Fresh Expressions UK receives strategic grant from Rural Ministries to strengthen Brave Spaces in rural contexts
Fresh Expressions UK (FX) has received a strategic grant in core funding from Rural Ministries. This partnership will help stabilise FX’s core work and strengthen our Brave Spaces strategy, with a particular focus on rural and marginal edge communities across the UK.
Rural Ministries’ investment will support our Partnerships and Development work as we grow what we call the living middle. This is the space between inherited Christian communities and the wild edges where new Christian communities begin to form. In many rural contexts, pioneers often carry a great deal, sometimes with limited support around them. Denominational and organisational leaders are also under significant pressure. At the same time, people are hungry for authentic belonging and for good news that makes sense where they live. Together, FX and Rural Ministries want to help people thrive.
Richard Passmore, Partnerships and Development Lead at FX, said:
“There is so much faithful work already happening in rural areas. This grant will help us pull people together, strengthen what is emerging, and build a platform for the projects we have started to develop as we have listened to pioneers and shaped our new strategy.”
The funding will enable FX to do the groundwork needed for several initiatives currently in development, including:
Developing regional and digital hubs: Supporting the growth of rural and thematic hubs, moving them towards long term sustainability.
Creative mission projects: Co-designing and brokering projects such as SoulSpace, Young Leaders, and Block Church.
Quality standards: Developing the Brave Spaces Kitemark to help Christian communities make high quality pioneering appointments in complex rural settings.
FX is grateful to Rural Ministries for recognising that this work is a strategic lever for the future of the Church, not simply a cost. Their support will help us reduce burnout among leaders and help seed new Christian communities in villages, small towns, and peripheral estates.
This grant is a significant step forward, but it is one piece of the wider picture. The heartbeat of this movement is sustained by everyday generosity and partnership across the FX community.
Mark Robinson, Communications Lead at FX, said:
“This funding gives us breathing space this year. But Brave Spaces is not something FX does from a distance. It is about creating environments where people can meet honestly, pray deeply, experiment faithfully, and learn together. As we grow this work, we want to help ensure no pioneer has to labour in isolation, and that leaders have the support they need to nurture what God is growing in their local context.”
How you can get involved
Pray: Join us in praying for rural pioneers, leaders, and the communities they serve.
Give: Help us build on this momentum. Individual support expands our capacity to steward partnerships well and strengthen Brave Spaces where it is needed most.
Connect: Explore hubs and learning cohorts and find your place in the journey.
Together, we are creating Brave Spaces where new Christian communities can take root and flourish.
ENDS
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Notes to editors
Fresh Expressions UK (FX) is a charity supporting pioneers and partners as they form new Christian communities in local contexts. FX creates Brave Spaces for learning, accompaniment, resourcing, and connection across the movement.
Rural Ministries supports Christian mission and ministry in rural and marginal edge contexts across the UK.
