About

Who we are

Urban Expression recruits, deploys and supports people - as individuals, in teams or whole families - who move into local communities, build relationships, try to discern what God is already doing there and then and join in. We call them 'mission partners'.

What we do

Some mission partners are employed full -time or part-time in regular jobs whilst others have full or part-time roles with faith organisations or churches; others operate as volunteers in their communities – their roles range from local councillors to supermarket security, play workers to bicycle repairers, gardeners to labyrinth creators.

The support we give

We recognise that working in marginalised communities is demanding and that this mission approach is high-risk and long-term. We provide strategic and pastoral support, and opportunities for ongoing training. We host opportunities for meeting together throughout the year, enabling relational support between mission partners.

Our Key Values...

We acknowledge our dependence on God and affirm our continual need of prayer and God’s empowering Spirit.
We believe that all people are loved by God, regardless of age, gender, education, class, ethnicity, sexuality or physical/mental health and that God works through all believers – and others besides.
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We recognise the importance of taking risks and the demands of urban mission, and we believe that it is acceptable to fail.
We value courage, creativity and diversity as we try to discover relevant ways of being church in different contexts.
We believe that questions and theological reflection are important as we learn together and so discern the way forward.
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We believe that, in Jesus, God is revealed locally, and that we should be committed to our local community or relational network and active members of it.
We focus on under-churched areas and neglected people, trying to find ways of communicating Jesus appropriately to those most frequently marginalised, condemned and abused by society.
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Coordinators

Urban Expression charity and the teams are supported by a dispersed team of part-time coordinators. If you want to know more about Urban Expression or would like to visit one of the areas to talk to mission partners, do email us [email protected].

Team Leader & Anabaptist Link

South African by birth, Alexandra Ellish spent her teenage years in England, studied theology in Edinburgh and later Prague, where she was also ordained as a Baptist minister. Alexandra has been part of Urban Expression in various ways since 2009. Alexandra, her husband Philip and their two children live in Peckham, South London, where Alexandra is also the minister of Amott Baptist Church. Alexandra loves the Anabaptists, Woman’s Hour and long walks with her Jack Russell, Westley.

Southwest England & Coastal Expression

Barney Barron is a Baptist pioneer minister, church planter and youth worker. He connects coaches and mentors pioneers and church planters through Urban Expression, Coastal Expression and Incarnate a project of the Anabaptist Mennonite Network. He lived and served on a large council estate near Portsmouth for 16 years, where he was involved in church planting and running a youth and community charity. He now lives in Looe, Cornwall where he has started a small missional community and has set up a youth and community charity. He also takes time to enjoy kayaking, snorkelling and walking.

Midlands England & Youth

Simon Jay is a pioneer Baptist minister based in Birmingham. In 2003 his wife Rachel and him set up a local charity that supports children, young people and families. As well as running this charity, Simon has been fostering for Birmingham Children’s services for over 20 years and is currently in the process of setting up a resource hub that supports foster and adoption families, specifically from Black or mixed heritage backgrounds.

He has recently written a chapter in the book intitled, ‘Voicing New Questions for Baptist Identity’. This chapter highlights his belief and passion that food is a central component for gathering people around Jesus, particularly those that find themselves most marginalised.

London & Southeast England

Dave Mann has been involved in urban mission since the ’80’s in Tower Hamlets, and has been pastoring and church planting in London since 1996. He has extensive experience of setting up and running charities and schools and has taught and spoken at churches, conferences and colleges around the world on mission, leadership and community organisation. Dave has worked across denominations in his role with Seedbeds and as one of the directors of Red Letter Christians UK.
“I am committed to inspiring and equipping people involved in urban mission and practising what I preach - currently planting a fresh expression of church in the mainly South Asian area of Manor Park, London E12… My approach is always asset-based, using what’s strong to address what’s wrong. Positive creativity is key, recognising we have at least as much to learn from the people we’re working with.”
In his spare time, Dave is a pioneer of walking football for over-50’s and is currently chair of Newham Cricket Club.

North of England

Carmel Murphy Elliott has been part of Urban Expression for 12 years. She has experience of supporting people working in pioneering and marginalised settings through a variety of roles, including previously with Urban Expression, as a qualified Community Organiser and a Director of All The Small Things CiC, a collective of community development practitioners who are passionate about seeing people transform their localities in creative & innovative ways. Carmel is also part of Urban Life, which has recently become a project of Urban Expression, and, now based in Manchester, she has a strong affinity for the north of England having lived and worked there most of her life. Along with her husband Andy, she’s currently enjoying nurturing their new allotment and going on adventures in their campervan.

Operations and Scotland

Now living in southwest Scotland Marg Hardcastle spent 15 years in Stoke on Trent as a mission partner with Urban Expression where she was involved in pioneering new expressions of church. She also established a participatory arts collaborative, organising events and festivals in the city.
When not working Marg loves getting outdoors, up hills and along lanes by foot or on two wheels.

Trustees