A Greenhouse is a two-year guided ecosystem where 4–12 people explore the hidden parts of themselves with Jesus and trusted friends. Through honest conversation, spiritual practices, and shared life, members become more like Jesus from the inside out over time. A Greenhouse is not a class, Bible study, or traditional small group. It is something deeper: a place for people who sense there must be more and are ready to explore the inward journey.
A Greenhouse is designed for people who sense there must be more to life with God. You may feel an unease you cannot quite explain, recognize that familiar approaches to discipleship are no longer producing growth, or find yourself asking deeper questions about God, yourself, and the life beneath the surface.
This season can feel disorienting, but it may also be an invitation. Jesus may be drawing you inward—not away from faith, but toward a more honest and integrated relationship with Him.
A Greenhouse is especially suited for people who are:
Yet if the most important formation of our lives is our heart formation, or our spiritual formation, does our current journey embrace and assume these same five elements? Are we part of communities that feature generous time, specifically designed habits, a culture of building trust and intimacy, while exploring repetitious and increasingly complex instruction?
For most of us, the answer is no. Our spiritual journey normally involves disconnected and unrelated instruction that may or may not apply to our personal situation, small amounts of time with any number of different groups, very little introduction or practice of spiritually-formative habits, and little chance to develop healthy, long-term, trusted relationships.
If becoming more like Jesus is best experienced in a culture of these five elements, what do we do if we discover our journey only involves one or two?
We return to the discipleship paradigm that Jesus and the early disciples set up and modeled: five-element communities, specific small gatherings of people designed to form our hearts through and by Jesus.
Discipleship is not only “taught,” it’s also “caught.” We become more like Jesus by experiencing Jesus, and we most often experience Jesus through our purposeful relationships. We are formed by being immersed in a culture that exists to form us, that exists to form our character. Soil and Roots created (or rather recreated) a type of five-element community specifically designed for our spiritual formation. It intentionally embraces and embodies all five elements (time, habit, community, intimacy, instruction), yet it isn’t a Bible study or a small group. It’s a Greenhouse – a place where we explore God, others, and ourselves, and where we journey together to become more like Jesus. It’s a place where celebration, dissent, affirmation, disagreement, doubt, and struggle are welcomed. More dialogue, less monologue.
We share stories – God’s stories and our stories. And we explore how they all fit together.
We explore ideas – God’s ideas and our ideas. And we explore how our ideas are formed more and more into His ideas.
We laugh, we sometimes mourn. We challenge, we provoke, we embrace. We affirm, we honor, we respect, even when we disagree. And, through it all, we journey together to become more like Jesus, to love like He loves, to forgive like He forgives, to learn to do the things Jesus did.
It’s a journey into deep discipleship. And we invite you to come along.
Here at Soil & Roots, we’ve experienced the yearning for deeper spiritual connection, for a faith that isn't just about knowledge, but transformation. We've found that genuine formation doesn't happen in isolation, but in the shared journey of small, intentional discipleship communities.
This is where your story intertwines with others, where support and understanding create fertile ground for growth. Through sharing our experiences, we form a community committed to journeying together, becoming more like Jesus as we navigate the joys and trials of faith.
Rooted in the love and authority of Jesus, we're here to accompany you on this transformative journey, strengthening our collective faith as He works in us and through us.
If you are interested in locating a Greenhouse, contact us and we’ll start the conversation!
If you sense God may be leading you to form and facilitate a Greenhouse, here are the next steps:
Yes! I’m interested in starting a Soil and Roots Greenhouse.
We strongly recommend you listen to or read at least the first season of the Soil and Roots podcast (Episodes 1-13) prior to applying to form a Greenhouse.
To apply to form and facilitate a Greenhouse, please fill out the application below. We’ll be back in touch soon!
The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons with God himself at the very heart of this community as its prime Sustainer and most glorious Inhabitant.
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Get started with our gift to you: "What in the World is Deep Discipleship?" This downloadable, short e-book offers plain-English explanations and a companion story about how to explore the deep end of the Christian faith in community. How might we better connect with God, others, and ourselves? How might we discover the "more" that is often missing from our journey with Jesus? How do we uncover the hidden ideas that form and govern us? Sign up now for your free short e-book!
