How Launching Faith Compares to Similar Movements

Fresh Expressions

Fresh Expressions began in the UK through the Methodist Church and Church of England and encourages churches to start new forms of church within communities.

Examples include:

  • Cafe Church

  • Messy Church

  • Dinner Church

  • Skate Park Church

  • Dog-walking church

Strategy - The Fresh Expressions model follows a common process: Listen → Love → Build Community → Explore Discipleship → Become Church

It encourages mission-first communities that may eventually become a church.

Strengths

  • Strong theological backing

  • Broad denominational support

  • Many contextual expressions

Limitations - Fresh Expressions often become church-adjacent programs rather than deeply relational communities.

Comparison to Launching Faith

  • Fresh Expressions is a denominational initiative. Launching Faith is a grassroots ministry.

  • Fresh Expressions focuses on new forms of church. Launching Faith forms faith communities in everyday spaces.

  • Fresh Expressions mission leads towards the church. Launching Faith leads towards spiritual communities where life already happens.

  • Fresh Expressions is a denominational network that focuses on denominational training. Launching Faith provides independent coaching and training tools for individuals as well as churches.

  • Fresh Expressions has a Methodist mission theology. Launching Faith believes in the incarnational presence of God continued through the Church.

Key Difference

Fresh Expressions asks: “How can the church reach new communities?”

Launching Faith asks: “How can faith communities form where people already live their lives?”

Dinner Church Collective

Dinner Church centers on shared meals as a key expression of community. It gained popularity through networks like the Dinner Church Collective and churches such as St. Lydia’s in Brooklyn. The meal itself becomes the foundation of worship and discipleship.

Strategy

The typical pattern is:

  1. Shared meal

  2. Scripture reflection

  3. Prayer and worship

  4. Communion or blessing

Strengths

  • Deeply relational

  • Naturally welcoming

  • Accessible to people outside church

Limitations - Dinner Church is still often hosted by a church and connected to that congregation.

Comparison to Launching Faith

  • Dinner Church focuses on a shared meal. Launching Faith focuses on spiritual conversations in everyday settings.

  • Dinner Church is often hosed within churches. Launching Faith gatherings are hosted in secular, often public spaces.

  • Dinner Church offers meal-centered worship. Launching Faith has a flexible gathering rhythm.

  • Dinner Church uses church-based leadership. Launching Faith uses everyday hosts and facilitators.

Key Difference

Dinner Church builds community around a meal at the table. Launching Faith creates connections through spiritual conversation in natural settings.

Underground Church Networks

Underground church networks focus on simple, decentralized house churches. Examples include:

  • The Underground Network (Tampa)

  • Chinese house church movements

  • global disciple-making movements

Strategy

These networks emphasize:

  • small gatherings

  • disciple-making

  • rapid multiplication

  • minimal institutional structure

Strengths

  • Highly reproducible

  • decentralized

  • movement-focused

Limitations - Some networks become insular or disconnected from the broader culture.

Comparison to Launching Faith

  • Underground Churches gather in homes. Launching Faith gathering happen in public spaces as well as homes.

  • Underground Churches have very little structure as each gathering is autonomous. Launching Faith offers a guided framework for your autonomous gathering.

  • Underground Churches are often insider focused. Launching Faith is open to all seekers.

  • Underground Churches focus on rapid multiplication. Launching Faith focuses on relational formation and multiplication as a result.

Key Difference

Underground churches meet privately in homes. Launching Faith congregates publicly within community life.

Simple Church Movements

Simple church movements emphasize simplifying the church to its core elements. The focus is usually on:

  • small groups

  • disciple-making

  • Scripture engagement

  • multiplication

Strengths

  • easy to replicate

  • minimal overhead

  • highly adaptable

Limitations - Sometimes gatherings become too inward-focused or seem more like Bible study groups than genuine communities.

Comparison to Launching Faith

  • Simple Church is focused on small group discipleship. Launching Faith focuses on public relational gatherings where attendees can grow spiritually.

  • Simple Church focuses on Scripture discovery. Launching Faith focuses on spiritual exploration and formation.

  • Simple Church’s gather in homes. Launching Faith gatherings take place in everyday spaces.

  • Simple Church primarily focuses on small groups of believers. Launching Faith intermingles seekers and believes together.

Where Launching Faith Fits

Launching Faith bridges several of these movements. It combines:

  • the missional imagination of Fresh Expressions

  • the relational table culture of Dinner Church

  • the multiplication vision of simple churches

  • the decentralized nature of underground networks

But it adds something very distinctive: Faith Communities in Secular Spaces

Instead of inviting people into church environments, Launching Faith builds spiritual communities within everyday life settings.

CLICK HERE to see the comparison between Launching Faith and The Genesis Project

Launching Faith is part of a broader movement of ministries reimagining how church happens today. While our approach is distinct, we celebrate and support these expressions - they are vital, faithful, and making a real impact in the world.