Forest Church: a Field Guide to a Spiritual Connection with Nature

Brimming with insights and packed with information, this book draws you out, quite literally, into nature to experience a new, well thought through pattern of spiritual practice. Bruce Stanley gives you all the resources you'll need, both practical and theoretical, to get going with a group or on your own. "I d rather be in the mountains thinking about God, than in church thinking about the mountains," wrote John Muir. Many people can describe transcendent moments in nature where they feel deeply connected to something bigger than themselves and Forest Church is a way to explore that connection within community; a new way of being church. Forest Church is a fresh expression of church drawing on much older traditions when sacred places and practices were outside but it is also drawing on contemporary research that highlights the benefits of spending time with nature in wild places. Forest Church isn t just normal church happening outside, instead it attempts to participate with creation. And it isn t just a fellowship group doing an outside activity, we aim to learn, worship, meditate, pray and practice with the trees, at the spring, along the shore. Throughout the ages people have walked this path within the Christ tradition and have found a meaningful expression of their spirituality, finding inspiration and structure through the rhythms of the seasons, the characteristics of plants and animals and the sacredness of place along with the wisdom of the scriptures and the pattern of prayers. This book will be a resource to anyone exploring facilitating Forest Church whether as a self-contained group, a retreat, a group holiday or as an occasional event attached to an existing church. In many ways it will also inspire any individual wanting to explore their own sacred nature connection.