Practicing Public Discipleship Through Land Acknowledgments
Vineyard Canada Land Acknowledgment Liturgy for Colorado
“Discipleship is not just about personal transformation—it is about bearing witness to the kingdom of God in the world as it is.”
In recent years, the practice of offering a land acknowledgment has become more common in public gatherings, especially in Canada, and increasingly across the United States. For some, it can feel like a perfunctory statement. But what if, in the hands of Jesus-followers, it became an act of public discipleship—a way of telling the truth, humbling ourselves, and stepping toward the ministry of reconciliation?
VJN invites you to connect following Jesus with reckoning with the full story of our communities—including the painful, often hidden history of how Indigenous lands were stolen and settled under colonial expansion. As Vineyard Canada powerfully names in their Land Acknowledgment Liturgy Template, “We are called to walk together in the healing and reconciliation journey in a posture of humility, learning, and listening.”
Why Land Acknowledgment Matters for Discipleship
Land acknowledgments can be rooted in repentance, relationship, and responsibility. They are a starting point, not an ending. For those of us shaped by a gospel of the kingdom, they become a practice of:
Truth-telling in a culture that often sanitizes history Re-membering our place in a wider story of God’s justice and healing Re-orienting our hearts toward Indigenous neighbors with whom God is already at work
In this light, offering a land acknowledgment at the beginning of a worship gathering, a conference, or a public event is not a political move—it’s a deeply spiritual one.
Learning from Vineyard Canada
Vineyard Canada has modeled a generous, thoughtful approach to land acknowledgment as worship and witness. Their Land Acknowledgment Liturgy invites us to move beyond generic statements into deeply rooted prayer and lament. It includes:
-Naming the specific Indigenous territories where we gather
-Confessing the ways churches have been complicit in systems of harm
-Declaring our intent to walk in a different way—with humility, repair, and mutual respect
This approach reflects the heart of Jesus, who does not shy away from hard truths but moves toward people and places in love.
“If we ignore the pain in the land and in the people who have stewarded it for generations, how can we claim to live as a people of reconciliation?”
Next Steps: Starting Where You Are
Here are three ways you can begin integrating land acknowledgment into your community’s discipleship journey:
Learn whose land you’re on. Use tools like native-land.ca to understand the traditional territories you live, worship, and work on. Research the treaties, or lack thereof, in your region. Use and adapt liturgies thoughtfully. Start with Vineyard Canada’s Land Acknowledgment Liturgy, which we first used at the VineyardUSA Justice Role-Based Meet-Up in Arvada, CO, in 2024.
Consider offering it as part of your Sunday worship or a leadership retreat. Adapt it to your local context in partnership with Indigenous leaders where possible. Move beyond acknowledgment to action. Build relationship with local Indigenous communities. Learn their priorities. Explore how your church can support Indigenous-led healing efforts or advocate for justice in partnership.
The Kingdom Vision
At the heart of land acknowledgment is a vision of the kingdom of God breaking into the contested spaces of history. As disciples of Jesus, we are called not to dominate land, but to tend it as sacred; not to ignore the cries of the oppressed, but to listen and respond with love and justice.
We offer this practice as one small step toward a much longer journey—a journey of truth-telling, healing, and becoming the kind of people who reflect the reign of Christ in every sphere.