It all started in 2012 when leaving the mission field in Mexico for furlough, Randy and Lisa had a strong feeling God would not lead them back to the Latin American country they had ministered in the last six years. The Lord had spoken to them about doing something quite different from foreign mission work – planting a church in rural America. They knew in their hearts God had spoken to them and told them to plant an Assemblies of God Church in Ness City, Kansas, but God showed them nothing of the timing. This did not discourage them. They exercised patience and diligence in the meantime by blessing others with their ministry through their work at the Central Kansas Dream Center in Great Bend, Kansas. This multi-faceted, holistic ministry was founded in August of 2013 to meet the needs of broken people within the community, with the driving vision of creating disciple-making disciples. After about five years of doing ministry through the Central Kansas Dream Center, in September 2018, God spoke to the Parrs and said, “Now!” It was time to plant what would soon be Generations Church Assembly of God in Ness City, Kansas. 

They began this exciting journey by laying the spiritual groundwork. Before even launching the church, Randy and Lisa actively began to love and embrace the community. They baked muffins for events, stopped by businesses and schools, and served Gatorades to the high school football team. While investing in Ness City a year before Generation Church’s official launch, they learned that pastors who are present and invest in the community gain natural connections, and build a solid establishment of trust that carries through Sunday morning and into the rest of the week.

During the first year of laying the spiritual and relational foundation, the pastors were looking for places where they could lay the physical foundation for their new church building. After having considered launching their church in either a gymnasium or a community center, they looked into an old 165-seat movie theatre on Main Street. This run-down building was not listed for sale by a realtor, but by the retired owner who was traveling in Australia at the time. Immediately, Randy spotted potential in this building’s location and in what it might have to offer a future AG church. When Lisa had gathered all the documents and arranged the funding, the future pastors of Generations Church were ready to settle on a price for a one-year lease. However, God had other plans. When this 5,800 square foot building and half a million-dollar piece of property was offered to them by the owner for only one dollar, they could not believe it! They had never before seen a miracle of this proportion!

God did not stop there. What should have been a $150,000 to $175,000 remodel project, by the grace of God only cost $75,000. They walked away debt free and with a story that provided them with a beautiful building that gives testimony to God’s faithfulness and providence. Those who heard this story began to realize this was only the beginning of many miracles God would work out for the good of Randy and Lisa Parr’s ministry.

After a year of building renovations and establishing relationships within the community, they officially launched Generations Church on September 8^th, 2019. The next miracle the Parrs would see came in the form of their partner church, and the long-time pastor of Great Bend First Assembly of God, Pastor Dwight Dozier. Pastor Dwight and his willing congregation gladly chose to help out every Sunday since their launch by attending and filling skilled positions on a short-term basis so local leaders could be trained up. From the beginning of the vision to its fulfillment, First Assembly has supplied the prayer foundation on which the church stood at its formation and continues to stand on today. “Without the help of Great Bend,” Lisa Parr said, “it would have been difficult to start.” As Pastor Dozier partnered diligently to advance the church in Ness City, The Ness City pastors realized how important it is to have a strong church to help launch a new work. He assisted in casting the vision to help plant churches in this rural area of Kansas by asking individuals to make a short-term commitment to attending Generations Church, fully aware that it would cost him workers and tithes. This gift of finances and workers demonstrate the deep level of commitment Dozier and First Assembly have made to plant churches in area rural communities.

It would have been a difficult to get through the beginning stages of launching this new church without the help of three ladies who had previously attended the small church that had recently been closed in Ness City. These ladies became the infrastructure that formed the bridge between the Parrs and the small, but close-knit community in Kansas. With their supportive energy and financial giving, the new local pastors were able to better understand how to contextualize their ministry for the community of Ness City. Once again, God had provided a miracle through the blessing that these three women provided.

The Parr’s foreign mission ministry background helped them contextualize ministry and embrace the culture of Ness City. While on the field, Lisa came to realize learning the culture of a community is one of the most important aspects to ministering among the people. They understand that they might always be foreigners to the people and lifestyle of Ness City, but they can be embraced and received by them. This acceptance has already begun as a result of their humble entrance into the rural community. Taking Gatorade to the high school football team, being intentional about building relationships, and displaying a true representation of Christ has slowly eased the skepticism and broken down the walls that had formed upon their arrival. One can constantly hear questions ring from the Parrs’ lips such as; “What can we be a part of? What can we do to be a blessing to you? How can we integrate ourselves into your community?” These are approaches they never would have learned without spending time in Mexico.

Creating a spiritual foundation prior to entering a community, offering yourself in service to the people within that community, partnering with a grounded church to assist you in the beginning stages, adhering and contextualizing yourself to the culture of the rural town, and relying on God to work out miracle after miracle for the good of His plans are just some of the many lessons Randy and Lisa say all rural leaders and church planters should learn. In a special setting such as this, one can connect with and pastor not only the town but the greater area that surrounds the community. When pastors support the community, the community will support the pastors. For the Parrs, rural church planting has come at a cost of time and finances. But, because of the support network they have beneath and behind them, they have been able to count the cost as worth it. “To any potential rural church planters, if you know that you know God has told you to do it, do not go ahead of God’s timing, but go for it,” says Lisa Parr.

Randy and Lisa Parr are a great testimony of God’s faithfulness and providence. Romans 8:28 describes their journey to plant the church in Ness City well, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (ESV). These wonderful pastors have shown that when we wait on God’s timing, seek His will, work hard and pray hard, the next miracle is just around the corner.

The post Miracle upon Miracle, Grace upon Grace… appeared first on Rural Advancement.

By Gordon Anderson Ph.D.

I once pastored a church that was twice the size of the town it was in. Impressive! 20 people in town, 40 people in church. You might think that such a seemingly small assignment would not hold much promise for significant leadership lessons. Not so. Later in ministry I served in a school where the board was larger than the congregation of that small church, and yet, time after time, I have gone back to come of the most important lessons I have ever learned; lessons learned in that small country church. Here are my three favorites.

1. Leadership is rooted in personal relationships. It is not a program. Early on I learned that people get to know you in a small church. Leadership in this environment is more personal than programmatic. Organizing a large program, event, or organization can look impressive, and can pass for competent leadership. You know, big numbers – big leader. The fact is, drawing a crowd with a creative program is not hard; especially if it has popular appeal, is well-organized, and is well-funded. But in a small church, people care more for the size of the person than they do for the size of the program. While congregants would otherwise not care for just one more program, they will follow, support, and help an honorable leader.
During the early months, that small church undertook the project of adding on to the parsonage. It was a sizeable task for a small congregation. In a board meeting, I (the leader), asked how we were going to raise the money. A seasoned board member softly said, “Don’t you worry about that”. I, (the leader), had the good sense to say nothing more, and nothing more was said. The next week we took a building fund offering, and the entire cost of the project was donated at once. The church gave an amount equal to about one half their annual giving. I was shocked! No program, but all that money. I asked the seasoned board member how it happened. He smiled and said, “Oh, we made a few calls this week”. If I, (the leader), had tried to launch a fund-raising program similar to what you see in other settings, we would have had a program, but not the same kind of personal support. There would have been no personal phone calls, and no big offering. I have found that this simple principle works out the same regardless the size of the ministry assignment. I will take the personal, relational approach any time.

2. People talk, and they are believed. We know people talk, but I had no idea the kind of influence that talk could have. In the long run, what people say about you will become your reputation, whether you like it or not. In that small church I found that my reputation throughout the whole community was determined by a very small group of people. Were they gossips? No! These people had many of friends and relatives, and friends and relatives talk about matters that friends and relatives talk about. As the pastor of that small church, I was the talk of the town. My wife, Dianne, and I had good relationships with that small church. We did our best to live honorably, and the people became fond of us. They told everyone they knew that we were OK. The word spread, and I did not have to launch a PR campaign to develop a good reputation. The people did it for us. (See number one above). Reputation is the sum total of many small conversations, small business dealings, small lists of appointments kept, and small compliments about other people when a criticism could have been offered. There is no such thing as a small thing, and taking care of these small things armed those that would talk with positive matters to talk about. Was it always good and accurate? Not always, but most of the time it was. And for that, we established and maintained a good reputation in that small place. Later, we learned that it is no different in a larger environment as well.

3. Pennies count. After each service in that small church the board counted the offering and gave it to me in a bag, along with a note of the amount. It was my job to deposit the money the next day at our local bank, about 26 miles away. Seldom was the note exactly accurate, but the deposit slip had to be. One Sunday night after church I was conducting the deposit. When I had finished, I stood up and a penny fell to the floor. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. And then I had an enormous feeling of guilt. It was as though God had caught me stealing a thousand dollars. It was late and I was tired. Without thinking I said, “Its only a penny,” but that lame remark didn’t dissolve the guilt at all. Then I said, “I’ll put it in next week’s offering,” but that did not help either. So, I sat down, redid the deposit slip, put it in the bag, and tore up the inaccurate one; the one that was off by just one penny. It did not take long, but the guilt lifted, and I learned one of the most important lessons of my life. There is no such thing as “just a penny.” It was not a penny that fell to the floor. It was a principle. The amount did not matter. As a trusted leader I was handling principles, not pennies. That night I learned something I have carried with me for the entirety of my ministry; those who are faithful with just a little will also be faithful with much, and those who are unfaithful with just a little will be also be unfaithful with much. I thank God for that night in the basement of a small parsonage, in a small church, in a small town.

I hope these three stories might have an impact on you in some way similar to what they have had on me. I have learned many lessons in some 53 years of ministry, but none have had greater impact than the really big lessons I learned in a very small place.

The post Leadership Lessons Learned at A Small Country Church appeared first on Rural Advancement.

By Bill Hennessy, D.Min.

In one drive through the American country, you’ll likely drive past two or three rural churches standing empty and unused. For decades, these churches served entire communities as both worship and community centers.

The steady migration of rural families toward metropolitan areas has convinced some Church strategists that the role of the rural church has ended and that those empty buildings are little more than an example of a historic Americana, better suited to wall art than relevant ministry.

Still, 60 million Americans live outside urban centers. The needs of these rural communities are every bit as real as those of their urban counterparts. According to Benjamin Anderson, a rural Hospital administrator in Colorado, the loss of community in rural areas has created a suicide crisis among Senior Citizens who feel isolated and abandoned. At the same time, addiction issues rampage and compromises younger rural Americans. Much of this crisis stems from the decline of once vibrant churches.

A variety of ministries, podcasts and seminars speak to these ideas on how ministry in rural America can be effective, but new approaches are needed. Let me offer one concept that might have great impact on a number of rural churches.

Imagine a pastoral team made up of two or three people that serve four congregations in a relatively large geographic area. On any given Sunday, the adult pastor speaks in one church while the youth pastor speaks in another. A children’s pastor speaks at the third church and the fourth church is led by an elder or deacon. The next Sunday, the team rotates to their next location. On the occasional fifth Sunday, a celebration service is held in one of the four locations, bringing all of the members together to worship and thank God for His faithfulness.

It’s quite possible that funding for the pastoral staff could be raised like any other Christian ministry. It’s also possible that the youth and children’s pastors would be considered part time, while the adult pastor would receive a full-time salary. That adult pastor would be available for pastoral care and administration. All partnering churches would share the salaries of the pastoral team. In this way, four churches could be served by supporting an amount equal to one part-time salary.

If this sounds familiar, it should. It is a variant of the old “Circuit Rider” model used to bring the Gospel across America at a time of rapid expansion. This forgotten model could also have the potential to help struggling churches thrive again in challenging times.

What model of rural ministry have you found effective in ministering to the needs of families and individuals living outside metropolitan areas? How might you take the idea I’ve submitted above and make it better? We look forward to your comments and perhaps putting your ideas out for widespread consideration.

The post 60 Million Deserve the Gospel appeared first on Rural Advancement.

I was recently taken by surprise at the grief which overwhelmed me on my sister Kim’s 60^th heavenly birthday.  Kim passed away from cancer in January of 2018 and didn’t see 60 here on this earth.  Of all the people in my life who taught me what I call “life lessons”, those lessons that give life true meaning, Kim probably taught me the most.  Kim was the oldest of five children in our family, but was also the “youngest.”  She was born physically “normal” but developmental delays plateaued her at a cognitive age of 5 to 7 years.  This meant her four younger brothers became her protectors, and brought to life the command in Psalms 82:3 to defend the weak.

As you might imagine, Kim would often do or say things that were embarrassing.  She loved to meet new people and would go out of her way to do so.  Her opening line to someone she was meeting for the first time was “Hello, my name is Kim, I’m retarded.”  In the 60’s and 70’s retarded was the term given to people with Kim’s disability.  Kim would often question God why He had made her retarded, or ask me, “will I ever be healed?”  I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, her healing is completed now in God’s presence.  Something I learned as I matured was that her introductory statement was not meant to embarrass me or others, Kim didn’t have it in her thought process to do that, Kim wanted to put others at ease.  She gave an open and vulnerable introduction revealing in an instant all her inner frailty and trust, “this is who I am, who are you?”  

Serving as a pastor in a rural church, I have been able to recognize the many gifts Kim has granted me.  One being the gift of compassion for those with disabilities.  She has given to me the ability to move past my embarrassment or concern for what a guest might think when they see those with disabilities serving in front line ministry positions in the church.  She taught me to think outside my box and to see the bigger picture of a world filled with people who God has created them to be.

I learned that despite her cognition, Kim could pray.  She could often be found on her knees by her bed interceding in the Spirit (she was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues) for the healing or salvation of those she loved.  She portrayed a beautiful and innocent display of Christ in the way that she loved everyone she met and expected the same in return.  I believe she had God’s ear. Maybe it was because of her persistence, but I am almost certain it was due to her child-like faith that God answered many, many of her prayers.  Our observation of Kim’s faith and God’s miraculous provision has led us to allow and ask those with developmental delays to be a part of our prayer and altar ministry.   As a result, we have experienced the supernatural and miraculous touch of God in people’s lives through physical and relational healings.

I learned from Kim that a church which loves and embraces those with cognitive brokenness shows its guests that they too will be loved and embraced.  Who in the world today is not suffering some form of brokenness and needs the love of Jesus to shine through His church and embrace them?  Those with physical and cognitive disabilities on our greeter team for this very reason.  In a world and culture that often says first impressions are everything, I can think of no better first impression than to show everyone who walks through our doors that every person in this church is loved and accepted.

Kim pushed me to think outside of the box in a world where autism or food allergies or ADHD have become the norm.  How do we address these in the rural church?  How do we best serve our families and children?  These questions have pushed us to create a team of parents who help with our autistic and behavior challenged children.  It has challenged us to keep a supply of non-dairy or peanut free snacks available so that all can feel welcome.  These areas can become overwhelming for the rural church that often lacks resources, but something as simple as serving a gluten free cracker option at Communion makes everyone feel included. As a result of this addition to our Communion time, two new families have begun attending our church.  They had not been able to take communion at previous churches for years and as one of the family members said, “you offering this option means that everyone matters to this church.” 

One of Kim’s persistent prayers was for new people to come to church and for the church to be filled.  Growing up in a small rural church, in a town with aging demographics and a population trending downward, this seemed like a big prayer for God to answer.  However, at Kim’s funeral the church was so full, the basement fellowship hall was even at capacity as people had no other option but to watch the service happening upstairs via Facebook live.  In the history of our church there had never been more people in attendance.  It seemed to be God’s way of saying, Kim’s life mattered to me and, thankfully, mattered to many others.  My challenge for every person who hears Kim’s story is to look outside the lens of your current perspective, think about the many possibilities that exist for those with disabilities, and see what those possibilities could mean to others.  Because, just as Kim taught all those who knew her, every person matters.

The post A Life that Mattered appeared first on Rural Advancement.