Encouraging and Equipping rural church leadership
Walking into a new job can be exhilarating and exhausting. You have so many hopes and dreams as you are expectant of what God is going to do. With fresh eyes on the scene, it is easy to see everything that you think needs to be fixed. You notice all of the changes you want... Continue Reading →
Imagine if you woke up one day and everyone you saw was walking backward, and every car was driving backward. The insane ridiculousness of this thought is hard to imagine. What a mess! Accidents would be piling up while people tripped around you. Why are we so focused on moving backward? Yet, in so many... Continue Reading →
As an avid sports fan, I always enjoy it when each sport approaches draft season. Draft season is a time when professional teams assess which young players they can add to their roster to improve their team. Athleticism, talent, attitude, work ethic, and sports IQ are measured and evaluated. Throughout the process, there is one... Continue Reading →
If you drive down the street in just about any town, you are sure to see a church or two or thirty. As you pass each of these buildings marked by stained glass, steeples reaching up to the sky, and a sign out front with Sunday service times, you wonder to yourself, "I wonder who... Continue Reading →
Just because you can wear every hat doesn't mean that you should wear every hat. In ministry, there is the constant pressure to wear every hat of every role that people expect you to fulfill. In smaller and rural churches, this can be especially true and exhausting. One day you are the preacher, the next... Continue Reading →
Ignorance, in many ways, is bliss when you don't know everyone. I remember growing up in the city and seeing so many people but only connecting to a few. You didn't know who lived down the block, and you certainly didn't know who their parents and grandparents were. You were clueless about the condition of... Continue Reading →
1. You Matter! In a day when everyone is connected, the comparison game is strong. We can see the successes of other people and defeat ourselves. In a rural community, it can become lonely as one of only a few in your area who understand the tensions of church leadership. We can work tirelessly day... Continue Reading →
It is no secret that many rural communities are slowly shrinking. Young professionals move away, and an older generation begins to pass away. As the town shrinks, often, so does the church. Does it have to be this way? What causes our kingdom view to get smaller while the town does? From my experience, there... Continue Reading →
Control is the kryptonite that destroys rural churches. I know this is true in every church, but it holds deeper roots in the rural church. Why? In small towns, the elders and church leaders are the same people who serve as mayor, substitute teacher, and football coach. Every area of life is intertwined and must... Continue Reading →
Depending on the state you live in, it is nearly time to start drawing your bow, sighting in your gun, and checking tree stands. Deer season is in full swing, and it's time to get ready. I have learned to love this time of year for many different reasons. In the small-town, deer season is... Continue Reading →
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