We are people who, for one reason or another, found ourselves in the wilderness. Places that did not or are not in the places that met our needs for community, or for caring for our families and neighbors. We may be disillusioned, or maybe not. Some of us have been hurt by past church experiences; others were enriched but now feel like something important is missing. We’re looking for people and places that encourage us to grow, ask questions, be seen, known, cared for, and challenged. The wilderness is not where faith disappears. It is often where faith becomes honest.
Church in the Wild is a ship still under construction, sailing and journeying together. We know we don’t want to go it alone—we want friends for the trip. Contact Us.
Our Community:
There is no single profile of a Church in the Wild community member. Some folks are curious about a church that begins with very different assumptions and is committed to making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Some miss the community they once had but no longer feel they fit in. Some want their children to develop a spiritual vocabulary without fear or exclusion. Some simply want a place to serve. Our goal is to be a joyful community rooted in love and hope, growing together and serving our neighbors.
Mission and Structure
Our general operating philosophy. Our mission is to create a place that encourages community, service, growth, honesty, and a commitment to making a positive impact in our community. We are asking deep questions about every aspect of what it means to be faithful to the life and teachings of Jesus, while examining the impact of generations of traditions that have often been passed down without investigation or interrogation. Together, we want to work toward a faith that makes sense, is honest about its questions, and makes a meaningful impact in our community. We invite you to join us on that journey.
Structure: We are a collective. We work together to make our decisions, plan, etc. Our day-to-day operations is handled by voluteers on our start up team
Membership: As we move through the legal processes around starting a “church” we have a small group of members. But really that is based on you and how deep you want to go. Come for a meal and see.
Leadership: We are a community and really strive to have all the stakeholders at the table for the big decisions. This is the brain child of Mark Wilkerson, long time church worker and fellow wander. Pete Berol, is helping on the care and admin side. Our Start Up team mebers come from a wide range of church and work experiences. if you have questions we would love to have a conversation.
Money: Ok, we all know this is probably the least favorite conversation in church is money. That said, we do need some money to literally keep the lights on. Right now, we are awaiting the legal setup to be in place, and fortunately, our costs are low and manageable. If you want to support our community gatherings, please feel free to join us with your presence and participation. Brownies work, too.
Statement of Faith
Church in the Wild is an experiment in building an open and evolving Christian community from the ground up. We are spiritual misfits, wanderers, questioners, and refugees seeking a place where we can belong without pretending to have everything figured out. Any Statement of faith is a snapshot of a moment in time and in thought but here is where we are:
We believe faith is not primarily about agreeing with a list of doctrines. It is about learning to live in loving relationship with God, one another, ourselves, our neighbors, and the earth.
We believe God is love: present, active, and larger than any name, tradition, institution, or understanding. No person or church possesses the whole truth about God. We approach this mystery with humility, wonder, and openness.
We believe Jesus reveals what divine love looks like in human life. In his teaching, healing, table fellowship, death, and resurrection, we encounter a way of compassion, justice, forgiveness, courage, and radical welcome. Following Jesus means joining his work of restoring relationships, confronting oppression, and caring for those pushed to the margins.
We believe the Holy Spirit moves within and among us, inviting us to grow, change, create, and become more fully alive. The Spirit is not confined to church buildings or religious traditions. We expect to encounter God in our neighbors, our questions, the natural world, acts of service, and the ordinary moments of life.
We receive the Bible as a sacred collection of stories, poetry, wisdom, struggle, and testimony shaped by people seeking to understand God. We read Scripture seriously, thoughtfully, and in community. We welcome historical context, reason, lived experience, and honest questions as part of faithful interpretation.
We believe every person bears the image of God and possesses inherent dignity. People of every race, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, background, and stage of faith are worthy of love, safety, belonging, and full participation in community.
We recognize that harm can be personal, relational, social, and systemic. We believe repentance means more than feeling sorry. It means telling the truth, repairing what has been broken, changing our direction, and helping create a more just and compassionate world.
We understand salvation as God’s ongoing work of healing, liberation, reconciliation, and renewal. It is not merely a future destination. It is the restoration of right relationship here and now, within us, between us, and throughout creation.
We believe questions and doubts are not failures of faith. They are often signs that faith is alive and growing. We make room for uncertainty, changing beliefs, spiritual wounds, and different ways of understanding the Christian tradition.
We believe church is something we become together. It is created through shared meals, honest conversations, mutual care, prayer, learning, service, celebration, grief, and the courage to be known. Belonging is not a reward for believing the right things.
We are committed to being an active, local community centered on our neighbors and neighborhoods. We seek to listen before speaking, serve without demanding recognition, share what we have, care for creation, pursue justice, and participate in the healing of our community.
We trust that love is stronger than fear, grace is greater than failure, and new life can emerge from wounded and forgotten places.
The wilderness is not where faith disappears. It is often where faith becomes honest. There is a place for you at Church in the Wild: a place to serve, grow, learn, question, wander, and be known. Contact Us.