sustain:if:able kiwi

is my fresh expression like your fresh expression

Had an enjoyable and stimulating afternoon with Peter and Helen Pillinger, involved in fresh expressions (Methodist) in the UK. Adding richness to the conversation was David Bush (New Zealand Methodist leader), Pete Majendie (Kiwi installation artist) and Mark Pierson (World Vision New Zealand).

We talked widely comparing countries:
– the uniqueness of the UK in having such great denominational leadership resourcing fresh expressions
– the uniqueness of the rave scene in the UK, which birthed alternative worship
– the uniqueness of the Baptist scene in New Zealand, which has the strength of allowing local innovation, but the seeming disadvantage of an inability to resource longer-term innovation and change
– whether size of fresh expression congregations is an adequate marker of missional effectiveness
– how to find, resource and train fresh expression leaders
– if everything is a fresh expression, is anything a fresh expression
– how blinded are we to the needed shapes of future leaders.

Not many conclusions. For me, sitting in around the couches at Opawa it was quite encouraging to realise that from a UK fresh expression perspective, Opawa as a church has planted 4 “fresh expressions” in the last 5 years. And that my year long training of missional church leaders is considered ahead of the UK game. (They have put aside millions to work on their training of pioneer leaders, while down here in New Zealand we simply plug away, innovating on our shoestrings.) Yah for Opawa and for Kiwi no. 8 wire innovation.