Wild Fig Network Newsletter
February 2025

HIGHLIGHT:
Interest Meetings

In December, Wild Fig board members hosted an Interest Meeting in Chicago on what was likely one of the coldest days of the month. Despite the frigid temperatures, many traveled from around the city and even from other states to hear about the vision for an alternative to traditional denominational structures—one that has already grown beyond our initial imagination.

As the only board member based in Chicago, I (Tiana) spent the weeks leading up to the event securing a venue. LaSalle Street Church graciously opened its doors, offering both space and hospitality.

Our executive director, Eugene Kim, guided us through the presentation, providing context and a deeper understanding of the network. As he spoke and board members shared why they were drawn to this endeavor, it was clear that people were resonating. There was strong interest, a desire to learn more, and thoughtful discussion that followed. The Chicago meeting couldn’t have gone better. After the presentation, conversations continued around drinks, charcuterie, and homemade baked goods as people connected, shared dreams, and considered their next steps.

Our next in-person meeting in February took us to a much warmer climate—Texas, with its welcome 80-degree weather! Vox Veniae, the home church of board member Weylin Lee, hosted us. The format mirrored the Chicago meeting—presentations, personal reflections, and discussions—and the energy in the room was just as strong. We listened, shared our stories, and held hope for something different. With the board continuing to meet for work the rest of the week, this gathering was the perfect way to begin.

Reflecting on both meetings, what stood out most to me were the conversations that followed the presentations. These touched on personal experiences in traditional denominational structures, church wounds, the longing for connection and accountability in trusted relationships, excitement about collaboration, and gratitude to find others also searching for something more.

I saw enthusiasm and heard hope—hope that we could all be included and, together, create something new and life-giving.

Join us for our next Interest Meeting!

Join us for an introduction to Wild Fig Network! Interest meetings are an opportunity to learn about the vision of Wild Fig, ask questions, and, most importantly, connect with others. Interested? Click HERE to sign up for an invitation.

ZOOM (Online)
Mon, Mar 3rd, 5:30 PM PT/8:30 PM ET

UPDATES & MORE…

Coming Soon: Wild Fig Network 1.0

In February, our crew gathered in Austin, TX, for a week of work, ironing out the “first draft” of the Wild Fig Network. We aim to release this 1.0 version of the network’s main components by the end of March! It will include information about cohorts, forming the founding chapter of the network, credentialing, and membership for churches and organizations. We’ll also share about our organizational structure and governance.

There’s still a lot to figure out, and we know this will be an iterative process. But we’re committed to learning, listening, and adapting throughout this journey. We’re also strategizing to bring more voices into our design conversations because we believe the best way forward is together through the collective wisdom of a diverse community. As we like to say, “All of us are smarter than any of us!”

We look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Chaordic (chaos + order) Organization

We’ve found some inspiration in the principles of chaordic organization, which is an approach that seeks to balance chaos and order, fostering adaptability, self-organization, and shared purpose while avoiding rigid control or complete disorder. Dee Hock, the founder of VISA, puts into words a lot of what we’ve been feeling about the need for new and better systems:

We are living on the knife’s edge of one of those rare and momentous turning points in human history. Liveable lives for our grandchildren, their children, and the children’s children hang in the balance. The Industrial Age, hierarchical, command-and-control institutions that, over the past four hundred years, have grown to dominate our commercial, political, and social lives are increasingly irrelevant in the face of the exploding diversity and complexity of society worldwide. They are failing, not only in the sense of collapse, but in the more common and pernicious form — organizations increasingly unable to achieve the purpose for which they were created, yet continuing to expand as they devour resources, decimate the earth, and demean humanity. The very nature of these organizations alienates and disheartens the people caught up in them. Behind their endless promises of a peaceful, constructive societal order, which they never deliver, they are increasingly unable to manage even their own affairs, while society, commerce, and the biosphere slide increasingly into disarray. We are experiencing a global epidemic of institutional failure that knows no bounds. We must seriously question the concepts underlying the current structures of organization and whether they are suitable to the management of accelerating societal and environmental problems — and, even beyond that, we must seriously consider whether they are the primary cause of those problems.

Poised as we are on the knife’s edge between socio-environmental disaster and a liveable future, one question cuts to the core of our future: Will the result be chaos and the even more repressive and dictatorial regimes so often arising from chaotic conditions? Or will we emerge from the eggshell of our lndustrial Age institutions into a new world of profound, constructive organizational change?

Read the full article here:
”The Nature and Creation of Chaordic Organizations,” by Dee Hock

"Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into the future so that we can take the next step… If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story."

Ivan Illich

Did you miss our last newsletter?
Catch up here:

November 2024

January 2025

Stay in touch!

If you haven’t already, the best way to stay in touch is to sign up for news and updates on our website. If you have a specific question or would like to connect with someone on our team, please email info@wildfig.org.