Comments on: Wilding the church https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/ With Jesus. With each other. To the edges. Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 By: Andy Dodwell https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-149 Tue, 16 Jul 2019 19:31:25 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-149 Hi Paul, thanks for this- am in the middle of reading Wilding, whilst thinking about how the Holy Spirit is calling me to express my ministry in this season; so this is very timely and helpful. Am currently mulling over how to (re)shape our churches and discipleship to help Christians live as the followers of the Word who spoke the universe into existence and called it good- in these times of political unrest and climate emergency how do we live the Gospel amongst our neighbours… be good to see you sometime, massive blessings.

]]> By: Stephen MARCH https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-148 Sun, 16 Jun 2019 14:40:12 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-148 Great post. Really helpful. Have share withe the pioneers in our diocese (Leicester)

]]> By: Anne de Broise https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-147 Sun, 16 Jun 2019 04:48:04 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-147 Inspired. Thank you.

]]> By: Gordon Sharp https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-146 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 19:24:34 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-146 It is like planting a seed, yet being that seed. The way of Jesus is sharing what we do and the people that we are.. What we do is the Ministry of Christ, it’s what we are part of. Bringing healing as part of a different way of being human. From this there is likely to be growth as people of different faiths and no faiths become part of community (church)

]]> By: Eileen https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-145 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 11:05:33 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-145 Liz, this takes my breath away!

]]> By: Pat House https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-144 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 09:45:26 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-144 Very thought provoking and helpful. We certainly need another way! The Holy Spirit’s way. Jesus said “ I will build My Church…..” We are His Church!!

]]> By: Leon Collyer https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-143 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 09:13:56 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-143 Paul, This is a great article. I was reading Wilding during the recent Rural FX conference and the parallels were obvious. A metaphor that emerged from that gathering was the interplay between church add garden and church left to run wild. A mixed economy I guess but trying not see the wilderness on a path to becoming garden.

I think there is a very rich conversation being had in agriculture right now. The controlled mechanised paradigm of growing food with high inputs and predictable yields is being challenged. A regenerative model is emerging where the ecosystem is ‘massaged’ to uncover amazing abundance.

Church imagined growing with the grain of the innate abundance of the spirit filled world. Mechanised church has short term gains but ultimately does last or take root.

]]> By: kay blues https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-142 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 08:32:16 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-142 Wow. This makes so much sense.. I had an interesting discussion with my church just last evening.. we are trying to look at as a body of Christ’s people – where do we go from here. Some kept saying ‘we need to get back to our roots”. Now I would say yes we do.. But that does not mean back to what we know and what we did in the past.

]]> By: Carol https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-141 Sat, 15 Jun 2019 07:30:18 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-141 Thank you for this excellent and helpful reflection. Couldn’t agree more!

]]> By: david cole https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-140 Fri, 14 Jun 2019 22:48:36 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-140 Is it obvious to assume that you know about the Forest Church movement?

]]> By: Ali Boulton https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-139 Fri, 14 Jun 2019 22:24:38 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-139 Thanks Paul this is really interesting, partly because it overlaps so much with a metaphor some of us are using for a paper on pioneering that we are writing together. It seems like it might be God drawing our attention to this…

]]> By: Leon Collyer https://churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer-blog/wilding-the-church/#comment-138 Fri, 14 Jun 2019 20:46:51 +0000 https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/?p=13799#comment-138 Paul,
This is spot on! I was reading this book whole at the recent Rural FX conference. The parable is a hopeful one for a church on the brink of collapse. We talked about this concept a bit on the conference but my sense was it needed to be the whole conversation. Fresh Expressions is about wilding or its about nothing.

One metaphor that came up related to this was that of wilderness and garden. The church has done gardening and still will but now is the time setting large parts free to be.

Would love to continue a conversation of possible!

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