A01=John Walker
attendance
Attendance Decline
Author_John Walker
Category=NH
Category=QR
Category=QRA
Category=QRM
Census
child
Child Attendance
Christian Faith Community
Chronic
church
Church Attendance Decline
Church Decline
Church Planting
churches
Churchgoing Experience
Committed Members
communities
Congregational Culture
Contemporary Society
Cyclical Reinforcement
decline
emerging
Emerging Church
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Face To Face
faith
Faith Community
Fresh Expressions
Fresh Expressions Movement
Liquid Church
messy
Messy Church
parish
Parish Church
PC2
Sunday Attendance
Transformative Cycle
USA
Product details
- ISBN 9781032179728
- Weight: 500g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 30 Sep 2021
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Testing Fresh Expressions investigates whether fresh expressions of church really do what is claimed for them by the fresh expressions movement and, in particular, whether their unique approach helps to reverse trends of decline experienced by traditional churches. Part 1 examines those claims and untangles their sociological and theological assumptions. From a careful study of factors underlying attendance decline and growth, Part 2 argues that long-term decline can be resisted only if churches are better able to attract children, the non-churched or both. Part 3 tests the comparative ability of a group of growing parish churches and a group of fresh expressions to resist trends of decline and discovers some intriguing social dynamics common to both groups. Part 4 argues that fresh expressions do not fulfil the unique role often claimed for them but that they do have the capacity to help reinvigorate the whole church.
John Walker has experience of both traditional parish ministry and innovative church planting. Alongside parish ministry he has been a researcher for the Diocese of Canterbury in a joint project with the University of Kent, Canterbury.
