Foxes, Beavers, & Finding a Home in the Wild Fig Network
Fox or beaver? Nathan reflects on his spiritual journey leading up to the Wild Fig Gathering and muses about what his collection of beliefs has led him to.
We All Belong
Finally a place to be whole and accepted. Read Melody Winderweedle’s reflections on our Inaugural National Gathering.
In The Shelter of Each Other
From first exposure to commissioned in 6 months! Read Matt Nightingale’s reflections on the Inaugural National Gathering.
A Clearing
Reflections on our Inaugural National Gathering and our very first Commissioning Ceremony by Willie Barnett.
When our once-trusted institutions are dying, where do we go?
Despite patterns of exclusion and an institution focused on preserving itself, for years I couldn’t imagine leaving my denomination. I felt required to remain “loyal” to tradition: “After all, this church tradition nurtured my faith! For all its flaws, where would I be without its great chain of witnesses?” In my ordination paper, I even declared myself “happily un-Emergent,” decrying the hubris of church innovators for seeming to disregard the value of historic traditions. And so I stayed, begrudgingly so — as if just staying put was itself a mark of faithfulness.
Of all things, it was studying 1st and 2nd Kings that helped open my eyes and loosen my feet.
As our young congregation stumbled through COVID and a national reckoning with race, it was clear that there was no returning to “business as usual.” I turned to Kings, seeking wisdom for these disorienting times, and made a striking discovery: The biblical tradition itself is one big pointer to how and where God moves when our most cherished institutions collapse.
Why “Wild Fig Network?”
There is a moment I relish when sharing about the Wild Fig Network: Watching people’s reactions to the name. Some smile, others look puzzled, and a few—while not exactly turned off—do not experience resonance. Yet, a question always follows: “Where did that name come from?”
I love this question because “Wild Fig” encapsulates our vision for the network in many ways.
"Fig" is a rich biblical metaphor for the spiritual health of a community. When God’s people followed God’s commands, figs bore abundant fruit. When they strayed, the trees withered, and the fruit disappeared. "Wild" invokes the wilderness, a recurring theme in Scripture. The wilderness is where God’s people escape, are tested, shaped, and encounter God. It’s a place outside institutional power where the Spirit works in unexpected and transformative ways.