Forest Church is all about getting together in the outdoors to worship God!
There is so much in God’s creation to help us think about God’s greatness and inspire us to praise, thank and learn more about Him. The colours of creation, wildlife and changing seasons can all be great starting points for themed gatherings to explore together, which can lead to growing in faith and walking with God.
Jesus spent a great deal of His time teaching, praying and ministering to people outdoors and He often referred to the natural things around Him to point to a truth about God’s Kingdom: “Look at the birds of the air..” (Matthew 6:26) “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted
in a field” (Matthew 13:31)
Being outdoors adds a new dimension to worship, taking away the walls of the church building can be really helpful for many people.
How to start Forest Church:
- See getting started pages.
- Location is especially important to consider for Forest Church – churchyard, field, park, school grounds etc. Get any necessary permission for using the land.
- A risk assessment is required for each session, considering changes to space, weather and varying activities.
- Forest church is designed to go ahead whatever the weather (unless dangerous!), advise families to come dressed for the weather that day.
- Try out the planned activities in the area to see if it all works.
- Have lots of fun worshipping God and being together in the wonderful outdoors!
There are many resources available to help:
https://www.muddychurch.co.uk
https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/resource/wild-church-toolkit
https://www.messychurch.org.uk/goeswild
https://grovebooks.co.uk/products/mev-127-forest-church-earthed-perspectives-on-the-gospel
https://www.rootsontheweb.com/media/21278/forest-church.pdf
Book: ‘Wild worship’ by Rachel Summers