The idea for The Pilgrim Way was born during two connected crises. The global covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns forced many churches to rethink how they connected with their members and the wider community. The pandemic also accelerated a process of decline in church in the West that had been gathering pace since the 1960’s. The number of the de-churched is now greater than the number of people joining. Yet many who have left the church have not lost their faith in Jesus as the Saving King, but disconnected from institutional forms of church many pilgrims have also become disconnected from the webs of relationships that facilitate spiritual growth, character development, and kingdom-building service in our lives, in our communities, and in our world. The Pilgrim Way seeks to help to re-establish those connections in the digital space through blog essays and articles covering art, culture, politics and theology, carefully curated resources, and short video signposts – messages connecting texts from the Bible with everyday life.

Alongside what is being called the great de-churching, many people who have had little or no contact with traditional forms of Christianity are seeking a deeper spiritual meaning in their lives but are not seeking that in formalised or traditional religious settings. The Pilgrim Way aims to signpost pathways to a deeper spiritual life in ways that might resonate with those outside of institutionalised forms of Christianity.

The inherited forms of Church may be dying away, but form of Church is emerging is as yet unclear, and so we live in what missiologists Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch call ‘liminal space’, and what the ancient Celts called the time between times. It is an uncomfortable space to occupy, but here we are. The Pilgrim Way is for those of us living in that liminal space, those who no longer feel connected to the church that once was, but who are drawn to what it might be becoming. We hope to foster connections with other pilgrims in this digital space where we can disciple one another in our shared journey of/toward a life lived under the rule and reign of Jesus the saving King.

The blog articles, resources and signposts are mostly written by Norman R Graham, a Minister in the Baptist Union family of churches in Scotland. He graduated with a degree in theology from International Christian College in Glasgow and was the Minister of a Baptist Church in central Scotland for 16 years before establishing The Pilgrim Way. 

Aim

The Aim of the Pilgrim Way is simply to signpost ideas and resources that might act as helpful guides to people on a spiritual journey.