The rural church is often forgotten

Last night I finished re-reading another great book, The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America by Glenn Daman. I was privileged to have been asked to write a recommendation for the book before it was published. It was an honor to write that because the book was very good and because Glenn is a champion for the small, rural churches. He grew up in rural communities and currently pastors a rural church in Washington. He has written a number of other books specifically for smaller churches and their leaders and serves as an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. I would suggest this book should be required reading for anyone serving in a rural church,

The title of the book says it all: the rural church has been largely forgotten by seminaries, denominations, church historians and pastors on the fast-track to their "dream" church. Most resources are spent on the urban and suburban communities. That is where you find denominations targeting their new church planting efforts. Seminaries teach ministry practices best suited for the large churches normally found in the cities. Much has been written by many people, including myself, on the difficulty of smaller churches finding pastors willing to serve them.

Attend denominational gatherings and you will usually find their speakers and workshop leaders come from large urban churches. Try to find a course offered by seminaries that focus on rural ministry. Check out any Christian bookstore and compare the number of books on the shelves written by pastors of larger churches and those written by pastors of smaller churches. Yes, the rural church is largely forgotten by just about everybody, except those who go there.

Like Glenn, I have spent my entire life in small, rural churches. It was in such churches that I first came to faith in Jesus Christ. It was in the Sunday school classes, Vacation Bible School and Baptist Youth Fellowship that I learned about the Bible and the Christian life. It was while attending such churches as a young boy that I first felt God's call on my life to enter the ministry. It was in small, rural churches that I saw how people came together to support one another. It was a small, rural church that allowed me to serve them as pastor for twenty years even though I did not have the seminary training or experience to do so.

I remember when I was licensed to the ministry that I contacted a leader in my denomination at the time. I told him the church had licensed me and I was willing to fill the pulpit or preach any time he needed my help. I got a letter back telling me if I wanted to be a minister I needed to go to college and seminary, and in seven years when I completed my education to contact him again. That little rural church didn't ask about my educational credentials. They were glad I was willing to serve them and voted me in as their pastor. Maybe some people today have forgotten the rural church, but me and millions of others whose lives have been impacted by such churches will never forget them.

Reading this book, and especially the stories Glenn tells, reminded me again of how much I loved that church I pastored and how much I miss pastoring such churches today. The relationships one has with the congregation in a rural church is amazing. I've sat in the barn while one of our members was greasing his equipment as we talked about church matters. I went coon hunting with one member and spent countless hours with another one fishing. I prayed with many a member when they were in the hospital and sat around the table talking to family members who had just lost a loved one. In the rural church you don't spend much time sitting in your office, not if you want to spend time with those you serve.

If you pastor a rural church you need to read this book. It will help remind you of why you do what you do, especially during those times when you get frustrated by some aspect of ministry. If you are a denominational leader, you need to read this book. Maybe you won't be so quick to write off your churches located in rural communities. Seminary leaders need to read this book and begin to think of ways you can better serve those who will be going to rural ministries. If you are a lay leader in a rural church and often find yourself frustrated at the on-going challenges of rural ministry, you should read this book as well. Maybe it will remind you that in God's economy it's not just the large churches that are important. Christ came to save individual people, both in urban and rural communities. Every church has a role to play in that effort, and historically and currently the rural church has performed amazing work for the Kingdom of God.