Let's not ignore the rural church

In recent months I've read numerous blog posts and articles about the new church planting strategy of many denominations.  That strategy focuses on large urban areas in an effort to reach the largest numbers of people.  As more and more people are moving to the large cities it just makes sense that denominations will focus their church planting efforts and resources on those cities.  The problem with this strategy is that it ignores the rural areas and small towns that dot our nation's countryside and acts as if the people who live in those places are inconsequential to the Kingdom of God.  As you might imagine, I don't agree with that at all.

Sixty percent of all Protestant churches in America average 60 people or less on Sunday morning.  Many people look at these churches as dead or dying with little to offer, and for too many of these churches this is true.  But, there are other ways of looking at many of these churches.  They are well positioned to have an impact on the lives of people far larger than their size might indicate.  The missing element in these churches has often been a lack of good, long-term leadership and a lack of any kind of God-given vision for ministry.  Without these two things most churches will drift along without purpose or impact including the smaller, rural churches that too many want to write off today.

Studies have demonstrated for several years that many pastors refuse to serve in such churches.  For numerous reasons seminary trained pastors view these churches as beneath them.  They do not offer the facilities, the opportunities, the prestige, and, let's admit it, the salaries and benefits these pastors are seeking.  When the smaller, rural church comes calling they can spiritualize their reasons for refusing to go there, but in reality they often never really gave that potential call any real consideration.  Denominational leaders do not encourage their better pastors to consider these churches either, and in fact may discourage them from going to such churches as it could harm the pastor's opportunities for further advancement in ministry.

As the pastor of a small, rural church for twenty years and now a judicatory leader for the past thirteen years I have seen the problems and potential of smaller churches up close and personal.  I have seen the problems that result from inadequate leadership and the absence of vision, and I have seen the amazing potential some of these churches have achieved when both good leadership and vision were present.  I know of churches sitting in the middle of corn fields that continue to experience amazing growth year after year.  To ignore the possibilities that exist in the rural and small town communities is a mistake.

I've begun reading Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O'Dell.  It tells the story of his reluctance to accept a call to a small, rural church in which he saw few possibilities and how that church has now grown to become a multi-campus church of several thousand people with national and global outreach.  I've only started the book, but so far it has been a fascinating story of challenges, resistance, and reluctant change on the part of the congregation.  I'm looking forward to reading of the obvious breakthroughs that allowed such a transformation of that church to occur.

Do I believe every small church can accomplish what O'Dell's congregation has achieved?  No, and perhaps that demonstrates a lack of faith on my part.  What I do believe is that many of the smaller churches found in rural and small town communities can transform into significant ministries in their communities in accordance to the plans that God has for each church.  I also believe that serving in these churches is a worthy calling of God on a person's life that should not be ignored just because it appears to be an insignificant ministry, and I further believe that denominations must not ignore these churches either.  Put resources into planting new churches in the larger cities if you choose, but if denominations continue to ignore the possibilities many of their smaller churches offer they will find that God will do an end-run around those denominations and raise up ministries in those churches they did not believe possible.  When that happens, those denominations that ignored their smaller churches for decades should not be surprised when these churches ignore them in the future.