Archbishop Justin licensed the Revd Canon Phil Potter as Archbishops’ Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions during a service at Lambeth Palace today.
Canon Potter, Director of Pioneer Ministry for the Diocese of Liverpool, succeeds Bishop Graham Gray, who has held the post since 2009.
Archbishop Justin said today that Bishop Cray would be “a really hard act to follow, and in Phil Potter I think Fresh Expressions have got one of the few people who can do it well. It’s all in God’s hands and I am confident that Fresh Expressions will continue to lead the reimagination of the ministry of the church in this country.”
This reflects ++Welby at his best. Whatever his confusing mixed messages about the hot button issues may mean, his fervent support for evangelism is beyond dispute. ++Welby has firmly supported Fresh Expressions for some time now (since his Liverpool days), and I’m pleased with this appointment.
Here in VA, the ACNA Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic is helping to pioneer the adoption of Fresh Expressions of worship and church life on this side of the Pond. We’ve had a couple of seminars to train clergy and lay leaders in this new approach to reaching currently unreached segments of the population. And we have our first couple of Fresh Expressions congregations in northern VA.
David Handy+