Fresh Expressions

Link to Lighthouse Congregations website here.

A Fresh Expression is quite simply a fresh expression of church. Fresh Expressions is a movement that is cultivating new forms of church - the presentation of the gospel and church in context - alongside existing congregations in order to reach changing, diverse cultures and world. At its heart, Fresh Expressions is about empowering and equipping God's people to develop creative expressions of church that can reach the increasing diversity of our society in order to share a message that is transformative.

Beginning in 2004 as an initiative of the Church of England and the British Methodist Church, the movement has resulted in the birth of thousands of new communities and has brought renewal to scores of established churches. In 2010, the movement began taking shape in the US.

Fresh Expressions can be rural or suburban, in public spaces, housing projects and college dormitories. Some are aimed at specific groups, ranging from "Messy Church" for families with children to "Amore Groups" led by married couples. There is a biker group, cowboy church, church for artists, church at or after work, -- the sky's the limit. Each is an adventure in bringing the power of the Gospel to people who might never experience Christian community and the transformational and self-giving love of Jesus.

There are four guiding principles that tie fresh expressions together:

MISSIONAL: reach people through outreach, community involvement and Discipleship
CONTEXTUAL: each one will look different as it reflects the language and culture of the people in and for their particular context
FORMATIONAL: people are being formed and are committing to Jesus
ECCLESIAL: forming local, tangible Christian communities that are able to step out as church in their own right

For more information, visit the Fresh Expression US website at https://freshexpressionsus.org/

Dinner Church

Leaders all across the country are rediscovering Jesus' dinner table theology that dominated the Apostolic Era. The present-day Dinner Church movement is giving leaders and churches a renewed ability to reach people who would never attend their Sunday morning gatherings.

Visit The Dinner Church Collective Website at https://dinnerchurch.com/ to:

Find out how the Dinner Church vision could impact your congregation's ministry;
Gain practical insights that can enable you to begin hosting a Dinner Church in your own community; and
Download the FREE E-Book, 15 Dilemmas Every New Faith Community Faces: and How the Dinner Church Addresses Them.

Starting from Scratch: A step-by-step example of starting a Dinner Church

For more information, visit The Dinner Church Collective Website at: https://dinnerchurch.com/

Need our assistance?

Please complete the FCF Assistance Request Form:

For clergy and lay persons, click here.
For Chief Missional Strategists only, click here.

EVENTS

Watch for upcoming events.

RESOURCES

Grants available (two types):

FX Mini-Grant, click here.
FX Grant, click here.

Books: