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| Feature Article – XX 2005 |
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Fresh Expressions
by Peter Hillman (observer at Diocesan Synod)
Mission shaped church
It is said, though perhaps incorrectly, that there is a traditional Chinese curse which reads “May you live in interesting times!” Well, curse or not, the Church of England appears to be living in such times and this is in large part due to a bestseller among Anglicans in the United Kingdom. It is not “The Da Vinci Code” or the latest Harry Potter novel but rather a publication in 2004 entitled “Mission Shaped Church” which has now sold well over 17,000 copies. In this publication a research team, under the chairmanship of The Rt. Revd. Graham Cray, Bishop of Maidstone, reported on current trends in mission in the UK with special attention being given to the C of E. Bishop Graham says of his report “The fresh expressions of church which Mission Shaped Church describes are evidence of considerable creative missionary energy within the C of E. We did not so much write a report telling the C of E what it needed to do as tell it what it was already doing and point out the potential.” The report works in concert with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s stated desire to see the C of E become a “mixed economy” church with traditional parishes operating alongside new forms of church. It has stimulated interest and focused attention on these new works of God which are at various stages in the process of growing into communities of faith which we would recognise as “church”.
As a response to the report a national team was established by Archbishop Rowan under the leadership of an Archbishop’s Missioner, the Revd. Steve Croft. The team’s aim is to further explore the phenomenon of Fresh Expressions as well as encourage and guide their development. A website was quickly established (www.freshexpressions.org.uk) to draw the stories together and act as a meeting place for leaders of these works who would soon become known as “Pioneers”. A further, and important, response to the report has been for the House of Bishops to develop a new pathway to ministry known as “Pioneer Ministry” which seeks to ordain people to the Diaconate and Priesthood without expecting them to follow the traditional route of leaving their own church context. Instead the church seeks to recognise the value of their current Pioneering work, ordain them in situ and provide appropriate training, development and oversight in a package which reflects their unique situation.
All of this, of course, is what brings me to Canada. I am the Lay Pastor of a missionary youth congregation called “Legacy” and am engaged in training and preparation for ordination in 2008. Part of the challenge for the church has been finding appropriately stimulating and stretching training and experiences for me, so spending time in this country experiencing ministry and life among the Aboriginal people of Canada has fitted the bill very well!
So what exactly does as “Fresh Expression” look like?
For us it has taken the form of a community of mainly young people planted out of the parish church of St George’s, New Thundersley, Essex. Initially starting as a group of about ten youngsters meeting in the home of the incumbent in 2001, the work has grown in 2006 to a group of people numbering around 80 who would describe themselves as Christians. The vast majority of these young people are from non-church families where there is little or no identification with the Christian faith. By 2003 we had begun to develop and work towards a vision for building and operating a purpose-built indoor Youth Centre and Skateboard park and in 2005 the Legacy XS Centre opened its doors. At a cost of just over $1,000,000 the centre was built by a parish church which consists of only around 150 members and which barely manages to pay its “fair share.” But through prayer, dedication and application after application to trust funds it managed to raise the vast majority of the finance needed.
The XS Centre is the new home of the Youth Congregation which meets each week in the café area and includes the skateboard and BMX ramps in its worship as well as music, prayer and regular celebration of the Eucharist. We use ancient forms of prayer such as guided meditation and traditional aids to worship, such as incense, from time to time. Our use of words in liturgy is minimal due to the educational levels of many members of the community but our worship usually follows liturgical patterns including confession and other essentials of Anglican worship.
There are midweek clubs operated by the older teens for the 10–12 and 12–14 age groups as well as work in local schools. We will shortly be taking delivery of a mobile halfpipe skateboard ramp which is mounted on a trailer and will allow us to begin mobile detached work based around demonstrations and coaching provided by the young Christians from the congregation. During the working week the Centre is used by three local High Schools in the area as a unit working with young people displaying challenging behaviour. This partnership has enabled the church to further develop its friendship with and support of these local schools.
Going for growth
The story of Legacy has been an incredible adventure so far but it’s only one example of a host of works that God is raising up across his church. Moreover it is also only a small part of the picture of God’s work in the C of E at present with exciting renewal being experienced in more traditional parishes too. The church at home still faces huge challenges and some of them are shared with the church in Canada. Secularism continues to eat away at the traditional respect in which the church has been held as well as attendance figures. Rural ministry is a very real issue for the church with medieval buildings an increasing financial burden on dwindling numbers of people living in the countryside. But despite the uphill struggle such things as the upsurge in “Fresh Expressions” gives hope for the future of God’s church both at home and, I hope, here in Canada.
More information can be obtained from the Legacy websites; www.legacyweb.org and www.legacyxs.com