Pioneer
Ministry
Fresh Expressions of Church
The Northmoor Team of Churches, alongside the other churches
in the Okehampton Deanery, supports an Ordained Pioneer Minister
to help them
develop ‘fresh expressions of church’.
This is part of a national initiative of
the Anglican, Methodist and URC churches to encourage new Christian
congregations with
a different ‘style’ from our traditional churches.
The aim
is to create ‘forms’ of church that those who presently distance themselves
from traditional church
will find helpful and relevant.
These fresh expressions of church can be quite modest:
perhaps informal gatherings for all ages, perhaps meeting in a
village hall and
mid-week rather than on a Sunday.
Other fresh expressions may be more radical:
centred on active social concern or the needs of disaffected young adults,
drawing on the Christian faith for wisdom and strength.
For a video introduction to the project, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPilHOYEKeU
For the
audio-visual of the recent report to General Synod February 2010 on where
the
whole ‘fresh expressions of church’
agenda is up to, look first here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8fYJAMsJxc
and then here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vBODhcXMAI.
For further information on the national Fresh Expressions initiative, go to: www.freshexpressions.org.uk
In the Okehampton Deanery, this is a seven-year project
which started in November 2008. If you are interested in participating in a
fresh expression of church in the Okehampton area, please be in touch with our
Pioneer Minister, Rev'd David Muir
The Rectory, South Tawton
EX20 2LQ
Tel: 01837 840867 or 07854845067
email:
okehamptonpioneer@btinternet.com
For further information on a training course on fresh
expressions of church, to be held in the Okehampton area starting Easter 2010
and led by our Pioneer Minister, go to: www.exeter.anglican.org/pioneer
'For a very basic introduction to what a pioneer approach
to church life is, see the Pioneer Primer. A new short section is added every
month.'