Fresh Expressions US is proud to announce a new partnership with the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church!
“Engaging in ministry with those who otherwise have little interest in the church means that we must go where people are to hear about their interests. Fresh Expressions promise to be very effective ways for our churches to connect in missional and relational ministries with people who are disconnected from God and the church in their communities.
We are excited about the training and inspiration that the partnership with Fresh Expressions U.S. will bring to the Indiana Conference this year! We expect that Fresh Expressions will play a vital part in our churches and members reaching our missional goal of ‘Living as those who are sent to connect people to Jesus’ now and for the foreseeable future.”
Emily Reece- Director of Church Development, INUMC
We were recently able to ask Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development for the INUMC some questions about this new partnership!
Tell us about your denomination/organization. We cover the state of Indiana and have approximately 1100 UM Churches.
How did you learn about FX? What drew you to it? Articles coming out of the Methodist Church in England and their success using FX to reach non-church-going folk.
Why do you think it’s important to partner with FX? It’s very important! FX already has the resources we need and experience working with judicatories like ours.
What hopes do you have for the growth of your organization, and where do you see FX fitting into that? Our goal is to have 100 FXs by 2024, reaching a population that is 75% unchurched.
Do you have any Fresh Expressions now, or others you’d like to develop soon? We are just beginning to inventory how many we have.
What resources have you found helpful? So far we’ve shared information from the Methodist Church in England, experience from UM FX efforts in Germany, the book “Fresh Expressions” by Kenneth Carter and Audrey Warren, and one “Vision Day” led by FX US last fall. All have been helpful. We also have visited Michael Beck’s UMC in Wildwood, FL, to get a first-hand look at a church with multiple FXs.
What would you say to other leaders considering partnering with FX? Why reinvent the wheel? Take advantage of the experience and resources that FX US already has available!
