The Fungi Networked Church
Beneath the earth, woven through the soil of forest floors, you’ll find networks of mycelium—thread-like fungal structures—that beautifully model how the Church can and should communicate and share resources in today’s digital age and current political reality.
In my personal faith journey, I spent over two decades in a conservative church where authority flowed from the top down. For years, I assumed this hierarchical structure was simply how the church worked—never questioning why leadership consistently looked different from me. There was a disconnect between those in power and the rest of us in the church who had different identities and lived experiences.
Many churches, which typically exist in brick and mortar buildings, still take the structure of a hierarchical, top-down approach to communicate, make decisions, share resources, and do ministry, regardless of their polity. But this method of church is no longer working—and we venture to say it never really worked in the first place. Across this nation, the use of a hierarchical system in churches has limited who is perceived as welcome and able to participate not only in church life and leadership, but also in who can receive access to resources.
This exclusion has manifested in a myriad of people being excluded from church spaces: LGBTQIA+ folx, people of all gender identities, those whose identity doesn’t match the predominant church culture, disabled folx who face physical barriers, those who have sensory needs, those who cannot meet financial expectations, those who have work schedule conflicts and cannot meet during traditional times of worship, and anyone whose questions too deeply challenge the status quo, just to name a few.
But all those years ago, the Covid crisis presented an opportunity to get outside of these traditional structures. It enabled us to bring church outside of the four walls of the building. The church I attended at the time not only moved our worship and meetings online, but created new ways to stay connected. We started a group text to chat with one another and focused more on telephone and written communications. It challenged the rigidity of the way we’ve done Church and opened up the possibility to reimagine and grow into something different.
Growing Into the Church
The truth is, the church has always existed outside of a local church building, and worship has always happened whenever “two or three” have gathered together in God’s name. The early Church met where they could—in homes, marketplaces, catacombs, or often, simply around a table. Jesus met others outside of a synagogue more often than inside one.
Does this make church buildings inherently bad? Of course not.
But like the organic nature of mycelium, where networks grow underneath the surface just beyond our vision, the church exists and is interconnected by the Spirit and through the Spirit.
And when we start to think of the Church more like mycelium growing across the forest floor rather than in a hierarchical structure, we start to see the benefits from the ministry gifts and leadership capabilities of all members, not only those who are at the top.
Mycelium, by its nature, is woven together making a strong structure that allows it to spread far, spanning a large area of the forest. Oregon’s “Humongous Fungus” spans 2,384 acres according to Scientific American. These thread-like fungi can gather nutrients and share gathered resources, very much like the Internet, keeping the whole network dialed in.
This organic structure allows for a real-time, automatic response to those who need care, connection, and resources the most. There’s no hoarding of resources or information. There are no boundaries or limitations due to walls. When obstacles or challenges arise, the network is able to adapt and respond quickly to those specific obstacles.
We’re able to share and grow together.
Beyond the Metaphor
This organic, interconnected structure isn't just a metaphor—it's at the heart of who we are as a faith community at Juniper Formation. Being primarily a digital church has freed Juniper Formation to grow naturally, unrestricted by physical walls or traditional expectations of how we understand and do “church.”
When Spirit moves or there is a need in our community, we are able to respond quickly and form a team to respond directly. Each team allows members to engage as their capacity allows. Folx can participate in the ways that resonate the most with their gifts, learning interests, identities, and faith journey. It all happens organically, based on trustworthy relationships with one another. These clusters can be temporary or can become a lasting network that continues to grow.
Our community also isn’t exclusive. Our members are typically involved in other faith communities or are members at other churches, and we celebrate that. This interconnected approach reflects our understanding of how the Kindom of God works: not through isolation or competition, but through collaboration.
There are no membership hoops to jump through here, no geographical boundaries, and no single way to be involved. Like symbiotic mycelium, we offer multiple ways to be in community with one another, including, but not limited to:
Connection and care
Opportunities for spiritual growth
Learning and unlearning through resources and courses
A decentralized structure
Collective work towards justice
We are imagining into a future where the church is truly based on relationships and connection. Instead of measuring success in things like the size of the church building, attendance, or budget numbers, we are focusing on the relational aspects of being the church, on availability to listen and hold space for others, on collaboration, and mutual support. It is because of this relational way of being that we are able to effectively do collective justice work, to collaborate with other churches and community organizations, and dream and implement new ministries.
Recently, Juniper Formation had the opportunity to demonstrate this relational way of being church. Rev. Candace organized and hosted community space on Zoom and several others, clergy and lay leaders, cleared their day for one2one connection. They dropped everything to set aside time for those who needed support. This kind of presence and willingness–whether it’s hopping on a Zoom call, connecting with someone in a coffee shop, sitting together in silence, or going on a walk and talk–embodies how Jesus met people where they were.
Join Us
There are many ways to connect with our community:
Join our digital church space
Participate in our gatherings
Read the daily scripture reflections on our app or via email
Reach out to build relationship and work towards collective justice action
info@juniperformation.org
720-580-2274
