Fresh Expression of Churches in Hong Kong 2024
Institute for City Transformation
In recent years, Hong Kong has undergone various changes, which have also brought significant transformations to church communities. Among these developments, many new forms of churches have emerged and matured, with clearer positioning and development models. This article provides an overview of the characteristics of these new church forms in Hong Kong, based on the concept of Fresh Expressions of churches (FxC). Fresh Expressions churches are characterized by the following four key traits:
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Missional Outreach: Emphasizing engagement and service to people outside the church (non-believers or those who have left the church).
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Cultural Engagement: Listening to and integrating into the culture of the community being served.
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Discipleship Training: Prioritizing the training and development of disciples.
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Church Formation: Aiming to establish a community of believers as a church.
These examples demonstrate the gathering and service models of fresh expressions of church and communities outside traditional congregations. Non-believers generally find these forms of faith communities and churches easier to accept and integrate into. These fresh expressions of church also face many challenges, including lack of resources in manpower, finances, and venues, and the many lives and gospel needs of those they serve.
Leaders of these fresh expressions often have to multitask between pastoral care, management, and running their own work or businesses, while continuing to carry out their mission and reach out to non-believers. This leads us to explore collaboration between traditional congregations and fresh expressions of church, including the cooperation of "slash pastors", to jointly serve non-believers, allowing more people to know God and bringing hope and peace to the city in new and creative ways that can engage non-believers and expand God’s kingdom.