So what is Fresh Expressions?

Fresh Expressions as a concept has been around for a while now, (and came out of the Mission Shaped Church thinking in the UK) but in the last few months it has made an impact amongst Anglicans - and some Presbyterians and others - in New Zealand, particularly in the light of the visit of Graham Cray. I don't think it's the first time Fresh Expressions has appeared on the radar here, but I haven't got anything to hand to back that idea up, and there are elements of Fresh Expressions that are similar to Messy Church, another British import, which has been functioning in NZ for quite some time in various forms.

Anyway for those who are still catching up on what Fresh Expressions is, and who would like to read a bit of good thinking about it, check out Mark Johnston's recent blog post on the subject: What is Fresh Expressions and what might we learn from it?

The Missional Channel

Nope, this isn't an addition to Sky; sorry to raise your hopes.

Instead it's a site on Vimeo, where there are about ten videos from mission-focused speakers, including some whom we've often named in this blog for various reasons: David Fitch, Alan Hirsch, Ed Stetzer, Graham Cray (the Fresh Expressions man), Andrew Jones, Alan Roxburgh.

The videos vary considerably in length, the longest being around half an hour and the shortest just under two minutes (the length shows up down the bottom left of the screen before you start running the video). The titles aren't terribly helpful ('Missional Conversation', 'an interview with..', 'cultivate gathering' and so on) so it's a matter of opening up one of the videos and seeing what it has to say.

Recommended for those short patches when you just need to stop and listen for a while....

Bishop Cray and Fresh Expressions

Bishop Cray, Director of Fresh Expressions/Frontier Ministry, UK, will be in Christchurch during the week of 6-11 July (Nelson and Dunedin dioceses may also be involved in this) and is the key speaker at the Wellington Anglican Diocesan Clergy Conference from July 13-16 in Masterton.

There is also the possibility of two opportunities to spend time with Bishop Cray in:
1. A small meeting with those who can attend at the Anglican Center, 18 Eccelston Hill, Thorndon, Wellington on Friday afternoon from 2.30pm -5pm (max) and/or

2. The Wellington Diocesan Ministry Day being held for those who do not fall into the category of Wellington Clergy (although they are also welcome to attend!) on Saturday July 17 at St Paul’s Church, Paraparaumu from 9.30am to 4pm

For more information, email Tony Gerritsen at gerritsen@inspire.net.nz