How to Pioneer by David Male
Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Loorz
Forest Church: A Field Guide to a Spiritual Connection with Nature by Bruce Stanley
Deep Roots, Wild Branches: Revitalizing the Church in the Blended Ecology by Michael Adam Beck
https://wildchurchnetwork.com/
The Rise of the ‘Umms’ article
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On Wednesday, July 6, we welcomed Deacon Dianne Johnson, Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM) in the Northwest Washington Synod. One of her favorite aspects of this ministry is to learn about the new and creative ways people are engaging others for worship and new faith communities. Dianne has called the Pacific NW home her whole life. She enjoys hiking, photography, walking their two Golden Retrievers, and on those rainy days she enjoys discovering more about her family through genealogy.
This week Dianne Johnson shared an example of an Organic Faith Community in the NW Washington Synod – Renton Wild Church. Organic Faith Communities are gatherings of people born from authentic relationships, intentionally incorporate spiritual practices, and are intended to connect with people who are outside our church walls. This synod currently has four ministries connected with local congregations that agree to accompany them. The dream is that lay members throughout the synod will be inspired to create more of these nimble, unique ministry sites and that their pastors will encourage and support them on their journey. There are also a number of Synod Authorized Worship Communities that have prototyped this path of ministry. Ideas being explored include Wild Church, Dinner Church, House Church, Creative Church, Global Music Ministry, Online Interactive Worship, Pub Church, Potluck Liturgy, and a Story Telling Gathering.
Dianne was joined by Emma Donohew, pastor of Echoes.
We are mixing things up in 2022 as we continue to experiment and learn. You are invited to join us WEEKLY on Wednesdays at 1pm Central to hear from a variety of leaders. We will continue with our theme of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP. We have invited various ministries to host these gatherings through this year, so it will be different each week. There will usually be time for small groups in breakout rooms so that leaders across the church can learn from each other and leave each gathering with at least one action step.
We are inviting you to bring a spirit of curiosity to these gatherings and to all aspects of your life. What are you noticing? Where is Spirit moving? How are you being invited to participate?
