Minding the Gap, ett studium av arbetet med Fresh Expressions i England, med en diskussion kring vad det innebär att vara kyrka i en ny tid
(2009) KREX85 20091Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
- Abstract
- In 2004 the report Mission-shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context was published by Church of England’s Department for Mission and Public Affairs ( Church House Publishing, London). The report was the result of in-depth thinking and reflection, within the Church of England and within the Methodist Church, on new ways of being Church in a changed cultural context. The report also showed the willingness of the leaders of both churches to fundamentally re-think what it means to be Church and to work in mission in the context of today. Whilst compiling the report twelve new ways of being Church were observed and these were presented and labelled Fresh Expressions of Church.
In this essay the... (More) - In 2004 the report Mission-shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context was published by Church of England’s Department for Mission and Public Affairs ( Church House Publishing, London). The report was the result of in-depth thinking and reflection, within the Church of England and within the Methodist Church, on new ways of being Church in a changed cultural context. The report also showed the willingness of the leaders of both churches to fundamentally re-think what it means to be Church and to work in mission in the context of today. Whilst compiling the report twelve new ways of being Church were observed and these were presented and labelled Fresh Expressions of Church.
In this essay the work with Fresh Expressions of Church is being closely examined together with a critical assessment of what it means to be Church in a changed context.
The essay begins with a short presentation of the Church of England and the Methodist Church, followed by a chronological survey of the most important events preceding the Mission-shaped Church report, and then to the present day. This is followed by the two main chapters of the essay. The first chapter explains the structures making up the Fresh Expressions initiative and describes the different models of education including Visiondays, and the Mission Shaped Intro and Mission Shaped Ministry courses. It also includes a description of the patterns of training for Lay and Ordained Pioneer Ministry. Furthermore, it presents the Bishops’ Mission Orders as a model for giving authority to parishes outside the traditional geographic boundaries and mission initiatives that cross parish or diocesan borders.
The second main chapter deals with the theological background and the foundations upon which Fresh Expressions of Church is based. Here the main focus is upon the concept of Church and mission and upon the tension between the inherited Church and the Fresh Expressions of Church in, what Archbishop Rowan Williams calls, a Mixed Economy. The chapter ends with a presentation of some of the critique which has followed these topics.
The essay concludes with a thorough discussion of the concept of Church today. This is done through reflecting upon the significance of the sacraments and the challenging dynamic of the Mixed Economy. This part also comprises material from three interviews which I conducted in spring 2009 with people involved in Fresh Expressions in both London and Nottingham. I find that since the Church of England embodies a profound understanding of the importance of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it is an inevitable part of the concept of being Church. Having said that, I also find that Fresh Expressions of Church may exist without sharing in the Lord’s Supper provided they live together with the inherited Church, in the mutual respect and the shared love which characterize the Mixed Economy. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1776769
- author
- Torbrand, Anna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- KREX85 20091
- year
- 2009
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- mission, Fresh Expressions of Church, Church of England, Mission Shaped Church
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1776769
- date added to LUP
- 2011-02-07 10:36:57
- date last changed
- 2015-12-14 13:36:07
@misc{1776769,
abstract = {{In 2004 the report Mission-shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context was published by Church of England’s Department for Mission and Public Affairs ( Church House Publishing, London). The report was the result of in-depth thinking and reflection, within the Church of England and within the Methodist Church, on new ways of being Church in a changed cultural context. The report also showed the willingness of the leaders of both churches to fundamentally re-think what it means to be Church and to work in mission in the context of today. Whilst compiling the report twelve new ways of being Church were observed and these were presented and labelled Fresh Expressions of Church.
In this essay the work with Fresh Expressions of Church is being closely examined together with a critical assessment of what it means to be Church in a changed context.
The essay begins with a short presentation of the Church of England and the Methodist Church, followed by a chronological survey of the most important events preceding the Mission-shaped Church report, and then to the present day. This is followed by the two main chapters of the essay. The first chapter explains the structures making up the Fresh Expressions initiative and describes the different models of education including Visiondays, and the Mission Shaped Intro and Mission Shaped Ministry courses. It also includes a description of the patterns of training for Lay and Ordained Pioneer Ministry. Furthermore, it presents the Bishops’ Mission Orders as a model for giving authority to parishes outside the traditional geographic boundaries and mission initiatives that cross parish or diocesan borders.
The second main chapter deals with the theological background and the foundations upon which Fresh Expressions of Church is based. Here the main focus is upon the concept of Church and mission and upon the tension between the inherited Church and the Fresh Expressions of Church in, what Archbishop Rowan Williams calls, a Mixed Economy. The chapter ends with a presentation of some of the critique which has followed these topics.
The essay concludes with a thorough discussion of the concept of Church today. This is done through reflecting upon the significance of the sacraments and the challenging dynamic of the Mixed Economy. This part also comprises material from three interviews which I conducted in spring 2009 with people involved in Fresh Expressions in both London and Nottingham. I find that since the Church of England embodies a profound understanding of the importance of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it is an inevitable part of the concept of being Church. Having said that, I also find that Fresh Expressions of Church may exist without sharing in the Lord’s Supper provided they live together with the inherited Church, in the mutual respect and the shared love which characterize the Mixed Economy.}},
author = {{Torbrand, Anna}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Minding the Gap, ett studium av arbetet med Fresh Expressions i England, med en diskussion kring vad det innebär att vara kyrka i en ny tid}},
year = {{2009}},
}