When Bryan Willkom, a Catholic kid from central Wisconsin, attended a Lutheran summer camp, he had no idea it would start him on a journey of “leaving religious boxes.”
Today, as founder and director of Jesus Fit—a ministry that started with a vision of being “personal trainers for people’s spiritual lives”—he’s creating innovative forms of church that meet in breweries, on hiking trails, and around pizza tables.
While Jesus Fit began offering coaching and spiritual fitness challenges, Bryan discovered that what people really needed wasn’t more content or programs—it was authentic community. Now, with their memorable logo of Jesus wearing AirPods and their tagline “give your faith a workout,” Jesus Fit is pioneering fresh expressions of church that meet people exactly where they are.
“We like to use the word approachable,” Bryan shared in a recent conversation with Dwight Zscheile on the Pivot Podcast. “The community spaces send a message of welcome and inclusion… People are looking for actual signs that your community is welcoming.”
Start with Basic Human Connection
Bryan discovered something surprising when his organization pivoted from creating spiritual content and challenges to hosting in-person gatherings: “The magic was in the community.” A 2022 Gallup poll on religion and well-being revealed that sermons, worship bands, and Bible studies didn’t make people healthier and happier—it was a sense of community and a web of relationships.
At a typical Beer Church gathering, you might find someone in their 70s sitting at a table with people in their 20s and 30s. They share stories, ask questions, and practice what Bryan calls “abundant curiosity” about each other’s spiritual journeys.
“We’re drowning in content right now,” Bryan notes. “This is an invitation, a low-bar invitation, to do healthy Jesus things in community together.”
Rethink Spiritual Wellness
“Everybody wants to be well, especially after COVID,” Bryan says. But he’s found that when people are asked what spiritual wellness means to them, “something stops inside of them. They don’t know how to answer that question, but I can tell once they start working on it, they want to talk about it.”
Rather than focusing on traditional church metrics or programs, Jesus Fit approaches spiritual wellness through the lens of Jesus’s actual practices—walking, sharing meals, asking questions, resting.
“We can fit Jesus into our life in those simple ways,” Bryan suggests, “like rest at Yoga Church, walking at Trail Church, practicing solitude and silence, asking questions, practicing abundant curiosity.”
In a culture where many people feel disconnected from traditional religious institutions but hunger for authentic spiritual connection, this approach offers a way forward. By grounding spiritual wellness in simple, accessible practices that Jesus himself modeled, leaders can create space for people to explore what it means to be spiritually healthy in community with others.
Create Trust Through Public Spaces
One of the most powerful aspects of these alternative forms of church is their location. Meeting in breweries, parks, libraries, and coffee shops removes barriers and creates natural opportunities for connection. As Bryan puts it, “Being out in the community sends a huge message of welcome… it’s this huge signal to the community that we’re ready to listen.”
This approach is especially meaningful for people who have experienced church hurt or who identify as “ex-something”—ex-evangelical, ex-Catholic, ex-fundamentalist, or otherwise disconnected from traditional religious institutions. The public, neutral spaces create room for authentic conversation without the weight of religious expectations.
Building New Forms of Community
For church leaders wondering about next steps, Bryan emphasizes the importance of starting with curiosity. “We need to go on retreats. We need to get quiet. We need to go out in nature. We need to process with coaches and mentors. We need to start getting abundantly curious about how to be the church in new ways.”
This might mean considering your interests and passions as potential starting points for spiritual community. As Bryan says, “We’re building spiritual community around things that we want to be a part of our daily lives.”
The future of church might look very different from what we’re used to—and that’s okay. As Bryan’s work demonstrates, when we create spaces where people can authentically connect, share stories, and practice the way of Jesus together, meaningful Christian community can flourish in unexpected places.
