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Subsequent to the report’s publication, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York appointed the Fresh Expressions team, headed by Steven Croft, now Bishop of Sheffield.8 The team was largely funded by the Lambeth Partners, a charity that raises money to support aspects of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s vision. The Methodist Church was a partner from the beginning, the Congregational Federation has partnered for several years and the United Reformed Church has become a partner.9 A number of agencies, such as the Church Army, are also partners.

The Fresh Expressions team has had amplifying effects in a number of ways. Steven Croft’s initial year (in 2005) of listening to pioneers affirmed and legitimized what these ‘early adopters’ were seeking to do. An online directory of fresh expressions of church had over 750 entries by 2009. Though it is doubtful that all met the team’s 2006 definition,10 the growing number of entries offered a tangible sign that the phenomenon was far from insignificant.

An early tour round a number of Methodist districts and Church of England diocesan synods, followed by a later tour in 2009–11, helped to spread news of what was happening on the ground. Two DVDs, one already referred to and the second in 2007,11 contained stories of these new and different forms of church. The first in particular has been widely used, selling approaching 5,000 copies by 2011, which makes it one of the most popular Christian DVDs to come out of the UK.

To whet people’s appetite, Vision Days have provided a story-based introduction to fresh expressions of church. By the start of 2011, 74 had been held, with nearly 5,700 people attending. A downloadable six-week mission-shaped intro (msi) course for use in small or medium-sized church groups focuses on the ‘why’ of fresh expressions, and had involved an estimated 25,000 participants in 22 countries by 2011. By early that year, the flagship mission-shaped ministry (msm) course had been or was running ecumenically in nearly 60 centres across the UK with over 2100 students involved. This ‘one-year, part-time course takes participants on a learning journey as part of a supportive community, training them for ministry in fresh expressions of church’ (www.missionshapedministry.org).

These and other initiatives (such as a presence on Facebook) have been a megaphone for emerging types of church. Events like Vision Days have given pioneers a platform from which to tell their stories and enthuse their audiences. Stories have legitimized pioneering developments, given others the confidence to follow suit and encouraged the UK churches to give more official support. The Church of Scotland, for example, has been influenced by the spread of fresh expressions in England, as have churches in North America, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe.