CASE STUDY • PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF JACKSON HOLE • JACKSON HOLE, WY
Two years of leader driven ministry, unified into a vision for the whole church.
Over three days, Wilderness Formation trained PCJH’s leaders and then cast the vision to the entire congregation, giving the Wilderness Together team a common language, the confidence to lead, and a vision for the whole church to engage.
6
3 Days
LEADERS TRAINED
FRI-SUN LAUNCH WEEKEND
2+1
10/10
SERMONS & ADULT CLASS, WHOLE CONGREGATION
TRAINING RATING
THE BEFORE
Leaders with passion who needed support.
The people of Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole already loved the outdoors, and they wanted wilderness to be part of the life of their church. What they needed was excellent training for their leaders in the second year of the ministry, and the vision of wilderness ministry to be owned by the whole congregation.
"You’ve given me a whole new perspective. This is such a more significant effort with more clarification around building better programs."
BILL KLYN
Wilderness Together volunteer
WHAT THEY NEEDED
A vision the whole church could get behind.
More than just outdoor skills, PCJH needed a clear and compelling vision to bring the entire congregation along. Wilderness ministry becomes sustainable when the entire church sees it as an avenue for deep discipleship within the congregation, and a front door to the community outside the congregation.
“Your sermon and sessions provided a clear vision for the Wilderness Together ministry at PCJH — something that has been needed to get the congregation and staff on board.” — PCJH elder
WHAT WE BUILT TOGETHER
A Two-Day Wilderness Ministry Training in Jackson Hole.
Wilderness Formation led PCJH's emerging Wilderness Together leaders through a two-day intensive. Covering the full WF curriculum but condensed for a team ready to apply it immediately, plus a Sunday sermon and adult class to cast vision for the wider congregatIon.
Vision Born of Dissonance — why wilderness forms us, and the theology underneath it
The Role of the Outdoor Facilitator — leading ministry, not just organizing activities
Content Facilitation — building trip content for PCJH's own context
Trip Logistics — the intentional trip plan, with hands-on practice
Risk Management — introduction to risk management with tools to implement in the field and on the backend.
Pathfinders — adult Sunday class for deeper engagement with the mission of wilderness ministry
Sunday Sermons — vision casting for the whole church
“The training was exceptional and made the most out of the limited time we had together. It was incredibly valuable.”
ELIZABETH J.
Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole
MORE THAN A TRAINING
A launch weekend for the whole church.
Over three days, Wilderness Formation trained PCJH's leaders and then helped carry the vision to the entire congregation.
| FRIDAY NIGHT | Leader training begins. The Wilderness Together team gathers to dig into the theology and practice of wilderness ministry. |
| ALL DAY SATURDAY | Full-day intensive. Facilitation, content design, the intentional trip plan, and risk management, a condensed but complete experiential curriculum. |
| SUNDAY | The whole congregation. Two sermons, plus an adult class — East of Renewed Eden — on Shalom and reclaiming the church's first job description as stewards of creation. |
“Shalom — seeking the thriving of all created things. That is the rule of Christ. This is our first job description: to be stewards of the earth, to care for it in the way of Christ.”
JOHN WAYNE SEITZLER
Wilderness Formation · Sunday adult class at PCJH
The vision stuck. Days later, filling out a feedback form with no prompt about it, one of the leaders returned to the very same idea:
“Strive for the thriving of all living things. That really got me thinking deeper about how I interact with everything around me.”
ADAM JOHNSON
Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole · on the theology of Shalom
What changed for the leaders.
THE SHIFT
The clearest outcome was a discipleship shift. The leaders left equipped not to merely be better outdoor facilitators, but empowered to step into their calling as shepherds and ministers.
Content is the Difference
Several named the same realization: that intentional trip content is what separates wilderness ministry from just another outdoor group.
Confidence to Lead
Participants left rating their confidence to facilitate a trip 9 and 10 out of 10, pointing to the trip-planning practice as most valuable.
Personal Formation
For several, the weekend reshaped how they move through their own lives, not just how they lead.
“I find myself consciously seeking the intention of my actions, similarly to how I would be pinpointing and setting the intention of wilderness trips.”
ELIZAEBTH J
Wilderness Together Volunteer Leader
WHAT’S NEXT
Where PCJH is headed.
The training gave Wilderness Together its footing. With a shared vision in place and the congregation bought in, the team is planning and executing its second season of trips in Jackson Hole.
WHY THIS MATTERS
People are ready to lead.
There’s no drought of love for God’s creation. There is a lack of training to equip congregants to facilitate discipleship doing they things they already love to do, in places they already have relationship with. In a single weekend, the Wilderness Together leaders gained the clarity, confidence, and common language to lead, and the whole congregation was invited into the same vision.
In communities like Jackson Hole, where so many already feel drawn to the outdoors, a wilderness ministry can become a church's most natural and accessible front door, the first place a neighbor might encounter life in Christ. When leaders gain both practical skill and theological clarity, the raw materials turn into a ministry that drives growth within the community.
Could your church be next?
If PCJH's story resonates, let's talk. A 20 minute conversation will tell us whether Wilderness Ministry Training, at your church or with us at Snoqualmie Pass, is right for your community.