Throughout history, God has used the wilderness as a special place for transformation. The Bible indicates that God's strategy for developing faith has often involved wilderness experiences. God led His people Israel through the wilderness to reveal Himself to them and to show them His plan for their lives and nation. Jesus used the storm-tossed seas to reveal to His disciples their lack of faith and His power and faithfulness. Jesus also modeled true community through a focused, intentional, close-contact ministry - He traveled, slept, ate, taught, served, suffered, and lived with His disciples for extended times. These experiences were an integral part of God’s design for apprenticeship.

While God has not changed, today in our increasingly urbanized world many people are less able to experience the transformational potential of wilderness. The goal of WestBack is to re-emphasize this ancient apprenticing method which God used to produce leaders such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Jacob, David, Peter, James, John and Paul. Each of them were profoundly called and shaped by God in the wilderness. Outdoor and adventure experiences provide an incredible opportunity to help us make the real-life connection from knowing biblical truth to living out the truth. The end isn't adventure. It is simply a means to the much more important end of knowing Jesus Christ and experiencing the best adventure of all: following Him in all aspects of our lives!