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.

Rewilding the Church explores afresh Jesus' compelling invitation to leave behind all that hinders and entangles and to follow him adventurously. It calls us not only to be part of an exciting rewilding of the Church, but to be rewilded ourselves.

Steve Aisthorpe

Praise for Rewilding the Church

Title page

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Acknowledgements

Bible Quotations

1. OPEN: Read This First!

2. LOOK: Rewilding? The Church?

3. IDENTITY: Who Do You Think You Are?

4. FOLLOW: Reintroducing the ‘Great Interferer’

5. LISTEN: Tuning In and Joining In

6. SIMPLIFY: Learning to Travel Light

7. SEEK: Noticing Who’s Missing

8. CONNECT: Growing Relationships

9. RELEASE: Culling the Invasive Species

10. HOPE: From Lament to Trust

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.

• A significant and original contribution to re-imagining the church today that resonates with current sensibilities • Steve Aisthorpe 'contributes realistically and constructively to the great re-imagination of the church that is going on in our day' George Lings

Following on from his bestselling The Invisible Church, Steve Aisthorpe finds inspiration for his new book in the ecological concept of rewilding, an approach to the environment that allows nature to break free from the dulling effects of strategic control and bring wonder back into our lives. Applying this thinking to the Church, Steve Aisthorpe imagines what might happen if we put less faith in our strategies and plans, which inevitably depend on our own capabilities and resources, and allow the Spirit to lead us beyond our capacity to imagine. 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. Steve Aisthorpe is one the freshest and most original voices in the church today.

This is an exciting and surprising bringing together or two very different themes, which on reflection most naturally belong to each other. A clear, easy and liberating read.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

My heart leaps when rewilding 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.

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. This book confirms that; Steve is a reliable and astute guide.

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.

\["Longing to break free and run wild in Christ as a church family?","Be encouraged to live in the spirit even more","Experience the reckless love of God as you rekindle the adventure of faith"\]

Looking for a fresh voice and inspiration to step out in faith? Steve Aisthorpe encourages Christians to be led by the Spirit and find a capacity way beyond imagination

Rewilding the Church

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Rewilding the Church

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