Reaching New People, in New Places, in New Ways
At Fresh Expressions Florida, we are passionate about exploring new ways of being church. We embrace a Spirit-led approach to building communities of faith and belonging that bring God’s love and grace to those currently neglected by the church.
Through our work as an initiative of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, we seek to empower clergy and lay leaders as they cultivate missional communities in ordinary places.
Following the listening-first journey, these practitioners of Fresh Expressions, whom we call "adventurers," build relationships and connections in places they already spend their time, like coffee shops, hiking trails, and the gym, that grow into churches in their own right that are Christ-centered, inclusive, accessible, transformational, and connectional.
We believe that the Gospel is good news for all and has the power to transform the lives of individuals and communities all over the state of Florida.
Our Story
In April 2014, conversations about Fresh Expressions took root in the Florida United Methodist Conference. We discovered practitioners already cultivating these communities in yoga studios, parks, burrito joints, and even tattoo parlors. Over the last decade, Fresh Expressions has taken off across the conference. There are currently around 300 Fresh Expressions of Church. These expressions of church look very different in how and where they gather, but the heart of each group is to reach new people, in new places and in new ways.
As we envision the future of the church, we believe that it will be a blended ecology of both traditional churches and fresh expressions. These two forms of church must exist in a symbiotic relationship together as we seek to reach people with the Gospel.
Fresh Expressions Florida is a distinctly Wesleyan Spirit-led movement of new Christian communities that serve the present age. Fresh Expressions are inclusive, accessible, transformative, and connectional. These communities can be analog, digital, or hybrid.
We cultivate these communities of love and grace primarily for people currently neglected by the church. Now, across the conference fresh expressions can be found in every district. We praise God for this work of the Spirit in Florida drawing more people into a transforming relationship with Jesus!