There is a tendency to speak about a number of different movements as if they were really the same thing. I think we need to tease them apart in order to understand what we're trying to do:
Fresh Expressions: A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church. (See the Fresh Expressions web site.)
Emerging Churches: Emerging churches seek to explore and create new forms of church that both understand and challenge our emerging postmodern culture. According to Gibbs and Bolger, "Emerging Churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities." (See Emerging Churches, SPCK, 2006.)
Mission Project: The work of any group or community focused on (1) proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, (2) teaching, baptising and nurturing new believers, (3) responding to human need by loving service, (3) seeking to transform unjust structures of society, and/or (5) striving to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth. (See the Five Marks of Mission.)
While there is clearly an overlap between each of these, I think it would also be helpful to hold them apart in our thinking. While an emerging church may fulfil the criteria to be a fresh expression, a fresh expression may not necessarily be an emerging church, etc, etc...
I'm not arguing that we should focus on any one of these, or require all of our groups, communities or projects to fit each definition, but I think it may be helpful to recognise the distinctions between them so we understand what each of our activities are trying to achieve...
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