Many people experience God through encountering the beauty and complexity of creation. “Wild Church” is a network of congregations who meet outdoors, using the natural world as their sanctuary.
The movement started in the United Kingdom about 7 years ago—there called Forest Church. In North America, Wendy Janzen, a Mennonite pastor in Ontario, was one of the first leaders of a forest church, and she helped start the Wild Church Network.
Wild Church is a way to enhance the spiritual lives of people who are already part of a church, and it is a way to create a spiritual home for people who for whatever reason won’t enter a church building.
Wild Church is not the same as having a regular Christian worship service but just outdoors. It is not about someone else telling you things about God. It is about experiencing the divine mediated by nature.
The services are very simple. We rotate leaders amongst ourselves.
Our typical time together includes:
- We welcome people and do a land acknowledgment.
- We have a time to center ourselves—guided prayer, or a simple song.
- We read a scripture and perhaps say a few words about the theme it evokes.
- We send people out to wander and wonder on their own—20 minutes if cold, 30 minutes or more otherwise.
- We come back at the announced time and share what we experienced.
- We offer a closing blessing. People can stay to visit if they want.
- We have a meal together after our gatherings several times a year.
Read more about Wild Church
The Wild Church Network is an international movement with hundreds of groups like us meeting around the world.