REFLECTION
Becoming a 'mixed economy' Church?
A group of elderly people, meeting to have lunch, watch a drama, sing some hymns and discuss a Bible topic together.
A Fairtrade café in the city with a prayer room, counselling available, people allowed to be there all day, and street patrols offering help as needed when the nightclubs open.
80 police staff in Merseyside meeting for worship in the central refectory area of the police headquarters to support each other in the workplace and reach out to colleagues who have never been to church.
A “messy church” – where children meet to “get creative” and there's a short service followed by a meal for the families.
These are just a few examples of fresh expressions of church, each created to meet the needs of its own community. 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.
With the strap line “changing church for a changing world”, the Fresh Expressions initiative is part of Archbishop Rowan Williams' vision to create a 'mixed economy church' of traditional congregations and fresh expressions of church working alongside and complementing one another. Since it was started in 2005, the initiative has resulted in hundreds of new congregations being formed.
As a church, we are considering whether we should move to having two main services. I hope that these glimpses of what others are doing will help you in your thinking and praying on this matter. Please let us know your thoughts during the consultation process over the next few months. How could we meet the needs of our teenagers and others who want something different to the Sung Eucharist? How could we connect with the unchurched people whom you know, who are looking for something spiritual in their lives? What kind of worship would be helpful for them?
Rev Chris Orme
