will be Hazel McCallion (Mayor of Mississauga), Paul Henderson (Canadian hockey legend), Dave Toycen (President of World Vision Canada), and John Bowen (present Director of the Institute of Evangelism).

The dinner will be at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel, on Wednesday September 8^th 2010, with a reception at 6.30 pm and dinner at 7. Tickets are $62.50, and may be purchased from the special website here: www.haroldpercy-retirement.homestead.com or by calling Lin Yeomans  (905) 814-5827 by September 1^st.

Sue Kalbfleisch, Paul and Lucy Moore

Lucy Moore, (inventor of Messy Church,) touched down in Vancouver in June, for ten days of Canadian messiness! Shortly after arriving home in Cowplain, Hampshire, she wrote this in her blog.

“The flight home was in the company of a young Canadian figure skater come to train for the summer months at Nottingham ice rink. She was full of drive, ambition, vision, confidence and though it was hard to assess her degree of talent whilst jammed into Economy Class, she obviously felt that the future was packed with opportunity. Her mum had loved her enough to let her leave home for two months and spread her wings. Without wanting to get too sentimental about it, I feel the same for Messy Church, the young fresh expression I’ve helped drop off in Canada. It’s all in such good hands: those of the wonderful people who have shown me what real hospitality to strangers is – Elizabeth Northcott in Ladner with her warmth, glowing enthusiasm and seemingly endless reservoirs of love for the people in her parish; Louise Peters, the Dean of Kamloops Cathedral and Barbara Andrews, the bishop, with their creativity, drive, wide vision and bubbling energy; Maddie, Quinn, Thomas and the dynamic clergy of Edmonton Diocese who, if they can manage that level of energy and incisive questioning at the end of a clergy conference, will take Messy Church on with astute and clear strategic planning that can only enrich our understanding of what God is doing through it all.

I need more time to reflect on my Canadian adventure, but as I sit here at home, reeling slightly with jetlag, I am filled with gratitude for having been given this fantastic opportunity to travel and enjoy so many people and places, for the sense of sowing seeds and for the love of Christ bouncing round the world that’s made it all possible. My prayer is that the ideas behind Messy Church will be used sensitively in that different culture and climate to help more people enjoy this warm global family in a cold world. And that perhaps one day I’ll be able to return.

And see a bear.”

Lucy kept a daily diary of her trip. Read all the entries here.

.

1.

The course is a ministry-based, practical orientation to church planting and fresh expressions of church. It is adapted (with permission) from the materials developed by Fresh Expressions UK.

2. Who is it for?

msm is primarily for teams (ordained or not) who are thinking and praying about the possibility of pioneering a fresh expression of church, as well as for those who are already involved in one. The hope is that over the course of eight months the course will enable you to take practical steps forward towards the realization and growth of that vision

The course is also suitable for senior church leaders (equippers and encouragers—“permission givers”) who can check it out, and then encourage others to take the course and to become involved in pioneering ministries.

3. The teaching

The lead teacher is the Rev Dr. Connie denBok. Connie is a pastor in the United Church of Canada, has herself planted three churches, and is an outstanding teacher who has taught at Wycliffe before. She is excited about the syllabus because it has been put together by practitioners of church planting, and because it is very “hands-on.” Connie has an extensive network of church planting friends in different denominations and of varying ethnicities, who will be helping with the course at different points.

4. The dates

The course runs from September till April. The schedule is rather eccentric, involving 6 Thursdays (7.00-9.00), 3 Saturdays (9.30-4.30) and a residential weekend. The exact dates for the coming year are these:

• Saturday Sept. 18
• Thursday evening Sept. 30
• Thursday evening  Oct. 14
• Saturday Oct. 30
• Thursday evening  Dec. 2
• Thursday evening  Jan. 13
• Weekend of Jan.28-30
• Thursday evening  Feb. 17
• Thursday evening  Mar. 10
• Saturday Mar. 26

5. Distance learning

Interest in this course has come from people not living within easy reach of Wycliffe College—all the way from PEI to BC! It is perfectly possible for a cohort or team to participate from a distance: we would bring you in by video conferencing for the Thursday evening and Saturday classes.

Important proviso: As you will see from the schedule above, a residential weekend is part of the course. If you are within driving distance of Toronto, we will expect you to attend the weekend in person. If distance makes this impossible, your participation will depend on whether you can organize a parallel residential weekend for your team in your area. As well as participating in some of the weekend sessions by video conferencing, since some of the sessions are participatory (e.g. worship, prayer ministry), we would ask that you find a suitably experienced leader/teacher who can be briefed beforehand and who can then lead those sessions during your weekend. We are very willing to discuss this on a case-by-case basis.

6. Cost

The cost of the course is $150 plus $200 for the residential weekend. (If you are not able to come to the weekend, but are arranging your own, obviously the $200 will not apply. You can make arrangements to charge participants in your own local weekend whatever the local cost is.) You can either pay the two amounts upfront and receive a 10% discount—making a total of $315. Or you can pay $150 now and the other $200 at the time of the weekend.

7. Registration

Click here to complete a Registration Form (PDF to print or RTF to email).  Email questions or a completed form to  msm@freshexpressions.ca

8. What if I am a student at TST?

(TST is the Toronto School of Theology and comprises seven federated seminaries—Wycliffe, Trinity, Emmanuel, Knox, Regis, St Michael’s and St. Augustine’s.)

• msm is an approved course for academic credit at your college. You can read about it on the TST website here.
• msm is a required course for people taking the Wycliffe College Pioneer Track in the M.Div program. Pioneer Track students normally take the course in their second year.
• In order to get academic credit, you will be set readings and written assignments which other students will not be required to do.
• The cost will be the same as that of your regular courses.
• You will register through your college in the normal way. Please note, however that this is a ONE-CREDIT course, even though it is spread over two semesters. If you are a full-time student, therefore, this course will only count as half a credit for each semester. If you wish to maintain your full-time status, you will probably need to take four other courses plus this one.

Invite your friends using our Facebook event.

With MSI you will:

• Discover what has changed in our culture around us and how the church is called to respond.
• Examine what Fresh Expressions of church are and why they are important to the future of the church.
• Discover where God is working in your neighbourhood and how you might join in.

This course is for everyone. Parish teams are strongly encouraged to attend with their clergy. Each course will run on a weeknight evening for two hours lasting six consecutive weeks. Space will be limited. Here are the start dates and locations:

• York-Scarborough South: Tuesday nights, 7:00 – 9:00, Sept. 14 – Oct. 19 at Trinity College, 6 Hoskin Ave., Toronto, led by the Rev. Canon Dr. David Neelands and Dr. John Bowen.

• York Scarborough North: Tuesday nights, from 7:30 – 9:30, Sept. 28 – Nov. 2 at St. Matthew the Apostle, Oriole, 80 George Henry Blvd., Toronto, led by the Rev. Canon Brad Lennon, Deacon Kyn Barker and the Rev. Lesley Barclay

• Trent-Durham: Wednesday nights, Sept. 15 – Oct. 20 at St. John, Ida, led by the Rev. Michael Calderwood, Hope Stogryn and Kim Orchard.

• York Simcoe North: Thursday nights, Oct. 7 – Nov. 11 at St. Margaret, Barrie, led by the Rev. Stephen Pessah and Beth Pessah.

• York Simcoe South: Thursday nights, 7:30 – 9:30, Sept. 16 – Oct. 21 at St. Mary’s, Richmond Hill led by the Rev. Jason Prisley and the Rev. Dan Graves.

• York Credit Valley West: Wednesday nights, 7:30 – 9:30, Oct. 6 – Nov. 10 at St. Luke, Dixie South, Mississauga, led by the Rev. Canon Al Budzin and Anita Gittens.

• York Credit Valley East: Thursday nights, Oct. 21 – Nov. 25 at St. Matthew, Islington, led by the Rev. Stephen Drakeford and Elizabeth Walker.

Cost: $50 for individuals; $150.00 for teams of 5 people or more. Make cheques payable to the Diocese of Toronto in order to reserve your place.

For more information, please email the Rev. Jenny Andison, Archbishop’s Officer for Mission at jandison@toronto.anglican.ca

For registration now, call 1 800 668 8932 x 225 / 416 363 6021 x 225 – or email Elizabeth McCaffrey at emccaffrey@toronto.anglican.ca

“One of the most common misunderstandings about fresh expressions is the belief that they are new types of worship service. It is an understandable mistake as worship lies at the heart of the life of the church, and fresh expressions are new congregations or churches, (not rebranded or experimental church services). There is also an honourable stream within, and pre-dating, the Fresh Expressions initiative, called ‘alternative worship’. However, our recommendation is that the shaping of an act of worship normally lies near the end, rather than at the beginning, of the planting process.

There are a number of reasons for this. Ideally fresh expressions are planted following a process of prayerful listening, and making relationships through acts of service. But if the initial point of contact is a worship event it can only be one which it is hoped the relevant people will like, rather than one which they are involved in shaping, or which we can shape for them with greater care, because we know them. There is also a danger of self indulgence, of creating an event which suits us, or which relieves the frustrations we have with the worship in our own church. ‘I like it so they will as well’ is not the way to plant. What Mission-shaped Church called ‘dying to live’ challenges us to sacrifice our preferences for the sake of what is appropriate for others. Finally it is likely that the result will be an event to attend rather than a church community to which to belong. If there is no intention to form a new congregation, it is not a fresh expression ‘of church’.

To begin with worship may be feasible for the de-churched, who retain a memory of what church was like (up to the point they decided to leave!), but it is less likely to be appropriate for the largest part of our adult mission field, those who have never been involved before. For many worship is culturally strange. They don’t have the toolkit for worship. They don’t know the Biblical story. They only community sing at football matches and they don’t understand our vocabulary. With them we have to start much further back.

Of course, if a fresh expression is planted by transitioning an existing piece of work in the community, then the listening, serving, community forming and witnessing have probably already taken place. In which case you are not starting with worship, but introducing it at the right time. A culturally appropriate, recognisably Christian practice of worship, including baptism and holy communion, is the aim for all fresh expressions that hope to endure, but mostly it is a later development, not the starting point.

+Graham Cray”

team leader Fresh Expressions from expressions June 2010

Courtesy of General Synod

By Trina Gallop

June 08, 2010 -

Brian Bukowski / General Synod Communications

Canon Nick Brotherwood

The landscape of the church is changing and we are faced with a culture that has, “less knowledge of the faith,” with each successive generation. Through a dynamic presentation full of startling statistics to General Synod 2010 on Monday, June 7, members were encouraged to consider new approaches to the environments they minister in.

Read more and Discuss…

Standing Stones. Thanks to Margaret Marschall, Editor of the Edmonton/Athabasca paper, The Messenger

This morning I was part of a monthly gathering of church planters in Edmonton.  We gather to support and encourage one another, and we take it in turns to discuss issues that are concerning us in our ministries.  At the end of that meeting, I was asked how I thought the recent 2010 Vital Church Planting West Conference went.

Now for those of you who might not know, the Vital Church Planting (VCP) conference began some four years ago in partnership between the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism, and the Diocese of Toronto.  Since its inception, the conference has been a clarion for Fresh Expressions of Church, and refreshing approaches to mission and ministry.  Last year, John Bowen extended an invitation to the Diocese of Edmonton to put on a second conference, uniquely focused on mission and ministry in Canada’s West.  And we said yes.  Thus, this past May, the first annual Vital Church Planting West Conference was held in Edmonton at Taylor Seminary, a seminary for the North American Baptist Church.

Now back to my conversation from this morning.  In the course of our discussion about the conference, it was shared with me by a faculty member of the Seminary, who is a part of our church planters’ group, that the office staff of the seminary spent a week following the conference talking about how overwhelmed they were by the “Christian spirit” exhibited by our conference delegates.  The staff felt that every challenge was presented with grace, every problem was handled with a smile, and that all the people they encountered were generous and giving in their words and actions.

It is this spirit of grace, gentleness, compassion, understanding and service that shapes my own thoughts about this past VCP West.  We had two key note speakers.  Phil Potter, who was one of the keynoters for VCP 2009 in Toronto, addressed the conference three times.  Phil leads pioneer ministry for the Diocese of Liverpool, and has over 20 years of church planting experience in the Fresh Expressions vein.  Phil’s approach to teaching mission was so gentle and grace filled, that one almost missed the depth and profundity of his message calling for a change in the church that both enlivens our inheritance, and freshens our mission.

Our second key note speaker was Harold Roscher, who presented the second of our four  key notes. Harold is the only ordained aboriginal pastor in the Christian Reformed Church in Canada.  His ministry is to the aboriginal community in Edmonton, and he has built a worshipping and faithful community of believers who express their Christian faith through traditional aboriginal culture and symbol.  Again, in Harold, we were presented with a face of gentleness and grace.  While acknowledging the harm caused by the sins of the past (naming the residential schools in particular), Harold presented to us a way of healing and encouragement in ministry to aboriginal peoples in Canada.  Harold’s call was to build a Church of equals, each pursuing Christ through the spiritual language and symbols of our own cultures, but unified by the Holy Spirit in our love for Jesus; a Church that honours all, loves all, and serves all, and creates space for Christ’s transforming power in all cultures and cultural expressions.

In our workshops, we ensured that we had a strong rural ministry component, along with teaching for urban and suburban contexts.  A highlight of the conference was the workshop offered by Cam Harder of Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, and the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe M).  Consistent with our theme of gracious and gentle presentations, Cam offered to delegates resources for and approaches to rural ministry that will help to equip and strengthen churches in shrinking or struggling communities.

And the whole conference was ably and (continuing with our theme) graciously emceed by John Bowen, of the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism.

What of the delegates? you might ask.  What did they say?  Who were they?  Fear not, for answers are coming.  The majority of our delegates were not ordained, yet felt that they were active in mission in their home communities (though most felt that they would be more active if they had more resources or support).  They came from across Canada’s two western ecclesiastical provinces: from Vancouver Island BC to Kenora ON, and to Whitehorse YK.  Their response to the conference was overwhelmingly positive.  With praise for the speakers and presenters, the facility and the conference organizing team, the delegates flew, drove, and walked home tired, but excited for the work the Spirit was doing in the Church.

We return again to grace, gentleness, compassion, understanding and service.  These words not only characterize the spirit of the conference, but also the spirit necessary to plant vital churches, and to refresh the churches of our inheritance.  If we are able to continue to carry this spirit out into all our ministries and the world, then the future of mission in the Church is both bright and blessed.

June 2010 update

Hi there!

Courtesy of General Synod

The past six weeks  have been pretty busy, with members of the Fresh Expressions Canada team touching down in Kemptville, ON, the Huron Diocesan Synod, the first Vital Church Planting West conference in Edmonton, the MSM National Teams consultation in Northampton, England, and General Synod in Halifax, NS! Thank you so much for your prayers, we have really appreciated knowing you were praying for us. You can read an article on the Fresh Expressions presentation to General Synod here, and watch a short interview here.

“I found the Messy Fiesta event to be exciting and inspiring. With remarkable joy andcreativity, Christian worship/education was offered in an inviting, open-minded atmosphere, with wonderful intergenerational appeal. It has huge potential as a means for inviting and welcoming those who are spiritually hungry, but not attracted to a traditional way of doing church. We are delighted at the prospect of beginning Messy Church ministry at St. John’s, Thorold this Fall.” These words, from Rev. Cathie Crawford Browning following the Messy Fiesta (Messy Church workshop) on May 15^th, capture the essence of Messy Church and the two Messy Fiestas held in April and May this Spring in Ontario. read the complete report here.

Mission Shaped Ministry (MSM) team training begins

United Church Minister and Church Planter Rev. Dr. Connie denBok MSM Canada course leader will join with other members of the msm team, to be trained by Kath & Pete Atkins Fresh Expressions msm course coordinators from Lincolnshire, England, in Tornonto, June 13-15th. This is in preparation for the course taking place in Canada this Fall. mission shaped ministry- 8 months to be equipped in planting and sustaining fresh expressions of church, will  run from Sept. 2010 -April 2011, comprising 6 weekday evenings, 3 Saturdays, and a residential weekend away.  Based in Toronto, we hope to have clusters in other cities which will meet at the same time and be conferenced together! Click here to watch a short video.

For more information email our msm coordinator, John Bowen at msm@freshexpressions.ca

The first Vital Church Planting West Conference took place May 18-20 in  Edmonton, AB, with Canon Phil Potter, Director of Pioneer Ministry for the Diocese of Liverpool, and Harold Roscher the Director/Chaplain of the Edmonton Native Healing Centre.

The conference was  a tremendous success with over 140 people  in attendance, including  4 bishops and one archbishop.   In his closing remarks, Archbishop David Ashdown  announced that the Rupert’s Land Provincial House  of Bishops have decided to make Fresh Expressions a priority for the coming years, and it is going to be the theme of their Provincial Synod in 2012.

Many congratulations to the sponsors, the Diocese of Edmonton and the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism, on making a great start!

We need your stories of what’s going on in your area, to put on the FXCA website. Stories of attempts to start something new, something which may stand a chance of developing into a fresh expression of church. Here is an example of what we are looking for, from Peterborough, ON, something that started as a result of a casual remark.  Is it a fresh expression of church? I guess we’ll have to just wait and see! Please send your story with photos to web@freshexpressions.ca

Please pray for all of us involved in encouraging “the development of fresh expressions of church alongside more traditional expressions, with the aim of seeing a more mission-shaped church take shape throughout the country.” Yes, it’s a huge job, but with God nothing is impossible, even though it is seldom easy!

Thanks so much for your interest in Fresh Expressions Canada. If you would like to support the work financially you can do so by clicking here and filling out the form, selecting “Other,” from the “I would like to direct my gift to:” options, and writing Fresh Expressions in the “Please Specify” box.

Have a great summer. I’ll be writing to you again in early September.

Yours in the power of the Holy Spirit!

the Fresh Expressions Canada team, Ryan, Sue, Thomas, Jenny, John, &…

Nick Brotherwood

Team Leader-Fresh Expressions Canada

nick.brotherwood@freshexpressions.ca

“I found the Messy Fiesta event to be exciting and inspiring.

With remarkable joy and creativity, Christian worship/education was offered in an inviting, open-minded atmosphere, with wonderful intergenerational appeal. It has huge potential as a means for inviting and welcoming those who are spiritually hungry, but not attracted to a traditional way of doing church. We are delighted at the prospect of beginning Messy Church ministry at St. John’s, Thorold this Fall.” These words, from Rev. Cathie Crawford Browning following the Messy Fiesta (Messy Church workshop) on May 15^th, capture the essence of Messy Church and the two Messy Fiestas held in April and May this Spring in Ontario. 

Messy Church is a fresh expression of church that is drawing families and children to learn about God, as they engage in a faith community in a new and exciting way. Messy Church was developed in the UK as a way of reaching families who weren’t part of the ‘traditional’ church or who due to their busy schedules were unable to attend Sunday worship. As the dynamics of our culture are in constant flux many parents have only the weekend to spend with their children and don’t want to spend it in traditional church while their children are in Sunday School. Messy Church aims to create the opportunity for adults and children to enjoy expressing their creativity, sit down together to eat a meal, experience worship and have fun within a church context, often midweek. Messy Church is a way to reach families who are not in our churches on Sundays.

“Messy Church is a welcome alternative congregational approach that can stand side by side with a traditional Sunday morning congregation. It accommodates the needs of family life while being innovative and post modern.  It may resemble the early church groups with gatherings, discussions and a meal followed by short worship.” Annette Hoare, St. Alban’s Beamsville.

As co-presenter Rev. Nancy Rowe said, “Part of the format for the Messy Fiesta day was to do a Messy Church so that parish leaders could get a feel for what a Messy Church is like. Messy Church is aimed at young families, and certainly that is the nucleus of our Messy Church at St. George’s, Georgetown.   At first it seemed quite strange doing a Messy Church that was adults only, but the energy and spirit of Messy Church is infectious, no matter what the age, the workshop participants were able to enter into the uniqueness of Messy Church to experience the power of God renewing God’s Church. I left each   Messy Fiesta in awe of God’s on-going intrepid plan for us.”

Thanks to St. George’s, Georgetown (April 24^th) and St. John the Evangelist, Thorold (May 15^th) for hosting the Messy Fiestas and all the enthusiastic participants. For more information about Messy Church, contact me at ask@nas.net

Sue Kalbfleisch

Messy Church Regional Coordinator

Sue

I recently sat through a three-hour service, with well-behaved children and a one-hour sermon in the package—and that after an hour-long Sunday School class. Only the occasional sermon is devoted to tithing, and yet 80% of the congregation tithes. But one feature in particular caught my attention: in 45 minutes of non-stop singing (worship and praise time), I heard no grand hymns of the church, only typical praise songs of the sort one might hear in any “contemporary” worship service.

Yet a customary criticism leveled at churches that sing only these “mindless” praise songs is this: how can we expect to form mature Christians when all they sing are worship songs without Scripture or “doctrinal” content. Two observations come to mind. One is that this church’s choice of worship songs “lite” does not appear to dilute the devotion and commitment of its members. And I wonder how those of us in mainline and even some traditionally evangelical churches would respond if that question were put to us. While we are wearing out our time-tested hymnals, have we in fact produced mature and knowledgeable believers? In other words, maybe the song selection has little or nothing to do with the question of spiritual maturity.

I think the problem is systemic, hidden deep within our institutions. One of the first books to attempt an explanation for why mainline churches were losing numbers in the late sixties was Dean Kelley’s 1972 sociological study, Why Conservative Churches are Growing. He argued that high commitment churches—churches that give you a reason to shuffle off to church on Sunday morning—attract more people than low commitment churches which require little of its members. Yet it is precisely this issue that continues to haunt us: we silently envy the laudable benefits of high commitment religion, but are theologically or practically ambivalent about employing the strategies necessary to achieve those effects.

I need to enter three caveats here. One is that our profile of a mature disciple of Jesus will vary along the ecclesiastical spectrum, even when we use the same words. A mature conservative evangelical, fundamentalist, pentecostal or charismatic will know their way around the Bible and can memorize numerous verses, generally attend church-related spiritual programs throughout the week, give generously to the church and mission, and place a high priority on evangelism, locally and globally.

A mature disciple in a mainline church may not differ much in theory, except that they will be expected to be more theologically nuanced (translate, less literal) in interpreting Scripture, express a greater appreciation for the church’s tradition, be more culturally sophisticated in hymnody and liturgical practice, and view mission more in terms of responding to social needs and justice in society.

The second caveat is that many pastors in low commitment churches do struggle deeply with the pressure to compromise the church’s teachings. The response was palpable following the publication of Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon’s provocative book, Resident Aliens (1989). Pastors confessed they felt like ecclesiastical prostitutes, offering religious services without requiring commitment.

Third, no church is simply culturally compromising or counter-cultural. Evangelical and pentecostal/charismatic churches are high commitment in terms of their doctrines and certain moral standards. But they are low threshold in terms of worship styles. Mainline churches, on the other hand, are theologically and ethically low threshold, more “in step” with cultural shifts in ideas and mores. But they are traditional (high threshold) in their worship, preferring pipe organ, choirs and traditional hymnody.

There is undoubtedly an important link between Christian teaching/beliefs and practices. The question is where these two intersect in a congregation. The link is seldom direct and observable, but subterranean and systemic. Where will we find doctrinal and theological “input” within the congregational system in a way that produces maturity in its members?

While this may suffer from over-generalization, let me suggest four profiles that may help us understand our own church and others better.

Profile 1: Traditional Pentecostal/Charismatic

• Participation: high commitment to the spiritual programs of the church outside of Sunday worship; e.g. involvement in Sunday School by both children and adults; greater number at weekly midweek services
• Educational curriculum: high commitment to biblical content, and earlier introduction of Christian doctrine
• Worship: low commitment to theological content in hymnody (except for those churches that continue to use a hymnal); low to medium commitment in preaching (a few pastors with a “theological bent” may preach the occasional doctrinal sermon)
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: medium to low commitment to “tarrying meetings” for Spirit baptism; high commitment to camps and regional events for children and youth to guide them in making an early commitment to Christ

Profile 2: Evangelical (including some Pentecostal/Charismatic) Seeker Churches

• Participation: medium to high commitment outside Sunday worship, including Sunday School; small groups are emphasized, but theological content is a lower commitment than building community and support; midweek activity is devoted to these cell groups
• Educational curriculum: low commitment to doctrinal and theological formation; focus is on practical living
• Worship: low commitment theologically in both hymnody and preaching; “evangelistic” focus is on connecting with the practical needs of the worshipper
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: low commitment to doctrine, though higher commitment to core values of reaching the seeker and mirroring the “needs” of the culture

Profile 3: Traditional Evangelical

• Participation: high commitment to participation outside Sunday worship, including Sunday School for all ages and mid-week Bible study and/or prayer meeting; mid-week service might include a sustained study of a book of the Bible or a doctrinal theme
• Educational curriculum: high commitment to the doctrinal beliefs of the church; Sunday School curriculum will be rigorously biblical; doctrinal teaching is designed to reinforce the theological identity of the congregation
• Worship: high commitment to doctrinal content through use of the traditional hymnal (even if mixed with “praise songs”), and emphasis on exegetical, expository and doctrinal preaching
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: high commitment to practices that support the church’s doctrinal identity such as Bible study; commitment to theological consistency throughout the life of the congregation

Profile 4: Mainline

• Participation: low commitment to participation outside Sunday worship; Sunday School for children integrated with worship time, as families are often unwilling to sacrifice the extra hour outside worship; low commitment to weekly adult study opportunities; only short-term education programs are successful (e.g. Alpha); conferences and retreats are attended by the few motivated core members
• Educational curriculum: low commitment to doctrinal beliefs; Sunday school curriculum may give priority to social ministry rather than to issues of personal discipleship; the view of Scripture may reflect a more critical approach
• Worship: the doctrinal content is located primarily in the liturgical rites (e.g. the Anglican Book of Alternative Services) and traditional hymns; low commitment to doctrinal preaching, which is possible but not necessary in lectionary preaching
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: low commitment to practices that support the church’s doctrinal identity; programs for children, youth and adults are sporadic and uneven, and mostly at the initiative of the local congregation; resources from the denomination are minimal, due to lack of finances, commitment, or interest.

The dance between doctrine and practice is tricky. Separating the two can be lethal for

discipling believers, as neither dry doctrinal treatises nor pietistic platitudes will be effective. My interest here has been to take notice of our conventional criticism of one practice, “superficial” praise songs. This sliver in our brother’s eye belies the log in our own, because many of us in the mainline tradition have little cause to boast of the spiritual maturity of our own members.

I do not say this to disparage the riches in my own mainline tradition. But being a low commitment church, with its distinctive European heritage, is the hand we have been dealt. Nevertheless, we are not helpless. Lyle Schaller, patriarch of the church growth movement, once observed that those churches that are most successful in growing do two things: they are committed to proclaiming with confidence what Scripture teaches, and they are consistent in communicating those teachings at every level of the congregation’s life.

That may not be a magic wand. But is it a good place to start.

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The two streams will do the same foundational courses in Bible, theology and history. But students in the pioneer stream will also have specialized courses and placements to prepare them for their future ministries.

If you are interested in exploring what the pioneer stream within the M.Div might look like, click here for more information, or email the Director of the stream, Dr. John Bowen.