NB: This map is out of date. The best up to date info can be found by searching through this post on facebook’.
Dark green tree icons represent Forest Church groups. Light green tree icons represent groups with a similar ethos to Forest Church but called something else.
If there isn’t a group near you there may well be something going on that hasn’t ended up on this map for various reasons. If you have a group that isn’t listed here please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) who will add you to the map when it is next updated.
A good, easy place to start is to meet, once a month, with like-minded friends and see what develops. You don’t need a forest or even trees, the word Forest in the name is simply a tag that it happens in nature such as a domestic garden or a beach. You don’t need to start with a big, elaborate open-to-the-public event. The Forest Church book, or any of the existing group facilitators are a good source of help.
And doing Forest Church doesn’t necessarily mean starting a new group from scratch. If you’re part of an existing group you can just do Forest Church like activities from time to time.
Forest Church is a loose collection of similarly minded groups that have chosen to connect for the reasons listed below – but each group has a different flavour and focus. So that potential participants, who may have heard about Forest Church from any number of sources, know roughly what they might be letting themselves in for we ask all the groups that want to be listed here to complete a few simple steps.
A concern we’ve heard from time to time is an assumption that Forest Church is a top down or centrally organised and controlled movement. Or like a franchise where a model for doing things a certain way is enforced. It is none of those things.
And if you’re part of an existing Church, doing Forest Church like events isn’t a replacement or challenge to your existing Church and name – you simply benefit from tagging appropriate events as Forest Church; it’s a verb as well as a noun, a bit like calling certain activities Messy Church isn’t renaming the whole thing.
To counter any suspicions, here are the positive reasons behind joining the network.
Open Sky Forest Church is a gathering of people who want deeper connections with God, nature and each other, taking inspiration from the natural world around us to lead us into worship, community and action. More ...
Encountering the Eternal One within the ancient boundaries of Sherwood Forest More ...
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. More ...
oxforddiocese:
Great to see how @RiponCuddesdon are engaging with @ARochaUK Eco Church scheme - love the Forest Church area made b… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
18 Aug 22
YBS_Church:
Our Forest Church takes place on Sunday, 28th August, at 4.30pm in the Gifford Community Woodland (Fawn Wood), for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
19 Aug 22
rebeccaBug:
Tremeirchion have their first Forest Church service tomorrow so the boys thought they had better check out that the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
20 Aug 22