We are a growing intercultural network of churches that work together, in regions, to engage in mission, church planting and to facilitate the development of healthy local churches.
We do this by developing leaders, exchanging ideas, practical support, mutual encouragement and prayer. The network began in 1842 and in recent years, renewed its’ life with a new vision for mission across cultural boundaries.
Belong
We are a relational network as well as an organisation.
Churches begin the process of belonging to FCC by contacting the national office. Initial contact is normally followed by a visit designed to build relationship.
Engage with People
Our activities are intended to foster friendships across local churches. We desire to use the spiritual gifts and skills of people to support mission, growth and health.
Leaders
Leadership is a key element in the health and mission of the church. We seek to support leaders. This takes place in a variety of ways.
The annual CREATE conference specifically for leaders is a cornerstone event in the pattern of support and encouragement.
Specialist Ministries
In addition to ministry in the local church, such as pastors, youth workers and children’s workers, there are a range of specialist ministries that serve the wider church. For example, some are called to be chaplains in prisons, hospitals, the armed forces and sports ministry.
We recognise the value of these ministries and work with individuals to help to develop these ministries.
Local Leaders
Churches benefit from a range of leadership gifts that assist the church to fulfil it’s mission. These may be leaders of small groups, youth leaders, children’s workers, music directors and those that help with the finances. The list is almost endless.
There are certain elements that all leaders need to develop and we offer training in helping to identify giftedness, calling and the principles of leadership.
Engage with Resources
We encourage churches to create strategies for mission in their local setting. There is no “one size fits all” strategy and so we encourage conversation with national staff members to create a contextualised local strategy.
Supporting Churches
There are a variety of ways in which local churches can be supported in mission. From Coaching and Mentoring through to local consultancy, churches can be helped to consider how the local church might flourish.
Planting Churches
Many of the churches that are part of FCC are fairly recent church plants. These are often church plants amongst particular ethnic groups. Currently, there is a lively debate about how more churches can be planted on an intercultural basis. The national and regional teams are leading this planning exercise.
Regions
As our network grow, we are beginning to form congregations into regional groupings to assist with resourcing and especially with church planting. Regional connection can help to identify and meet the specific needs of local churches.
