Rewilding the Church

Steve Aisthorpe

Description

Rewilding the Church explores afresh the compelling invitation of Jesus to ‘Follow me’ and the call to ‘throw off everything that hinders and entangles’. It poses provocative questions and issues a call to contribute to the great rewilding of the Church – and to be rewilded ourselves. The same human instincts that have disrupted our natural environment have also constrained and domesticated the Church and Rewilding the Church commends a rediscovery of the adventure of faith.

Informations

• Publié par: Hymns Ancient & Modern
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780715209837
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for Rewilding the Church
This is an exciting and surprising bringing together of two very different themes, which on reflection most naturally belong to each other. A clear, easy and liberating read.
Revd Dr Michael Moynagh, author of Church for Every Context (2012) and Church in Life: Innovation, Mission and Ecclesiology (2017)
Steve Aisthorpe challenges us to stop and to pay attention to what is right in front of us. His deep and abiding love for Christ, creation and the Church are evident on every page, drawing profound lessons about church, mission and leadership from an ecosystem greatly damaged by human intervention, and yet with tremendous powers of recovery. It is filled with fascinating information, deep questions about the Church’s response to the challenges it faces, and with an undiminished trust in the God of past, present and future. Whether you agree with every point he makes or not, this will get you thinking, it will start conversations, and will provoke change. Everyone involved in mission and leadership should add this to their ‘must read’ list.
Lesley Hamilton-Messer, Church Without Walls Team Leader, Church of Scotland
Metaphors can be powerful. Well-chosen metaphors can be transformative. Fresh metaphors can take us by surprise and force us to see old problems in a new light. In this book Steve Aisthorpe sets a fresh and startling metaphor to work, forcing us to re-think strategy for the future of the Church. The metaphor of rewilding the Church is powered by current trends in ecology and environmentalism and by Aisthorpe’s astute reading of the sacred scriptures.
Leslie J. Francis, Professor of Religions and Psychology, University of Warwick
In this, his second book, Steve Aisthorpe applies further insights from his conversations with former churchgoers to build an exciting, new model of what God may be up to and what the Church can become. His engaging style encourages both reflection and the use of our imagination, as we ponder how the ecological notion of ‘rewilding’ might be brought to bear on our response to God’s call.
David Walker, Bishop of Manchester
Few books are essential reading – this may become one of them. Steve Aisthorpe has written a tough and timely piece making a central contribution to the current and necessary re-imagination of Church.
He writes out of two loves. One is a love for the Church in her Jesus-centred, Spirit-enlivened, God-given identity. As a climber, and keen observer of nature, his other love is nature with her beautiful, complex interweaving of elements which, when allowed to flourish in rewilding, is diverse, sustaining and sustainable.
[Knowing the power of metaphors] he longs for and spells out what the re-wilding of the Church would mean, drawing parallels to ecological best practice. The agenda is not saving the Church as she is. Rather it is advocacy for diverse, risky communities of disciples to live and love following Christ, surrendering to the unpredictable Spirit. Then there is hope, as when wise rewilding occurs in nature, that the real Church will bounce back.
George Lings, researcher, thinker and author on mission and fresh expressions of Church
There are several times in the Bible where we are encouraged to see how God reveals himself in the natural world and in his Word – meaning both the Bible and ultimately his Son Jesus Christ. Steve Aisthorpe takes this encouragement seriously as he digs deep into the lessons we can learn from the land and ecology, from Scripture and from the call of Jesus that we should follow him.
In this fascinating and engaging book, Steve presents a compelling discourse that challenges and brings hope as we consider what God might be doing with his Church. This book was already important and timely before we experienced the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the total disruption of church life as we knew it. Now, even more, we need this book to spark our imaginations and send us back to the Bible and to the call of Jesus as we consider what it means to be his Church today and in the years ahead.
Elaine Duncan, Chief Executive, Scottish Bible Society
Writing in the shadow of the disruption created by COVID-19, Steve Aisthorpe highlights some key challenges facing today’s church. Has Christianity lost its distinctiveness by prioritizing conformity and assuming that the divine Spirit operates only in ways approved by the institution? And what does it mean to be a Christian in this time and place? These and other provocative questions are explored here with honesty and empathy while also offering a vision rooted in the past in ways that can inspire a new future.
Revd Professor John Drane, educator and author
I have been gripped by the concepts of both rewilding and wilding for the last few years with regards to the natural world. An approach to change that loves the world, looks and notices what is happening and works with it, rather than operating out of a managerial mindset to get what you can out of it, is inspirational. And the results are dramatic in transforming the landscape. My heart leaps when that metaphor is applied to faith and church. It’s evocative and opens up the imagination for so many possibilities. This is a book whose moment is now. Steve explores several aspects of rewilding and sets them in conversation with church, mission and faith in today’s world. It’s not a manual for what to do, more a set of instincts to nurture a whole different way of thinking and behaving. It is laced with practical wisdom from Steve’s years of working with churches to help them navigate change. Let the rewilding begin!
Jonny Baker, Director of Mission Education, Church Mission Society
Steve’s book is a beautifully crafted story. It’s a story that includes the Church but one that also transcends it. It’s the story of our relationship with the natural world. This story not only challenges us to connect more deeply with the world around us but discerns a vision of what the Church can be. Steve sees an over-farmed Church that has lost its biodiversity, but he also sees a Church that is being called by the Spirit to return to the wild. So rather than mourning a declining Church, we’re called to an awareness of and celebration of a Church set free, a Church that is returning to the wild.
Tim Nash, Pioneer Minister and Co-founder of Nomad Podcast
If I had a difficult mountain ascent facing me, there’s no one I’d rather have as my guide than Steve Aisthorpe. And having worked with him and read his first book, The Invisible Church , there are few others I’d rather have as a guide into the unknown territory of what lies ahead for the Church.
From the opening pages, the challenge is evident: ‘The Christian Way has been domesticated and it is time to rediscover the adventure of faith.’ In none of this is Steve concerned with the saving of the Church as an institution. Rather he points to following Jesus, a ‘Wild Messiah,’ wherever that leads, and always with an emphasis on the kingdom.
This is not a book for those who are looking for ‘business as usual.’ It’s for those who are prepared to give way to the leading of the Spirit. It’s for those who are prepared to ‘pause, consider, pray’ about where we’re being called to.
Rt Revd Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Steve Aisthorpe has written a highly readable, thoughtful and challenging meditation on the future of the Church, which abounds in grace, wisdom and evocative ecological parables and metaphors. This is a book full of insight and gentle provocation – which invites a contemplative reading and could be a good retreat companion for those taking time to reflect on prospects and priorities for their church.
Revd Dr Doug Gay, Principal of Trinity College, University of Glasgow
In this captivating and stimulating book, Steve Aisthorpe uses the concept of rewilding to challenge the contemporary church to put love back at the centre of its life and work. By a careful analysis of rewilding of agricultural landscapes, rooted in Scripture and supported by interviews with people who have stopped attending church, Steve draws out essential points to help shape the future of the Church, not least in a plea to re-centre ourselves as followers of Christ. The rewilding of the Church is a concept that challenges current approaches to mission, emphasising that love must be at the centre, so that innovation can take place at the edges. Although this book is not written for the rural church, or even from a rural perspective, it has particular relevance for all churches in rural areas. It is an important and timely book that speaks into the narrative on church growth.
Canon Dr Jill Hopkinson, Tutor in Rural Ministry, Sarum College, Salisbury; independent rural researcher and consultant




Rewilding the Church
Steve Aisthorpe





First published in 2020 by
SAINT ANDREW PRESS
121 George Street
Edinburgh EH2 4YN
Copyright © Steve Aisthorpe 2020
ISBN 9780715209813
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent.
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