Fresh Expressions helps churches develop mission-shaped services

Putting together a worship service introducing fresh expressions of church and mission-shaped thinking can be a time consuming exercise.

Now a new resource from Fresh Expressions is available to help you plan a tailor-made mission-shaped service at the touch of a button.

'Mission shaped congregations: re-imagining church is an interactive' DVD-ROM in which material can be mixed and matched from four different streams - each with its own distinctive style or flavour.

It incorporates video clips, a PowerPoint presentation, liturgy in various traditions, prayers, a sermon outline, and a children’s talk. Follow-up material for use in midweek meetings, house groups, church councils or PCC meetings is also provided.

The DVD-ROM requires a PC/Mac DVD drive for full functionality, although the video sequence can be viewed on a standard DVD player. It works in a similar way to a website shopping cart in that items can be selected from the service elements listed on a menu: these include Welcome and introduction, Opening prayer, Praise and adoration, Confession and absolution, Collect, Creedal hymn or song, Intercession, and Eucharist.

On selecting an element, a list of items appropriate for it will appear on screen. After making your choice, add it to your plan to include it in the service. The suggested sermon is focused on Acts 19 and 20, ‘God in the old and the new: fresh expressions in the early church and today.’

The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, said: “This is a brilliant resource, providing a great menu of ideas and material to enrich our worship. Every worship leader should have a copy.”

Rev Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, added: “This is a timely resource. It’s creative, contextual and utterly orthodox.”

Mark Russell, Chief Executive of the Church Army, commented: “A brilliant resource for congregations just beginning to explore new ways of being church – easy to use and crammed full with relevant resources to get your congregation thinking about becoming a mission shaped church.”

Christina Baxter, Principal of St John’s College, Nottingham, welcomed “initiatives which enable people to think creatively about how worship may ‘hold fast to all that is good’ as well as try to relate to contemporary culture”.

On the web: www.freshexpressions.org.uk/resources/congregations