Ministry leadership development has neglected the rural ministry model for the younger generation.  The promotion of urban ministry supersedes rural ministry time after time.  As a result, rural ministry development has floundered and struggled to find leaders who understand the rural church and become successful in a rural setting. The lack of leadership development materials and training provided the problem for this study.

The research will include leadership literature reviews and interviews with lead pastors in a rural setting, thus determining the leadership materials’ applicability to their experiences. The methodology will include qualitative research of personal interviews conducted in person, by phone, or electronically.  Evaluation of literature review and interviews happened through the lens of rural leadership development materials availability and quality.

The major findings determined that education varied, leadership principles denoted different definitions, the pastors desired additional rural training, the development of leaders within the church does not happen consistently or at all in some locations, limited rural literature availability, and mentoring could provide support and encouragement.  The findings, processed through the Missional Helix, a four-step process used for healthy church planting, provides a structure to evaluate the findings using theological, cultural, and historical perspectives. [1]

A rural pastor’s role has existed for hundreds of years with isolation and its unique challenges.  These challenges remain today, with different terminology but similar foundational issues.  This research identified some areas that the rural pastor needs undergirding.  Those areas represent personal development through education, training in leaders’ development, mentoring, or coaching opportunities.  Roger Heuser and Norman Shawchuck wrote concerning the pastor, “Simply put, leaders cannot give to others what they themselves do not possess from within.”[2]  Providing help and encouragement for the rural pastor describes the end goal of this research.

Demonstrating functional competencies becomes enhanced through leadership development tools and training.  The pastors interviewed had a varied education, with only a few having formal Biblical training.  In Exodus, God said to Moses about Bezalel, “and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship…” (Exod. 31:3). God gave provisions to each interviewed pastor to perform their jobs.  These pastors grew up in a rural setting which provided a more remarkable ability to relate and understand the culture.  David A. Livermore described Jesus and culture as, “Jesus always conveys the kingdom through the medium of culture…The values of culture live in tension with the values of the kingdom…There’s no such thing as a cultureless gospel.  Jesus healed, taught, and preached within a very particular culture.”[3]  Understanding the culture contributes to a rural pastor more than a formal Bible education without an emphasis on rural ministry.  The apostle Peter identified, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3). Moreover, John added, “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you have knowledge.” (1 John 2:20).  God gives the rural pastor knowledge and anointing to fulfill the call.  Education and continuing rural-specific training along with life experience provides tools to accomplish the job.

Leadership principles varied, with relationships as the most mentioned contributing factor.  Samuel R. Chand agreed, “Our ability to connect with people, earn their trust, invite their opinions, and inspire them is the most important trait we bring—even more important our experience or skills.”[4]  Jesus provided the greatest example of friendship, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from by Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15). Jesus called His disciples friend as time passed and as He shared more of Himself and the Father with them.  Jesus taught His disciples koinonia which means communion or fellowship, to define relationships.  This concept happened when people gathered to eat together around a table or in homes.  Koinonia puts the other person’s needs before oneself.  Rural ministry can seek relationships to build the church and pursue leaders; in other words, becoming motivated to meet the minister’s personal needs—opposite of what Christ calls us to do.  So, while relationships remain essential in the rural setting, the motivation behind them requires constant evaluation within Christ’s modeled framework.[5]

The majority of the rural pastors interviewed for this project struggled to develop leaders within their congregations.  Finding the tools and materials to aid them in the development calls for innovation and rural pastors’ writing new material.  The literature review found little material on leadership development in the rural setting.  Leadership materials, in general, exist in abundance, and much of that material allows for minimal rural ministry application.  Specific and contextualized leadership development materials for the rural setting remain limited and often dated between 2005-2015.  Healthy rural ministry development necessitates additional material and training options because the health of a church depends on the health of the pastor and congregation.

Mentoring and coaching represented the need for someone to come alongside the rural pastor and provide encouragement, instruction, counseling, guidance, and companionship.  Coaching and mentoring differ in their approach, but both have essential outcome.  Wright explained the importance of mentoring,

Mentoring is a relationship with purpose.  There is no formula, no ideal model, and no program of steps to success.  It is a relationship connected by a shared interest in learning and growth, and it must be constantly nurtured and recreated.  It has purpose and structure defined by the learning needs of the mentoree and shaped by the wisdom and experience of the mentor.  It is more than leadership…Mentoring, on the other hand, may nurture organizational competence, but always in the broader context of personal development and growth.[6]

Only three pastors interviewed currently have a coach or mentor.  Healthy personal growth and development, along with encouragement, helps pastors meet the needs of others.  The apostle Paul warned, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).  Mentoring and coaching go beyond just the teaching and admonishing and include the worship of Christ together.

The rural ministry has experienced neglect and obscurity for many years.  Roth declared, “The identity of the rural church is found in being gathered up to Christ, not in any perceived rural distinctiveness or mission, however seemingly pressing.  The rural church is nothing more—and certainly nothing less—than Christ’s church, whole as it is gathered together with all the fragments.”[7]  This research recognizes a vital mission field where thousands of pastors remain committed to the missio Dei in their communities.  Jesus told the disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Jesus gave them the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and lead them to compassion and mission for their communities.  Gary Tyra stated, “Therefore, the church, if it faithfully represents the reign of God to its contemporaries, will be led by the Spirit to offer compassionate responses to the human need it witnesses in the world.”[8]  By providing support through education, mentorship, coaching, prayer, and encouragement, the rural pastor can remain healthy and lead a healthy church. [9]  Lawrence W. Farris declared,

Nevertheless, ministers who work to understand what shapes small-town life and how small towns work will, I believe, be able to make significant and creative contributions in helping to preserve what makes these places special, even in the face of such challenges.  Not only can ministers who understand the dynamics of small towns lead their churches in strengthening the town; they are often uniquely placed to lend perspective and leadership to the town itself, helping it live out of its cherished history, culture, values, and traditions while finding new ways to respond and survive amid the challenges of the world beyond its boundaries.

Helping current and younger generations understand the unique culture, the community, the church and the spiritual responsibility that comes with the rural pastor’s role.

[1] Gailyn Van Rheenen, “The Missional Helix,” Mission Alive (2013), http://www.missionalive.org/ma/index.php/resources/articlesmenu/83-the-missional-helix-example-of-church-planting.

[2] Roger Heuser and Norman Shawchuck, Leading the Congregation: Caring for Yourself while Serving the People (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2010), 17.

[3] David A. Livermore, Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage our Multicultural World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009), 38.

[4] Samuel R. Chand, Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code: Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision & Inspiration (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011), 107.

[5] Roth, God’s Country, 189-191.

[6] Wright, Relational Leadership, 68.

[7] Roth, God’s Country, 17.

[8] Gary Tyra, The Holy Spirit in Mission: Prophetic Speech and Action in Christian Witness (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 151.

[9] Lawrence W. Farris, Dynamics of Small Town Ministry (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2000), 78.

Bibliography

Barna, George. Leaders on Leadership, Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1997.

Chand, Samuel R. Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code: Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision & Inspiration, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011.

Farris, Lawrence W. Dynamics of Small Town Ministry, Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2000.

Heuser Roger and Norman Shawchuck. Leading the Congregation: Caring for Yourself while Serving the People, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2010.

Livermore, David A. Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage our Multicultural World, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.

Roth, Brad. God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church, Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2017.

Tyra, Gary The Holy Spirit in Mission: Prophetic Speech and Action in Christian Witness, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.

Van Rheenen, Gailyn. “The Missional Helix,” Mission Alive (2013), http://www.missionalive.org/ma/index.php/resources/articlesmenu/83-the-missional-helix-example-of-church-planting

Webber, Robert E. Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008

Wright, Walter C. Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Influence and Service, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009.

The post Rural Leadership Development: A Critique of Pastoral Leadership Resources appeared first on Rural Advancement.

By Jim Von Wald

The transitioning of pastoral leadership in rural churches created challenges and opportunities for the pastor and the congregation.  Reducing the complications experienced during leadership change can increase the church’s effectiveness related to the missio Dei or mission of God.  Christopher Wright, in The Mission of God, wrote, “The whole Bible renders to us the story of God’s mission through God’s people in their engagement with God’s world for the sake of the whole of God’s creation.”[1]  Successful leadership transition impacts all areas of the church’s engagement with the world around it.  A clear theological purpose to mentor leaders into and through pastoral leadership transition set in place the guardrails to follow God’s purpose to change the world in which it operates.  The training, mentoring, and multiplication of leaders without these guardrails could follow culture and tradition’s norms rather than biblical truth.

The study explored options discovered during interviews and literature.  It detailed how they can undergird rural pastors and churches through transition. The project launched to uncover best practices for ministerial succession or transition in rural churches, and a summary with suggested best practices will conclude the project.

The research used a qualitative methodology described and defined by Dr. Paul Alexander, President of Trinity Bible College.[2]  Prepared questions guided the semi-formal interviews with rural pastors and denomination leaders that produced findings.  Mixed methods of research through pertinent literature to pastoral transition, interviews, bylaw, and policy reviews support the thesis’ development.  The project scope initially considered only Minnesota Assembly of God rural churches, then expanded to additional relevant options outside of Minnesota and the Assemblies of God.  Clarity of definition necessitated defining terms like rural, transition, and succession.

A primary research purpose arose from the number of rural pastors approaching retirement age in the Assemblies of God denomination.  The transitional vacancies have reached a critical juncture as replacements do not appear readily available.  The anticipated transitions from those retirements do not include changes occurring in pastoral leadership due to other reasons which exacerbate the vacancy issue. An added passion for this project resulted from necessary personal decisions in my clerical role.  My spouse and family have invested 20 years planting and establishing a rural Minnesota Assembly of God church.  We find ourselves in a season where planning for transition described our current ministry journey.  Bird and Vanderbloemen stated, “every pastor is an interim pastor,” therefore, understanding pastoral transition connected desired leadership qualities and personal motivation to support other pastors in the process. [3]

This project initially launched from the challenge of finding resources or literature to guide rural pastors or churches through transition or succession. In contrast, many studies address the process and the consequences of change and succession in urban and suburban settings or large church environs.  Lack of transition resources for the rural areas communicates a sense of disregard and lack of value for the rural church.

All AG churches have value and are needed to accomplish the AG’s mission. Therefore, it is important that the AG not view existing churches as second class or missionally inferior to church plants, but value existing churches for the strengths they have; these strengths often come only through longevity and credibility in a community. Every church that pursues God’s mission has value in His Kingdom and should have value in the AG.[4]

Often, rural pastors have access to fewer professional development opportunities in transition and succession areas from a rural practitioner’s view.  In The Catalyst Leader, Brad Lomenick argues, “…culture is pushing into positions of influence people who are unequipped for the task they’ve been given.”[5]  Scott Schuler, an author and successful business owner stated, “I have never been offered or found leadership mentoring in any of the rural communities I’ve lived, and certainly not from a biblical worldview perspective.”[6]  Providing pastoral mentoring in a rural culture encourages developing young pastors and leaders from within the church.

As a rural pastor, I have learned the importance of planning organically occurring transitions and leading the church I pastor through such changes.  This research motivated me before exiting my current pastorate; I will mentor a future leader who understands the community, the church culture, and the rural ministry dynamics.  Further, I will seek to guide the leadership team and church body through a healthy transition process.  The combination of experience and this study creates a resource with options to undergird rural pastors in guiding their churches through transition.  The ultimate goal establishes an environment where the church can accelerate movement forward into the future God has for it.

Across the United States, the increasing age of rural pastors creates a sense of urgency, and many retirements loom.  Denominational resistance, a traditional view on transition, and lack of planning by the exiting pastors have contributed to the lack of rural transition resources. Historical bylaws, governance, and possibly a lack of forward-thinking have created barriers in many churches during transitional periods.  As an ancillary consequence, these factors also instilled unintended consequences for the rural church, a shortage of replacement pastors.  Pastors planning and praying for direction and programs to develop the next leader for the church from existing church members will help alleviate some of the shortages.

As a recommendation to overcome the emergent needs, pastors may consider the implications and the applications in this project.  Ruch described a pastor’s responsibility to develop the next leader of a church facing transition.  He argued, “The preparation process for success is a much longer runway than selection and handoff.  Years of guidance and training could position churches for a better future with prepared leaders.  If facilitation of these leaders is not addressed, in the future, churches will have pastors partially prepared.” [7]  Increasing the church’s ministry’s effectiveness and the Missio Dei may require a new pastoral transition model for the rural church.

Rural churches would benefit from well-developed transition plans and discussions among their leadership regarding transitions.  Each of the interviewees reported, the need for change involved a written, developed, and discussed transition plan.  Mullins suggested, “If you’ve been in ministry for a while, you have learned some lessons and insights along the way! Don’t underestimate the value of preserving them for others.”  Mullins shared that writing is not only for experts but for men and women willing to preserve their wisdom for future generations, for those who will lead the church into the future.[8]  Encouragement for pastoral leaders facing transition begins with a written plan, with clear steps that provide direction and clear communication that minimizes confusion or anxiety for the transitioning church.

A recommendation for further research could include the district offices’ creating templates and training processes regarding transition for leaders to institute before leaving a church.  Research may also consist of studying and developing a program for pastors, encouraging them to create future leaders from within a church for succession.  Any method may review working within traditional bylaw structure as those interviewed in this research accomplished or engage the district’s intentional interim pastors’ recommendation.  Another area of research could provide instruction and direction on changing bylaws to accommodate transition or succession.

My life’s investment into a rural church and community has brought hope and optimism about the church raising the next leader in the transition process.  I look forward with joy to the next season of ministry; a season where I prepare the next pastor to sit in my chair; a season to prepare the congregation for the continuity of God’s mission without disruption.  I trust some of the processes described and presented within this thesis will become an example and provide an option for other churches engaged in succession or transition.  My prayer for rural pastors concerned about their church’s response to change; be encouraged, begin to plan, and pray for options to utilize and implement during your transition; God will guide you each step of the way.

Read the Academic Article

Works Cited

Alexander, Paul. Trinity Bible College and Graduate School, Immersion Experience, Little Rock, AR, March 2019.

Drost, Paul “Church Planting: A Strategic Method for Increasing Missional Effectiveness in the Assemblies of God.” A project submitted to the Doctor of Ministry Committee in candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2015.

Lomenick Brad, The Catalyst Leader, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013.

Mullins, Tom, Passing the Leadership Baton: A Winning Transition Plan for Your Ministry, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2015.

Ruch, Nathaniel. Preparing the Receiver of the Baton in the Succession Narrative, Doctoral Dissertation, Minneapolis, MN: Copyright @ 2018 Nathaniel Ruch.

Schuler, Scott. “Rural Church Multiplication/Church Planting and Revitalization” Interview, Immersion Experience, Trinity Graduate School, Foley, MN, October 2001.

Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2006.

Vanderbloemen, William and Warren Bird. Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014.

[1] Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2006), p 51.

[2] Paul Alexander, Trinity Bible College and Graduate School, Immersion Experience, Little Rock, AR, March 2019.

[3] William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird, Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 9.

[4] Paul Drost, “Church Planting: A Strategic Method for Increasing Missional Effectiveness in the Assemblies of God.” A project submitted to the Doctor of Ministry Committee in candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, (Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2015), p 134.

[5] Brad Lomenick, The Catalyst Leader, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013), xxvii.

[6] Scott Schuler, “Rural Church Multiplication/Church Planting and Revitalization” (Interview, Immersion Experience, Trinity Graduate School, Foley, MN, October 2018).

[7] Nathaniel Ruch, Preparing the Receiver of the Baton in the Succession Narrative, Doctoral Dissertation, Minneapolis, MN: 2018 Nathaniel Ruch, 129.

[8] Mullins, Passing the Leadership Baton: A Winning Transition Plan for Your Ministry, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2015,148.

The post Ministerial Succession And Transition In Rural Churches: Challenges and Opportunities appeared first on Rural Advancement.

Written by Dwight D. Dozier

This study researched the feasibility of church planting and ministry investment in rural areas in light of depopulation and its corresponding economic and social impact. Some church planters concluded that small town ministry offered little investment return and that efforts should focus on urban and suburban areas.

Population decline in rural America impacted communities beyond fewer people living there. With a declining population, communities experienced economic downturns, increased substance abuse and addictions, higher crime rates and mental illness, and fewer amenities and restricted access to essential services. These realities cried out for spiritual solutions. However, in the circumstances begging for healthy churches, churches have closed or declined into irrelevance.

In America, the evangelical church demonstrated indifference toward rural ministry, which created a challenging environment to recruit pastoral leaders and financial investors. This study pointed to evidence of opportunity and success models in small towns, making a case for human and financial resource investment.

Statistical analysis, literature analysis, personal interviews, and two case studies demonstrated the potential success and supported this position. While the literature analysis will be broad and general, the statistical analysis and case studies will focus on rural Assemblies of God in Kansas.

Church planting draws the attention of ministry investors; contrariwise, few wish to discuss revitalization. However, church revitalization plays an essential role in restoring spiritual vitality to rural communities. Bringing a dying church into a healthy trajectory requires a strategy and leaders committed to change.

Revitalization occurs when the power of Pentecost aligns with the purpose of Pentecost within the life of a church; when the mission of God emanates through the church into the community. The revitalization process in any context starts with an honest assessment, including facilities, music, ministries, and approachability. An honest assessment of approachability can prove painful.

It remains beyond this paper’s scope to suggest detailed strategies, yet a church willing to adapt can find an abundance of resources, successful models, and people ready to help. A willing church can experience new life, but a church that exists for itself will cease to exist.

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Read the full Academic Article here

Abstract

Varying church models exist throughout the Christian church context. A multisite church model is one that has garnered attention over the past several years. There have been multiple pieces of literature written from both positive and negative perspectives. Within the framework of this thesis I examine multisite literature with particular attention given to the rural context.

This work highlights rural church practice within the community. This thesis evaluates the possibilities of a multisite church model and the possible solutions it may provide to a rural church community and those who minister within them. This work considers the declining health of some of the rural churches and their communities. A multisite church model may provide solutions for a rural church and pastor. The literature review of a multisite church model and a rural ministry context provide insights into the consideration of a multisite church within a rural community that could be helpful to rural ministers.

The genre of literature is reflected in the bibliography and footnotes. The total word count of 15,668 (excluding footnotes and bibliography), does reflect the engagement of literature in both a multisite and rural ministry context.

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Read the Academic Article: Partnership in the Gospel

The summer of 1987 provided a new opportunity for ministry and our young family moved to a small community in western Nebraska to pastor a rural church. Several men in the small-town church worked on area ranches, providing opportunity for time with ranchers cowboys and recapturing a childhood enjoyment of horses. After a couple years, I purchased two untrained horses, but they needed the diligent work of training. The horses taught me important life lessons while responding to the riding and training process. Looking back at the experience, I learned far more than the horses I attempted to teach. The process of developing a horse into a good partner involved more than I understood but that began an interest to study horse training.

A video with a trainer, Shana Terry (Down Under Horsemanship 2017), and her trained American Quarter Horse, Marty, demonstrates an amazing partnership of performance and difficult maneuvers.[1] Marty performed flawlessly while Terry gave instructions from a distance without halter, bridle, or lead line touching the horse. The horse ran, made difficult spins, jumps and maneuvers from cues that he learned from Shana. One exercise demonstrated a partnership of trust and communication where Marty backed down a slope across a body of water and then trotted back to Shana on cue. The relationship, trust, and performance of Shana and Marty should pale in comparison to the partnership of believers to accomplish God’s will for His kingdom, exceeding the best partnership with a well-trained horse.

[1] Liberty Down Under Horsemanship. Shana Terry and Marty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYeHIQqDo2I  Accessed December 2019.

The maneuvers that Shana trained Mary to do truly make a person horse partnership look easy.  The level of communication between trainer and horse required a unity and understanding rarely found.  If a horse trainer can find that level of partnership, how much more should the servants of the Lord establish partnership.

Partnership requires unity and togetherness to build relational bonds fulfilling God’s great mission. Creation unfolds with the first example of partnership. God said, “Let us make man in our own image” (Gen. 1:26). The doctrine of the trinity, some refer to the tri-unity of God gives insight in partnership (Evans 2016). Charles Hodge (1981, 445) gave insight into this unity. “According to the scriptures, the Father created the world, the Son Created the world, and the Spirit created the world: The Father preserves all things; the Son upholds all things; and the Spirit is the source of all life.” The unity and partnership of the trinity, beginning from the account of creation and continuing throughout scripture, paint a picture of the potential of partnership according to God’s design.

The work of partnership in God’s relationship with man continues in the New Testament primarily through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Jimmie Evans III (2016, 2) noted the teaching of Jesus where he expressed the necessity of sending the Holy Spirit:

While with His disciples, Jesus was a present helper and teacher, but following His departure the Holy Spirit takes on those roles (John 14:26). He will also remind them of Jesus’ words, and He will testify about Jesus through the disciples (John 14:26; 15:26). Not only do these verses indicate His role, they also reveal His identity in terms of the progression of who sends Him. In 14:16, He will ask the Father to send the helper. In 14:26, the Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name. Then in 15:26, Jesus refers to Himself sending the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father. Each of these instances of sending reveals a unity and bond between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whereby the three comprising the Trinity are displayed working in cooperation.

This work of the Holy Spirit finds greater expression through the New Testament but especially in Acts where Luke identifies the Holy Spirit as the primary source and partner who leads and guides the church.

The first chapters of Acts set the stage for the remainder of the New Testament modeling reliance on the Holy Spirit to direct and guide the church. (Acts 1:8, 4:31, 5:32, 6:3 6:19) The disciples trusted the Savior who baptized in the Holy Spirit and His partnership to lead the New Testament Church. (Acts 15:28) The birth of the church came with an expectation of partnership with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) This continued with varying intensity from the days of the early church on. A refreshing and intensifying of this recognition of the Holy Spirit in the church occurred in the early Twentieth Century with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a continued revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, CA. This Spirit led revival brought deep spiritual connections removing the classes separating people and released the power of partnership. (Miller 2015, 11-21) The spiritual renewal possessed similarities to the early church on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit led people to love, celebrate, preach, plant, share and send people out with a transformational and redeeming message (Miller 2015, 15-20). These Spirit empowered believers became a discipling, multiplying community of faith without regard to race, class or gender and sent people out to plant churches, ministries, and missionaries throughout the world. This level of partnership continued through the following decades of the Pentecostal movement and remains in place to present times.[1]

That season brought significant partnerships from pastor to pastor, church to church and pastor to church. The culture of working and playing together reflected strong relationships where pastors worked together on churches, summer camps, church buildings, and other projects. They often celebrated together, hunted together, and some vacationed together.[2] The cooperation and collaboration, common both in decades past with the rural church and community, finds a less common place in rural life today; yet partnership continues to give blessing and life to all those who access it.

[1] The Pentecostal movement experienced and continues to experience a struggle to maintain partnership, however observations of four decades of ministry indicates seasons of refreshing tend to remove this tendency toward division and brings unity in the church.

My years sitting with older pastors allowed me to hear multiple stories of the partnership between pastors, churches, missionaries, and districts. The urgency of kingdom service and their sense of eschatology reflecting the soon return of Christ caused many leaders to see every person who worked diligently for the kingdom as a ministry partner. This level of partnership drove church multiplication and cooperation in ministry. They expressed a praxis of ‘one in the Spirit and one in mission.’ This did not represent all but many in the rural area where I first experienced church and the Pentecostal message.

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This paper presents the need to review the theology of God’s call connected to missions and the rural church. The need for the church to observe the rural churches’ connection to the call can strengthen missions work to all ethne. In light of the decline of young rural ministers, this paper explores the biblical call for ministry engaging God’s mission (missio Dei) and observing calling in Acts 26:16-20; God continues to call Spirit-empowered believers to join His mission of reaching the lost from every ethne. Paul’s call demonstrates that God’s calling includes the purpose and the empowerment that summons believers to respond.

The exploration of Luke’s appeal to the church, considering the example of Paul’s call, strengthens the praxis of the Christ-centered call that launches Spirit-empowered workers into the harvest in and from rural communities. Incorporating Luke’s Spirit-empowered missio Dei call and response theme with rural churches, accomplishing the mission of Christ for every people group, becomes a rural impetus.[i] Tyra promoted the pneumatic missio Dei imperative, “…it must be acknowledged that Luke’s message overall seems to be that all Spirit-filled believers possess the capacity, like Ananias [and Paul], to hear God’s voice, receive ministry assignments, speak and act on Christ’s behalf, make new disciples, and build up the church, offering a powerful refutation of religious relativism in the process.”[ii] To mitigate the rural church crisis, God continues to call ministers to accomplish His mission in the rural communities, to turn them from darkness to the glorious light.

Jesus continues His universal call to invade the darkness with the gospel light in the rural and urban communities. Gene Edward encouraged believers that God’s call leads to places large and small, “Christians have the confidence that ‘all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28). Notice that this promise is tied to vocation (being ‘called’) and to God’s purpose, not our own.”[iii] The Holy Spirit works through believers to remedy a lack of missionary zeal, calling for radical transformation of people in rural and urban communities, healing blind eyes, setting free the bound, bringing the good news of sins forgiven and sanctification through faith in Christ. A biblical theology of the call, in view of Paul’s call and the rural church current condition, necessitates increased prayer, preaching, and teaching about responding to the Spirit-empowered missional call; encouraging people young and old, men and women, to respond to the Lord Jesus who called Saul on the road to Damascus and leaders for ministry today.

[i] Moltmann Jurgen Moltmann. The Church in Power of the Spirit. (New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers, Inc. 1977), 10.

[ii] Tyra. 68.

[iii] Gene Veith, Edward, Jr. God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Book.2002), 59. “Vocation is, in part, a function of the particular gifts God has given us; but we cannot know our vocation purely by looking inside ourselves. Our choices are constrained by givens that are outside our control. Neither are circumstances completely under our control. God, though, is in control of them all. While non-believers are trapped in their random, meaningless world, Christians have the confidence that ‘all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28).” This promise follows Paul’s admonition that Spirit helps us pray according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).

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By Ronald L. Masten

Partnership on purpose, spiritual fervency, and intentional outreach into the community will characterize the church in the future, and the future begins now. Developing leaders for ministry rural churches necessities relevant ministry that includes, spiritual fervency, authenticity, community outreach, and partnership.

The current state of ministry in rural Sandhills of Nebraska struggles with the following questions: “How will relevant ministry survive as the church moves into the future? What will the ministry look like? Who will lead outreach? How will missions be supported moving forward?” Rural communities face many struggles in these times; they experienced a decline and loss of families over the past several decades, which resulted in smaller churches. World Population Review reports Thomas County Population in 1980 at 973 people and 2018 numbers at 720.1 Many trends ignored or thought small rural ministry as less than larger metro churches. Karl Vaters stated in, The Grasshopper Myth, “Half of all Christians in America and far more than half of Christians worldwide attend a Small Church.”2 This study researched the challenges and issues of current ministry, and the opportunity for churches to partner and cooperate together ensuring productive ministry and evangelism for the future. 

The research included interviews of pastors, lay leaders, members and adherents, and small-town residents using a questionnaire designed to provide answers to focused questions with persons involved in the rural ministry context and community. What percentage of pastors serve in bi-vocational roles? What level of education and experience do they have? What role do laypeople play in leadership? What level of cooperation between area churches ensures successful ministry in the future? This research gathered responses from diverse groups in the churches and ministries engaged multiple viewpoints ensuring good research data from interviews from current ministries and those engaged in evangelism whether clergy or lay leadership. 

The church must recognize that collaboration and partnership will not just evolve on its own. This new paradigm engages the church in a sense of urgency rooted in seeking God to give direction and guidance moving forward. God will lead the changes, partnerships, spiritual renewal, and missional evangelism through contextualization and intentional evangelism.

This research project survey demonstrated that the rural churches in the Sandhills of Nebraska and around America still have life; however, there is a sense of urgency in the church to find ministry answers to go forward. In a rural ministry context, authenticity became a key to influence and leading change in people’s lives and the converse remained true.

People in the rural context desire authenticity, in ministry, and in outreach.  In small communities, genuine ministry becomes immediately apparent, so the lack of genuine concern and compassion compels the rural community to appraise the messenger as irrelevant. Sandhills people ignore the inauthentic rather than accepting them as a true missionary. Rural people immediately recognized inauthentic life and any opportunity to lead them in change will become lost.

Relevant ministries will not only survive in the future, but it will also thrive. Small-town rural pastors and laypeople exhibit optimism and hope. We can rejoice in the knowledge that we are in the midst of mission, guided by the Holy Spirit, that will lead this revival and breathe new life into the backroads of our state, country, and world.

1 WorldPopulationReview.com; Nebraska, February 17, 2020. (accessed 2020-5-28).

2 Karl Vaters, The Grasshopper Myth (New Small Church, New Song Media, 2012), 41.

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