The Fresh Expressions Podcast

Does your ministry feel insignificant? Churches large and small have struggled with a decline in attendance since pandemic restrictions were lifted. But scripture teaches us not to despise small beginnings. In this episode, Dr. Chris Backert, North American Director of Fresh Expressions returns to discuss the opportunities that lay ahead for churches and church leaders when they em

Over time, it’s natural to become stuck. In your career, relationship, ministry, you name it.Goal-setting and resolutions are great things to do. But what if you could become a person with a more creative spirit and innovative mindset?This episode features an excerpt of a recent webinar where creativity coach and Fresh Expressions Mission Strategist Mitch Marcello will help you u

Merry Christmas from the Fresh Expressions Team!In this special Christmas episode, you will hear greetings from our North American team and get a glimpse of what God is up to in the North American Fresh Expressions movement.Fresh Expressions is a worldwide movement of everyday missionaries who want to see churches thrive in the places we live, eat, work and play by leveraging the c

Many traditional Christians build their weekends around Church attendance, many others are spending their weekends "playing." Hobbies, sports, and other activities provide much more than a thrill or a distraction: they are places where people feel more alive, more embodied, and often build their most profound community. Rather than try to pull people away from their passions, how c

How does a pioneer stay passionately focused on their mission and deeply rooted in their relationship with God? One way to engage with Scripture for the purpose of understanding how we join God's work in our world. In this episode, we feature an excerpt of our audio devotional resource Advent Missio Divina. In this devotional, you'll hear scripture, and be prompted to listen to the

Friend and missional mentor Michael Frost returns to the Fresh Expressions podcast to discuss his book Mission Is the Shape of Water: Learning From the Past to Inform Our Role in the World Today. Does mission look the same across all times and places? Michael Frost says no in his latest book! He dives into Christian mission through the centuries, examining how context sculpts missi

From the Jesus People movement of the 70s and the “seeker-sensitive” outreach of the 80s, Boomers have shaped the development of the North American Church. Yet, as they approach and enter retirement, for some their church participation is dwindling. Join Jim Divine, who pastors a church in The Villages, Florida, to discuss how churches can help guide the “Me” Generation to

The weeks leading up to Christmas provide an opportunity for Christians, and even our broader culture, to turn our minds to Jesus.But how do you help Christians reimagine the holiday season that has been co-opted by secular and consumerist practices?How do you take the concepts and traditions, many rooted in high church liturgies, to modern churches, dinner churches, home churches

For some Christians, Christmas is a frantic mix of family gatherings, secular celebrations with a special worship service on December 24. But what might it look like or Christians to recapture the sense of Christmas as a season of anticipation and celebration of the incarnation? In this episode, episcopal priest and Fresh Expressions pioneer Fr. Jon Davis will help you understand t

Since JD's church in Minneapolis reimagined itself as a Dinner Church, they've reached people in their neighborhood they would never have met before. This shift was inspired in part by their experience at Thanksgiving. In this episode, you will hear J.D.'s story about how they used the lessons of a Holiday service project to help start a different kind of church.Fresh Expressions i