Mission Shapped Church

While on holiday in the UK, I spent an afternoon with Bishop Graham Cray one of the people behind the Mission Shapped Church report. At the moment I am writting a report ot my Bishop about it, including making some recommendations of areas to explore. While the meeting was great, the thing that really struck me was how those involved had tried to put structures behinf emerging church type concepts allowing them to be as Graham said, "drawn from the fringes into the main stream life of the Church." I guess these possibilites fill me with excitement that there may finaly be a palce for recognition of the value to 'church' life of the fringes, but I also have a sense of fear. From my time of involvement with soem of these fringe groups on of the values of them was that they were fringe - they were church without the trimmings, the politics and full of freedom. My fear is with this then that through drawing soem of these things in they will cease to be of value to those on the fringes.

just a thought....