Abstract:
The Fresh Expression movement is well-known in Great Britain and other Western countries
like the USA, Australia and lately South Africa. During 2013, a task team launched two pilot
courses in Cape Town and George that marked the beginning of Fresh Expressions in South
Africa. The Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (Netherdutch Reformed Church of
Africa – NRCA) exposed 125 of her pastors to the Fresh Expression movement by means of the
annual continuous theological training program during 2015. Three of the pastors underwent
the ‘Train the Trainer’ course and are currently involved in the presentation of courses in the
Pretoria region. The Fresh Expression movement hold the possibility for pioneers in church
planting to reach the people who have no ties with the established church. By entering a certain
context, faith communities are established by means of listening to the people in their context,
serving them in a loving way, creating a community, evangelise and discipling them and
starting their own unique way of worshipping. The new faith communities are not in
competition with the established church but it is rather a question of a mixed economy where
different types of church exists alongside each other in mutual respect and support. This study
tries to establish basic criteria to distinguish a Fresh Expression from random missional
outreaches by a congregation. Two potential Fresh Expressions in the NRCA were evaluated
by the set criteria.
