Fresh Expressions and the Future Church
A fresh expression is a missional, contextual, formational, and ecclesial form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet part of any church. Thousands of fresh expressions are emerging across the globe. Inherited congregations involved in their cultivation are experiencing forms of revitalization, in what has been called a “blended ecology of church.” This cohort, led by leading practitioners, the first of its kind in the US, is created for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs passionate about leading local churches in mission on the edge.
Graduates of the Fresh Expressions and Church Renewal Doctor of Ministry program will:
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding and integration of fresh expressions/pioneer ministry in relation to leadership and post-Christendom culture
- Formulate a comprehensive understanding of the missional church movement, while developing and acquiring skills in research methods, critical thinking, and academic voice
- Foster competencies in contextual intelligence, missional church planting, and the anticipation of trends for local ministry application through the completion of a doctoral-level project
- Engage with diverse cultural, religious, and linguistic contexts of ministry through an immersive cross-cultural field experience
- Learn adaptive skills for a new missional frontier, including navigating the relationship between “caring for the center, experimentation on the edge” or re-missioning traditional congregations to become fresh expressions incubators
- Hone practical renewal skills like cultivating healthy/holy teams, having crystal clear focus, establishing thoughtful, biblical, Wesleyan strategies, and practicing continually getting better
Education
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Doctor of Ministry (DMin), Drew University, Madison, NJ (May 2021)
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Master of Divinity (MDiv), Drew University, Madison, NJ (May 2005)
Professional
Rev. Dr. Daniel Park is the Lead Pastor of Restoration Church, a thriving United Methodist congregation in Reston, Virginia, dedicated to restoring the wonder of Christ, the beauty of the Church, and the wholeness of communities. As the lead dreamer and visionary of Restoration, Daniel guides a movement that is unashamedly centered on Jesus and deeply committed to bringing healing and hope to the surrounding community. As a lead practitioner of Fresh Expressions, he actively mobilizes and equips laity to co-create new expressions of church engaged in the well-being of Reston and beyond. He is focused on cultivating a robust blended ecology where the inherited church and Fresh Expressions thrive together. Daniel is passionate about empowering people to cultivate curiosity, dream boldly, and step into a holy imagination of what the local church can be today and into the future. With a deep love for word studies, he creatively weaves semiotics, storytelling, and missional engagement into his preaching and teaching.
Co-Mentor
Mentor Assistant
- Laura Wittman