Fresh Expressions recently hosted a Missional Entrepreneurship Immersion at church-run coffee shop and community space Ridgetop Coffee & Tea . Located in the midst of an everyday marketplace of business, daycare, and healthcare, Ridgetop has become a natural community hub and a living example of how enterprise and mission can beautifully intertwine. Participants explored the difference between missional enterprises—profit-making businesses that provide needed services in the community while creating space for relationships and faith—and social enterprises—nonprofit organizations that meet community needs while also fostering meaningful connection and opportunities for faith exploration. Together, the group wrestled with Peter’s vision in Acts 10, asking what assumptions God might be reframing today and how God may be enlarging our understanding of mission, ministry, and building usage. Participants also confronted the “sacred cows” that can keep congregations from stepping into bold, faithful innovation. There was robust conversation around the passage “Unless the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1 NRSVUE) recognizing that missional entrepreneurship can’t be all about our grandiose schemes. Participants also grappled with the question: What does it mean to you that your “success” or “failure” is both in your control and mysteriously not in your control? This work, they affirmed, is not about our brilliant plans, but about faithfully following open (and closed) doors with courage and trust as we follow where God may be leading. A panel of entrepreneurs reflected on the tension between starting small and scaling big. One small-venture entrepreneur shared that through small faithful steps, “I have learned to follow the energy. Where the energy is, I do more of that.” A large-scale entrepreneur reflected, “Because of our scale, we are able to have a scope of impact that is beyond our customers—we have 55 employees that we get to do life with, and that in itself is a fertile mission field.” Some settings will be ripe for a big initiative because of a large real estate transaction, a significant partnership and redevelopment of facility, or a group of investors willing to bring a big idea into reality. Other settings will find themselves in a landscape where an initiative needs to begin with a small investment and scale as opportunities and developing partnerships signal the need to take growth steps. Another panel explored the balance between discernment and action. Too many times, congregations overspiritualize discernment, as if they are waiting for the lightning bolt from God before they can take a step. Others get so stuck in a cycle of discernment that it never leads to decision points and action. On the other hand, some congregations underutilize discernment, running full steam ahead without doing any thoughtful listening, seeking God’s wisdom, or getting to know potential stakeholders or partners. Each panelist reflected on times when they knew they had to move, even if they didn’t feel like they knew enough. “A business plan is important,” one entrepreneurship professor and business owner noted, “but one thing I know about your business plan is that it will absolutely change. But that plan is important because it’s the floor on which you will pivot.” A social enterprise executive director encouraged participants with a simple but powerful question: “What can you start small now?”
I’m the granddaughter of a grower, a horticulturist, and a pioneer who supplied the Eastern United States with delicious fruit and beautiful plants for decades. Growing up, I learned early that fertile fields don’t just happen—you prepare them. You walk the boundaries, test the soil, remove the rocks, and pray for rain. You learn to trust that the seeds you plant will bear fruit in time. That rhythm—preparing, sowing, tending, and trusting—has shaped how I see the church and the mission of God. Jesus tells a story in Matthew 13 about a sower who scatters seed with generous abandon. Some falls on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil that produces an abundant harvest. The sower’s work is not to force the growth, but to prepare the soil and make room for the Spirit’s increase. I think that’s what we’re doing in the Fresh Expressions movement—cultivating the kind of soil where the gospel can take root in the hearts of people who might never find their way into a sanctuary. When the Fields Called Wesley In the spring of 1739, John Wesley faced his own “field moment.” His friend George Whitefield invited him to preach outside the walls of the church—literally, in the open air—to miners and laborers who would never set foot in an Anglican parish. Wesley was hesitant. He had been formed as an Anglican priest, faithful to the order and rhythm of the church. But when he saw the crowds who were spiritually hungry yet far from the pews, he wrote in his Journal: “At four in the afternoon I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation.” — John Wesley’s Journal, April 2, 1739 Today, fewer than 1 in 3 Americans attend church services regularly, with only about 20% attending weekly and over half (57%) rarely or never participating in traditional religious gatherings. Meanwhile, nearly 30% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated—a number that continues to rise each year. https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx Yet, research consistently shows strong spiritual curiosity. For example, a recent study found that 66% of U.S. adults—even across generations—say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important today, and nearly a third of all Americans consider themselves “spiritually curious” despite not attending church. https://georgebarna.com/2025/02/most-americans-believe-in-a-supreme-power/ These trends echo the challenge that John Wesley faced—many people are unlikely to come inside church walls, but they remain deeply open to spiritual conversations and new expressions of Christian community outside traditional settings. That moment changed everything. Wesley didn’t abandon the Church of England; he sought to renew it from within by reaching those it had overlooked. His heart was not to create a rival church, but to extend the reach of grace—in his words to, “spread scriptural holiness throughout the land.” He knew the gospel could not be contained within the walls of even the most faithful parish. That is the beauty of the Methodist movement and perhaps what I most highly regard in Wesley’s theology. This important contribution to contemporary to Christian theogy is a both/and ness or as Wesley scholar Paul Chilcote refers to it “conjunctive theology” rather than either/or theology, that fleshes itself out in practical ways across our bridgebuilding tradition. Preparing the Soil Then and Now Wesley’s decision to take to the fields was not rebellion—it was reclamation. Both/And. He understood, as Jesus taught in Matthew 13, that the Word of God often meets resistance, but when the soil is ready, it multiplies thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. The condition of the soil, in fact, did not prevent the Sower from scattering it generously if even perhaps, haphazardly. Wesley began organizing those who responded into small groups, or “societies, class meetings, and bands” where people could confess their sins, hear the stories and learn the ways of Jesus, and care for one another. Those early Methodists became gardeners of grace—cultivating holiness through community, discipline, and mission. That same pattern continues today in Fresh Expressions of church. We’re not creating something entirely new; we’re tending the fields Wesley and the circuit riders once rode through, believing again that God’s grace precedes us, is already at work, and wants to reach every person, in every place. We need only tend the soil of our communities. Whether it’s a dinner church, a running group, a recovery circle, or a coffee shop community, these expressions of church echo Wesley’s field preaching: going to where people are, not waiting for them to come to us. Sent in Pairs: Luke 10 and the Circuit Riders When Jesus sent out the seventy-two in Luke 10, He gave them clear instructions: “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves… Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” (Luke 10:3–4) He told them to rely on the hospitality of others, to speak peace, and to heal. The mission was mobile, relational, and dependent on the Spirit. Those instructions could easily describe the circuit riders of early Methodism. They traveled light, trusted God to provide, and sought out people who hadn’t heard the good news. They were sent to proclaim grace, form communities of faith, and nurture discipleship in barns, taverns, and on front porches. Quite frankly, this depended on the everyday Christian and the ministry of the laity. The only way the Methodist movement was able to move across the American landscape was due to the empowerment of the laity. Today is no different. The people called Methodist speak to this value in our connectional system. These fresh expressions of church are one more way we can empower and deploy our laity while recapturing our Wesleyan roots like the circuit riders who paved the way for us today. Where might God be calling you to cultivate the soil in your own community? Who are the people on the edges—the ones who aren’t coming to church but whom Jesus longs to reach? How might you go, as Wesley did, to where the people already are? The circuit riders’ lives were marked by both grit and grace. They rode hundreds of miles through harsh weather, often sleeping outdoors (and sometimes even on horseback), driven by a conviction that no soul should be out of reach of grace. Their legacy reminds us that innovation in mission is never about novelty for its own sake—it’s about love that refuses to be limited by buildings or boundaries. Today’s Fresh Expressions pioneers share that same resilient spirit, seeking out the people and places where grace permeates the soil and seeds beg to break through. Cultivating Fields of Renewal Wesley often said, “The world is my parish.” It was both a statement of boldness and humility. He didn’t mean he owned the world; he meant the world was entrusted to him as a field of mission. Every village, every person, every pub, every workplace—each was soil in which the Spirit was at work. Today, our fields might look different—online spaces, neighborhood parks, assisted living facilities, tattoo parlors, or CrossFit gyms—but the call remains the same: to cultivate soil where grace can grow. When we experiment with new forms of church, we’re not forsaking the old fields; we’re expanding the boundaries of the parish. A Call to Go and Grow As the granddaughter of a grower, I know that preparing soil is slow, patient work. You can’t rush a harvest. You have to tend to what’s beneath the surface, trusting that God is already at work long before the first green shoots appear. As a Methodist, I recognize the same pattern in Wesley’s movement. His ministry took root because he went to the people and nurtured what God was already growing. Fresh Expressions today are simply another season in that same story—another generation of Methodists called to go, to till, to tend, and to trust. “I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.” — John Wesley, Journal, June 11, 1739 As Jesus said to His followers in Luke 10, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2) The same is true today. The harvest fields around us are ripe—with people longing for belonging, meaning, and hope. The invitation is simple: Go. Prepare the soil. Trust that God is already scattering seed generously. For the “both/and” Wesleys, John and his brother Charles, there was no holiness apart from social holiness. Put another way, there was no holiness of heart apart from life. The linchpin, “The only thing that counts is faith working itself out through love.”-- Galatians 5:6 For the Wesley’s, holiness of heart and life is the goal toward which every Christian life should move. Ask God to show you one “field” near you where the soil might be ready. It could be a local café, a dog park, a recovery meeting, or a place you already spend time. Pray for the people there. Listen for their stories. Ask God how you might join God to bring peace and presence, not programs and plans. Because the same Spirit that sent Wesley to the fields is still sending us— into the world that is, even now, God’s parish.
I’m a Holiness, Pentecostal, Anabaptist. You won’t find that combination coming together very often anywhere, but I have found that all three streams work well within the Fresh Expressions movement. Some might assume that the Holiness/Pentecostal part makes sense with Fresh Expressions, but how can the Anabaptist part work? Afterall Fresh Expressions is a movement founded within the Church of England? How does Anabaptist belief and practice fit with that? Let’s remember that the Fresh Expressions movement took root in the fields of post-Christendom England just a few decades ago. Christian leaders among the church of England noticed that people were gathering in places outside the four walls of the church buildings to encounter God. Relational connections, networks of friendships were organically forming for mission in places of hurt, brokenness, marginalization. And outbreaks of the Spirit were happening. People were finding Christ in fresh and new ways. The church was happening among people that would never “go to church.” To their credit, the Anglican church leaders asked how can we support these movements and cooperate with what God was doing. Thus started a movement, the Mission-Shaped Church movement, as one of the founding documents was titled. It led to the Fresh Expressions movement in the UK and spread to North America. The Anabaptist movements have their origins 500 years ago in Europe, in the fields of post Christendom as well. In this case though, the Anabaptists were openly rejecting the Christendom alignment of church, state and culture. But like present-day Fresh Expressions, they represented the movements of Jesus happening outside the sanctioned four walls of the church and it’s hierarchies. As such, the two movements both started with Christians gathering outside the sanctioned practice and programs of the established church. And so we might expect that there’s much to learn from each other. Allow me to explore a few places where some of these learnings can happen. Christian leaders among the church of England noticed that people were gathering in places outside the four walls of the church buildings to encounter God. Post Christendom The medieval structures of the church, sponsored (and paid for) by the state, organized the church towards buildings, placing church authority in the offices of the priest/bishop, and coordinating the worship service and other programs of the church towards a uniform liturgy for all churches across the world. It was all part of Christendom. Anabaptists critiqued all of this, much of it for good reason. And this gave impetus for a reexamination of church outside the structures of the four walls of the Christendom church. In some ways, Fresh Expressions is doing today what Anabaptists have been doing for 500 years, the birthing of church expressions outside the walls and programming of institutional structure. Along with all this came an Anabaptist suspicion towards what had become the centralized leadership structures of the church and its proclivity towards hierarchy. Plagued with corruption, and abuse of power, Anabaptists left these medieval church hierarchies for more collaborative, organic forms of leadership. They sought to develop leadership “among” a people, not “over” a people. Five hundred years later, as we try to organize church outside the four walls of the church, what Fresh Expressions calls a ‘blended ecology,’ leadership will need to be organic in similar ways, doing the work of coalescing groups on the ground into the work of the Spirit. Anabaptists have some theology and history to offer Fresh Expressions in these tasks. But of course, it goes without saying, as with all movements, that over time institutions and bureaucracies get set in their ways. Five hundred years of Anabaptist history has shown how some of the best ideas on collaborative leadership, mutual and communal discernment, can go awry. Fresh Expressions has much to offer Anabaptists in this regard. Their work in training and developing new kinds of leaders can reinvigorate the Anabaptist work of developing leaders. Fresh Expressions can reinvigorate old histories, while Anabaptists can help in not repeating old mistakes. If Anabaptists have the history, Fresh Expressions has the energy. Anabaptists bring wisdom. Fresh Expressions brings the ”fresh” eyes. Together, I believe, a dialogue can ignite both for the work of Christ’s kingdom. If Anabaptists have the history, Fresh Expressions has the energy. Community and Discipleship Anabaptists see the church as more than a collection of individuals who gather to receive religious goods and service from the professionals. American churches have sometimes fallen into that trap. Fresh Expressions and Anabaptists alike resist that consumer approach to church. For Anabaptists, the community is central to the life of the believer. This Anabaptist focus wards off the consumerist tendencies of our culture. For Anabaptists, fellowship around a table at a potluck meal is almost sacramental. It is a special place to encounter Christ. The church is an alive organism of the Holy Spirit whereby we discern life together and the salvation made possible in Jesus Christ becomes real and lived together. Christianity is not a religion. Church is not a set of programs. It is a way of life given to us in Christ, lived out under His Lordship over a community, made possible by the Holy Spirit. Discipleship moves to the forefront for Anabaptists because Christians can no longer depend on the culture of Christendom to support Christian life. It must be the church community itself that generates culture and life sufficient to nurture our souls into faithfulness. And so the church as a community, alive with the gifts of the Spirit, eating meals at a table, discerning the teachings of Scripture, become a whole way of life that disciples believers into the Kingdom. There can be no consumerism here. This changes the way we think about ecclesiology. Anabaptists focus on practices, that shape beliefs into behavior. The questions we ask shift. When is a community just an affinity group, when is it mission, when is it discipleship? What is the core practices of discipleship and community that ground us in Jesus? As Fresh Expressions builds communities and practices for building communities outside the church, the wisdom of Anabaptists is helpful. The Anabaptist focus on practices, not only beliefs or programs, is helpful. And yet, as Anabaptists seek to avoid their own communities from becoming insular, coercive or sectarian, they can learn communal formation for mission all over again at Fresh Expressions. Together, Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions together, in dialogue, can ignite both for the renewal of the kingdom in our neighborhoods. The Kingdom Versus creedal formulas, Anabaptists tend to focus on Jesus first, his whole life, his proclamation of the Kingdom of God coming in his presence. The gospel is the whole life of Jesus, his victory over sin, death and evil. And so salvation hardly makes sense apart from Jesus’ preaching of the Kingdom of God, the inauguration of the Kingdom, and the living in that Kingdom now in anticipation of its future. Salvation can never be only personal, it is intensely social. And salvation can never be only social, it is intensely personal andn transformation as I personally follow Jesus and make Him Lord of my life. It is this full gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its inextricable link to the Kingdom that takes us beyond the individualist formulas. The Christendom forces in our history will always tempt us to turn salvation in Jesus into a formula Anabaptists of all streams can learn and be invigorated from the. But we must resist and learn the ways of calling people into something deeper. This is the heart of Fresh Expressions, it seems to me. Anabaptists can help Fresh Expressions with this call to something deeper. But sometimes Anabaptists can also get caught into an echo chamber. Over time our language and skills of communication lose the ability to engage the world outside the church. Fresh Expressions is ever pressing into how we can communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom into broken places. Once again, I believe, that Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions together, in dialogue, can ignite a renewal of evangelism and witness to the kingdom in our neighborhoods. Courage for new adventures must take hold. We’re In New Territory Now In summary, if there’s one thing I have learned from both Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions, it’s that once we understand the social dynamics of the new post-Christendom cultures, our entire missiology and ecclesiology must shift. Old habits must die. Courage for new adventures must take hold. And God is calling us into these new fields of post-Christendom to do mission. And for this calling, I am so blessed to have partaken of both the Anabaptists streams and Fresh Expressions streams of theology and practice. I pray God brings these two great historical movements together more in the future to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God in Jesus name.
Ever since the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) took responsibility for stewarding the Fresh Expressions movement (which originated in Great Britain) in the United States in 2012, Baptists from various streams of this vibrant and diverse family have caught its vision and ideals. Globally, Baptists are among the largest denominational families within the Reformation/Protestant tradition of the Christian Church. The Baptist World Alliance, for example, represents 53 million people in 138 countries and territories, with 283 member bodies. This does not include most of the Southern Baptist Convention (with the exception of BGAV and Baptist General Convention of Texas) and independent Baptists, and so it is fair to say that there are some 65-70 million Baptists globally. Baptists in general share several core convictions and missional attitudes that harmonize beautifully with the vision and mission of the Fresh Expressions movement. Commitment to the Great Commission Johann Gerhard Oncken (1800-1884), one of the founders of the Baptist movement in Germany and the rest of the European continent in the nineteenth century, was fond of saying that every Baptist was called to act as a missionary. This commitment to evangelism has been a core conviction of Baptists across the world, as they seek to participate in fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). In the twenty-first century, many Baptists have found the perspective and offerings of Fresh Expressions to be an exciting and innovative way to live out their missionary call. In the state I reside in, two-thirds of our residents will not be attending a traditional church service on Sunday mornings. New forms of community life and witness are urgently needed to reach these neighbors, many of whom are spiritually hungry but have no spiritual home. The Fresh Expressions new church plant that I attend (now a mature congregation) started out seeking to reach first and second-generation Koreans and other Asians who lived in the Princeton, NJ area. Now, some 17 years later, the church has welcomed and discipled people from a variety of cultural and racial backgrounds and is a truly global family. Small in size yet bold in vision, the fellowship has started several Fresh Expressions ministries and new congregations, from our locality outwards to several countries.
When Fresh Expressions in North America began more than a decade ago, people often tried to claim it for their own tribe. “This is an Anglican thing,” some said. A few years later, when Baptist churches and denominations began to join in, others concluded, “It’s for Baptists.” As the movement continued to grow, we began to hear, “Is this a Methodist thing?” Over the years, it’s become clear: Fresh Expressions isn’t owned by any one tradition—it’s enriched by all of them. Each ecclesial stream carries a treasure—something deeply rooted in its history, theology, and charism—that connects beautifully with the heartbeat of the Fresh Expressions movement. Fresh Expressions is not a new denominational brand, nor a replacement for existing congregations. It’s a movement of the Spirit calling the church back to its missionary identity—to join Jesus in the places we live, work, learn, and play. In every stream, from high church liturgy to grassroots revival, we find echoes of that same calling: the desire to be a church for the sake of others. Anglican Roots and the Gift of Mission-Shaped Church The earliest Fresh Expressions took shape in the Church of England, where leaders began noticing new forms of Christian community emerging on the edges, and began to not only make room for but encourage the church to move beyond her walls and plant the gospel in new soil. Anglicans remind us that mission is not an add-on to the church’s life; it is the church’s life. Their deep sense of sacrament and structure grounds the movement in continuity with the historic faith while sending it into the neighborhoods and networks of our day. The Baptist Gift of Evangelistic Passion Baptists quickly resonated with Fresh Expressions because of their long tradition of evangelism, discipleship, and congregational initiative. In many ways, Baptists embody the pioneering heart of the movement—equipping ordinary people to share the good news and start new communities where people are. Their gift reminds the wider church that every believer is a missionary and that the gospel travels best along relational lines of trust and care. Wesleyan Fire and the Holiness of Love From the Wesleyan and Methodist stream comes a fire that still burns for renewal. John Wesley’s early movement met people in fields, prisons, and workplaces—long before the term “missional church” existed. Fresh Expressions echoes that same impulse: to go where people are, practice a holiness that looks like love in action, and cultivate communities steeped in the grace of God that Wesley preached is already at work in the world before we are aware. The Wesleyan treasure is a faith both warm-hearted and socially engaged—a reminder that evangelism and justice belong together. Presbyterian Thoughtfulness and Connectional Strength Presbyterians bring a rich heritage of theological reflection and connectional leadership. Their gift lies in helping Fresh Expressions find both depth and sustainability. Through discernment, shared governance, and a commitment to equipping leaders, Presbyterians help the movement stay rooted while empowering innovation at every level. They remind us that imagination flourishes best within accountable, prayerful community. The Lutheran Treasure of Grace and Vocation Lutherans offer the gift of a grace-filled gospel and a deep theology of vocation. They remind us that the whole of life—our work, relationships, and communities—can be holy ground for ministry. In the Fresh Expressions movement, that conviction takes visible form: church can happen wherever God’s people live out their faith in ordinary places. Lutherans help us remember that our identity and mission flow not from our performance, but from God’s unmerited grace. The Catholic Gift of Sacrament and Incarnational Presence The Catholic tradition contributes a rich sense of sacrament—that God’s presence saturates the world and can be encountered in bread, wine, water, and neighbor. Catholic communities have long modeled incarnational mission through schools, hospitals, and neighborhood parishes. Fresh Expressions builds on that legacy, sending the church into the public square to embody Christ’s love in tangible, everyday ways. The Orthodox Treasure of Mystery and Transformation From the Orthodox stream comes a treasure of mystery, beauty, and transformation. In a world hungry for depth, the Orthodox vision of worship as participation in God’s divine life reminds the movement that mission begins in awe and ends in love. Their practices of prayer, fasting, and hospitality offer rhythms that sustain missional communities over the long haul. The Evangelical Gift of Passionate Witness Evangelical and Free Church traditions contribute a deep love for Scripture and a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus. Their emphasis on relational evangelism and personal transformation resonates deeply with the Fresh Expressions vision. They remind the whole church that new communities are born when ordinary people share faith naturally in the flow of life. Charismatic and Pentecostal Energy The Charismatic and Pentecostal streams bring a vital awareness of the Spirit’s power and presence. Their treasure is a living expectancy—that God is still speaking, healing, and sending the church into the world today. Fresh Expressions draws energy from that openness to the Spirit, recognizing that mission is not just a strategy but a movement of God’s grace breaking into everyday life. The Anabaptist Witness of Everyday Discipleship The Anabaptist tradition contributes the gift of community and simplicity. Their long-held vision of the church as a countercultural people—embodying peace, justice, and radical discipleship—resonates deeply with the Fresh Expressions vision. They remind us that the gospel is not only proclaimed but lived out in small, shared, everyday acts of love. The Restorationist Desire for Unity and Simplicity Restorationist and Holiness movements bring a longing for simplicity and unity—to be the church that reflects the heart of Jesus rather than the boundaries of denominations. Their treasure lies in a humble return to the essentials: Scripture, discipleship, and community. Fresh Expressions echoes that vision, calling all streams of the church to join together in God’s mission with open hands and open hearts. A Shared Mission, A Richer Church Each of these treasures—sacrament and structure, evangelism and discipleship, renewal and justice, grace and vocation, mystery and transformation, Spirit and simplicity—adds depth to the mosaic of Fresh Expressions. Together, they reveal that this movement isn’t a departure from our traditions but a rediscovery of their truest gifts. As we continue to explore the “ecclesially flexible” nature of Fresh Expressions, we hope every denomination, network, and congregation will see themselves in this movement. The Spirit is stirring across traditions, calling us not to abandon our histories but to live them more fully—for the sake of those who have yet to experience the love of Christ. Over the next season, we will be highlighting leaders from some of these traditions as they reflect upon the ways their distinct tradition aligns with the heart and the vision of Fresh Expressions. We hope this series encourages you to look more closely at the Fresh Expressions approach to mission and discover how it can help you live out your history and calling in your local context and congregation. And we trust that when the treasures of each stream flow together, the whole church becomes more activated, more creative, and more faithful in joining God’s mission in the world.
When we started Fresh Expressions in North America over a decade ago, people often commented, “this is an Anglican thing.” After a year or two of mostly Baptist churches and denominations showing interest, some said, “This is for Baptists.” Then it was Presbyterians. Later, it was Methodists. Over the last 11+ years, there have been portions of the church who thought Fresh Expressions wasn’t for their part of the church. But as we continued to share this vision with each of those detractors, it only helped me realize that Fresh Expressions is really for the whole church.
The Reformed Tradition
Azusa Street: A Fresh Anointing and Fresh Expression of Church
Our tour guide was always telling us to “look below the surface.” Good words for ministry, for emotions, and for life! But this was a bit different. We were in Israel. There was a lot of neat stuff to “look up” to during such a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about. But our tour guide knew better. Our group was visiting Capernaum as one of the sites on our tour. Much of the town that had been Jesus’ mission-center two thousand years ago has archeological ruins that you can see in squared off areas as you walk along paved walkways. St. Peter’s Church, built in 1990, is sort of at the center of the entire site; it’s an interesting modern building that currently “hovers” like a spaceship over the site that is allegedly the house of the Apostle Peter. But our guide took us past these views and the crowds that jostled to see them. He led us to an area that we could peer underneath the church structure to see what looked like the outlines of walls and spaces that had been rooms long ago. “Always look below,” he said, as he took his laser pointer and scanned first an upper layer of limestone and then a lower layer of black rocks, outlining two previous church structures that had existed before the current one, as well as quite possibly the original house of Peter. “The new always has the foundation of the old,” he said. “At the heart of what is built and seems new is always something that has been there all along. You just have to rediscover it. You just have to see it again.” The Mission of Christ and the Wesleys While Fresh Expressions of Church may seem new and different to some people, at their core they really lie at the foundation and heart of the original mission of Christ and the Wesleyan movement. Initially started by the Wesley brothers as a reforming discipling and evangelistic movement within the Church of England, Wesleyanism went on to sweep across North America. Today, it is carried on by various denominations who share its distinctives of prevenient grace, sanctification, free will, personal and social holiness, and mobilization for mission and service in the world. These and other features correspond with the values of the Fresh Expressions movement.
