DECEMBER 2025

Connections Taking Root

Ever since we soft-launched in September, we've been amazed by the excitement and energy building as people find each other. In November, we hosted orientation meetings for cohorts, walking folks through what it means to gather in circles of mutual care and accountability. Our first round of 10 cohorts is just getting started—and there's still room for you! (Scroll and read below for more about “Why Cohorts?”)

It's not too late to connect with Wild Fig in this founding pilot year. Our inquiry form is live and ready to connect you to a growing community of diverse ministers and ministries pursuing a better way to be together. Whether you're looking to join or form a cohort, begin the process of transferring a credential, or explore affiliating with Wild Fig as a church or non-profit organization, we would love to hear from you.

Our First Match!

We’re excited to announce that a generous donor is making a significant seed investment in the founding of the Wild Fig Network! Through a matching donation opportunity, they hope to be a spark that ignites others' generosity and helps us raise $100,000 in 2026.

As a new nonprofit entity, it may take several years for member churches and organizations to be able to support the costs of the network. That’s why raising seed funding now will be critical to our success. Every gift, however big or small, will help us:

• Support cohorts with a library of resources and learning pathways

• Provide credentialing, accountability, and care to ministers

• Create relational connection online and at regional and national gatherings

• Build practical infrastructure that serves the entire network (admin, technology, benefits, etc.)

You can give with confidence, knowing that for every dollar you donate, your generosity is being matched to maximize its impact. Please consider making a one-time gift or becoming a regular supporter today!

We believe a better way of being the Church in the world is possible, but only with all of us doing it together. So, thank you for being part of this wild and beautiful experiment! Please help us spread the word and share about Wild Fig with your friends and colleagues.

On behalf of our Wild Fig board and community, I’d like to wish you an early Merry Christmas! May this holy season be filled with hope, rest, and assurance that you are not alone.

In times of stability, it makes sense to rely on “best practices” that have worked in the past. But in times of volatility and change, we need the courage to look to the future and innovate. Our goal is to cultivate a relational network designed for the future of ministry, not the past.

“No one pours new wine into old wineskins…
No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
Mark 2:22

Why Cohorts?

Because leadership can be lonely!

In 2022, the Barna Group reported that:

• 65% of pastors report feeling sometimes lonely or isolated from others, and 18% said frequently

• 43% of pastors cite loneliness and isolation as reasons for considering quitting full-time ministry

• 69% of pastors are at high risk of burnout

Too often, ministers and leaders are expected to have it all together, to always be the expert, to bear burdens we were never meant to carry alone. We become our titles and positions rather than whole human beings. And in that isolation, we can lose ourselves. Without accountability and honest feedback and insight from others, we can lose perspective and slide into unhealthy patterns.

Writer and activist Wendell Berry wrote: “The spirit of Healing transcends the individual to involve the whole community." Or, in other words, we are incomplete without each other. God’s Spirit lives and moves in the community, not just the individual.

Wild Fig Cohorts are spaces where:

• We aim to show up as our whole, authentic selves

• Our stories can be held by a community of trusted peers who aren't looking to fix us

• Accountability is relational—rooted in people who actually see us, know us, and genuinely care about our flourishing

We believe deep, mutual relationships are the key to long-term resilience and fruitfulness in ministry. Yet, as Dr. Howard Thurman said, "Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers and sisters." Even the healthiest groups need connection, support, and help beyond themselves. No one flourishes in isolation.

That’s why we’re weaving together a diverse network of ministers and ministries so we can share collective wisdom, find mutual support, and accomplish more together than anyone can do alone. Cohorts are how we do the deep, slow work of building trust in relationships. They’re the root system that holds everything together.

To learn more about what makes Wild Fig Cohorts distinct, read more HERE.

Fill out our Inquiry Form to get started!

Want to learn more?

Stay in touch!

The best way to stay in touch is to sign up for news and updates on our website’s home page. If you have a specific question or would like to connect with a member of our team, please email info@wildfig.org. Follow us on Instagram!