Why does a church have a backcountry program?

Truth must be put into practice if it is going to transform our lives.  Outdoor experiences provide incredible opportunities to help us make the real-life connection from knowing truth to living truth.  The end isn’t adventure -- it is simply a means to a much more important end -- that of knowing Jesus Christ and experiencing the best adventure of all: following Him in all aspects our lives.  

God regularly used wilderness experience to break, mold and transform His people.  In fact, many of the leaders God used in dramatic ways learned important lessons during their time in the wilderness: Moses, Elijah, David, Gideon, Paul, even Jesus himself.  The reality, and one we can easily miss in our fast-paced modern life, is that Jesus often invited people to take risks, to step out of their comfort zone, and to step away from the busyness and distraction of urban life --and in that place, he taught them important Truth about His kingdom.  For instance, being in a boat on the sea of Galilee wasn’t merely a mode of transportation, it was a powerful classroom where His disciples learned important truth.  He regularly retreated to the wilderness alone and with his disciples because it was an important part of their training for life.