Iconic / Symbolic
The Church has deep resources to speak
with icons and symbols,
and needs to explore new ways
of inviting people to experience the
wonder of God ‘through the looking glass’ of Christian
spiritual symbols and practices
Creative
beyond industrial technology,beyond ‘information
processing’into a new cultural landscape
characterized by creativity and inventiveness
Global
from nation state empires, to a one world ‘market’dominated by trans-national commerce and corporations
Spiritual
We live in an Age of New Mysticism or of the new spiritual tourist.
Our aim of helping spiritual tourists to become pilgrims must draw on the ancient
practices of the church reframed into our current
context… Our communities need to be modeling
a lived rhythm of spirituality that is viable.’ (Ian Mobsby)
Dis-ruptive / ‘Cha-otic’
Financial crisispolitical polarization and upheavals
massive economic inequalityenvironmental degradation
rampant consumerism (the defacto religion of the west)
Deep Longing
‘For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first
fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in* hope we were saved. Now hope that is
seen is not hope. For who hopes* for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Deep Longing
‘’The meta-modern longs for another future, another meta-narrative, while acknowledging that future or narrative might not exist, or
materialize.’
Archetypal stories in metamodern culture, echo the meta-narative of
mission, in a cultural form
Post Secular
People long to be told stories of faith, hope, love and redemption. They
long for such to be possible, and to take an active part
The Greatest Meta-Narrative ever told, is that God sent Jesus
into the world’s longing.
Faith, hope, love and redemptionare possible, and incarnate
in the world, through Jesus Christ
MISSION is inviting people to take part.
Our great need is to rediscover our primary
purposeto live from, and share
the meta-narrative of God through Jesus Christ,
in and for God’s world,and within today’s culture
In 2004 the Church of England’s Mission and Public Affairs Council released a report titled ‘Mission Shaped Church, ’which has been commended by the General Synod to all Anglican churches, as a framework for the renewal of the church, and reconnecting the witness of church to today’s culture, so that the meta-narrative of the Gospel can be shared with a world longing for faith, hope, love and redemption.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
What is a ‘Fresh Expression’
of Church?
‘Emerging Church’ is a term used in the U.S that corresponds in many ways to the ‘Fresh Expressions’ term from the U.K
Definition
A ‘fresh’ expression is a form of church
for our changing culture established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members
of any church.”
A ‘mixed economy’ church is needed, to more fully participate in God‘s mission,
‘reaching out’ and ‘reaching in’ to people, within their own cultures
'Mixed economy' church is a term first used
by Archbishop Rowan Williams to refer to fresh expressions
and 'inherited' forms of church existing alongside each other, within the same denomination,
and in relationships of mutual respect and support.
Catholicity requires both diversity and interdependence.
The mixed economy summarizes a dynamic partnership; where inherited church encourages, and often funds fresh expressions,
and where the planting of fresh expressions has in turn brought renewal and encouragement to
established congregations (Bishop Graham Cray)
In a Mixed Economy, church takes many
forms:
cafe churchneo monastic
network churchparish churchpub church
church arising fromcommunity initiatives
traditional church plantethnic specific church
cell churchchurch within a churchalt worship collective
house churchbase ecclesial communities
children and families focusedyouth congregations
Curating a Fresh Expressions of Church require deep understanding of culture, in order to speak into culture using resources from the culture itself to express the invitation and calling of Christ to people in their own cultural forms, in so far as the form of culture being explored is permeable to express the Gospel, and not contradictory to it
‘Messy Church’ A new form of church for kids of all ages
which was developed in the UK
See Messy Church Videos on YouTube
Inherited / established church and fresh expressions
TOGETHER and in PARTNERSHIP
express the mixed economy of church
“The whole church is needed, to bring the whole Christ,
to the whole world” (Bishop Graham Cray)
Mixed Economy Church:
•Echoes the Trinity > mutuality and interdependence•Reflects creation > being richly diverse•Expresses the eucharistic heart of the church > expressing God’s self giving for the life of the world•Is modeled by the Jerusalem and Antioch churches> with differing ways to reach differing peoples, those raised in and new to the tradition,•but with the same unity of faith•Draws strength from the forbearance of the Spirit
Will you continue
in the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin,
repent and return to the Lord.
Will you proclaim by word and
example the Good News of God in
Christ?Will you
seek and serve Christ in all persons,
loving your neighbor as yourself?Will you
strive for justice and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being
Joining the ‘order’ of the Trinity
via the Covenant of BaptismBaptism @ Church of the Apostles, Seattle
All Christians and Christian
communitiesare co-missioned
in the Spiritto take active part
in the Missio Dei
Chrismation of @ Church of the Apostles, Seattle
Trinitarian Missional Communities
(whether inherited or fresh expression),
have four core functions
Koinonia/ CommunityLeitourgia/
worship/prayerFotosis / Formation/
DiscipleshipDiakonia/ Service/
Mission
Koinonia/ Community in and with the Trinity, forms and frames our identity and existence.
Meaning > experience of the Divine Purpose > engaging ‘what matters’
Belonging > connected & connective Participation > being involved
Gratitude > giving thanks Contribution > giving back
St. Lydia’s, NYC
Fotosis /trans-formation/discipleship
Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a sacrifice alive, holy, and pleasing to God
which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you may test and approve
what is the will of God what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
(Romans 12:1–2)
Fotosis/ transformation/discipleship is about practicing the way of jesus in daily life.
Fotosis /luminatium/ trans-formation/discipleship
5Let the same mind be in you that was* in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death
even death on a cross. (Phlippians 2:5-8)
Diaconia/ Missio/ Service
Trinitarian Missional Communities are gathered, formed, nourished and sent forth into the world to
engage God’s mission
As a Missional Communitieswe are gathered and sent toPARTICIPATE God’s Life,SHARE God’s story andENGAGE God’s missionto restore, heal, reconcile, make new, transform…
Church of the Beloved, Edmonds, WA
Rule of Life, Church of the Apostles, Seattle
- Love God and love neighbors- Give invitations and provide welcome- Engage community and practice faith- Share stories and throw parties - Create art and exchange gifts- Renew culture and steward creation
A small but growing number of Fresh
Expressions of church are being informed and
inspired by monastic tradition
... We would suggest that our love of extreme sports, our quest for adventure, desire for heroic novels and films, all play into this same yearning. They are echoes of an unheard tune - the story of Jesus, The quest for heroic adventure is the quest for the Gospel, although it might not be seen that way by everyone. And so when our churches distance themselves from such adventure, they are inhibiting a fundamental human impulse and desire to be part of something significant that has eternal consequences (Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost)
Missio means being ‘sent’ to engage the adventure of faith with God, in and for
the world
Pioneers leaders can
help lead the church
to re:engage the
adventure of mission
In the UK, the church has a began a new process to call out and recruit ‘pioneer missioners’ lay and ordained leaders who have
the capacity of starting up and curating new forms of church and ways of engaging mission.
Take mission to the edge. Click your heels and ‘take it back home’ and engage the adventure of mission to be gathered in and sent back to your own back yard.
There is a holy urgency in mission, to join in what God is already doing in the world, to not miss out. To take an active part.
'Build Houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Form families and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and husbands for your daughters and multiply there. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you in exile, and pray to the Lord on it's behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.' (Jeremiah 29:5-7)
Gathered and SentTrinitarian Communities
and Apostolic Mission