Start a greenhouse

A Greenhouse is a small gathering of 4-12 people who meet consistently to journey together into deep discipleship. It's a place to share how our stories fit into God's grand narrative, explore various spiritual habits, and dialogue about the deeper things of the faith. As wonderful as Bible studies and small groups are...this is something different, something specific to the inward and outward rhythms of our spiritual formation.

THE DILEMMA OF THE MODERN DISCIPLE: CRAVING DEEPER CONNECTION IN A DISCONNECTED AGE

Our “spiritual formation” tends to come in bits and pieces, fits and starts, which is ironic
considering every other modern formative experience is designed to be immersive, integrated, and purposeful. Virtually every intentional formative experience involves Five Key Elements of Formation: time, habit, community, intimacy, and instruction. Every experience, that is, except our ongoing discipleship.

If a daughter wants to be formed into a competitive gymnast, she joins an immersive community that features substantial time together, specifically-designed habits, intentional trust building, and instruction that slowly guides her into more complex gymnastic skills and concepts.

If a son desires to be formed into a surgeon, he joins an immersive community designed for that very purpose. He will spend time with a group of like-minded people, learning curated, increasingly complex instruction, practicing certain disciplines that lead to properly caring for people and performing vital surgeries, while developing a deepening trust with his peers, staff, and patients.

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?

DEEP DISCIPLESHIP: CULTIVATING
GROWTH TOGETHER IN CHRIST

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.

Spiritual Formation:
Becoming More like Jesus Together

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.

the plan

Interested in finding and joining a Greenhouse?

Though Soil and Roots recommends being a part of a Greenhouse of people with whom you can physically gather, that isn’t always possible. Some Greenhouses meet entirely in person, others may be only virtual, while still others are a hybrid.

If you are interested in locating a Greenhouse, contact us and we’ll start the conversation!

Interested in potentially forming and facilitating a Greenhouse?

If you sense God may be leading you to form and facilitate a Greenhouse, here are the next steps:

Fill out the Facilitator Application (see below). Once reviewed, a Soil and Roots team member will reach out to you to give you an update on its status.
If approved for the next step, Soil and Roots will request a call with you to continue the conversation, answer your questions, and pray together about the opportunity.
If both parties agree to move forward, Soil and Roots will provide ramp-up instructions along with facilitator training and access to facilitator communities.

Start a Greenhouse
Application Form

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!

FIRST NAME

AGE

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

PHONE NUMBER

ARE YOU MARRIED?

Yes No

OCCUPATION

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT SOIL AND ROOTS?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS?

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE SOIL AND ROOTS PODCAST? UP TO WHAT EPISODE?

HAVE YOU READ THE SOIL AND ROOTS BOOK?

DO YOU THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY? WHY OR WHY NOT?

IF SO, NAME AND DENOMINATION OF CHURCH:

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A FACILITATOR?

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT LOOKS LIKE FOR A PERSON TO BE AN APPRENTICE OF JESUS?

GREENHOUSES EXPLORE SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THREE PRIMARY PROBLEMS. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THEM?

1. The Forgotten Kingdom:

2. The Discipleship Dilemma:

3. The Formation Gap:

Real Stories,
Real Transformation

The Soil and Roots podcast and our Greenhouse have reformed my entire paradigm about what discipleship is and how to journey into it.

Pennsylvania

When talking about our Greenhouse, my friends will say, ‘So it’s like a small group or Bible study.’ ‘No,’ I say. ‘It’s a Greenhouse. You just have to experience it to understand it.’

Texas

I never realized how my own story is tied to my spiritual formation and journey with Jesus. The podcast and my Greenhouse give me space to explore how those are connected.”

Florida

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.

Dallas Willard

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.

C.S. Lewis

What in the World
is Deep Discipleship?

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!