Download or read book Transforming Church in Rural America written by Shannon O'Dell and published by New Leaf Publishing Group. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "No matter what size church you are a part of, this book will challenge your traditional thinking, force you to look beyond the status quo, and enable you to grasp a bigger vision of what God has in store for your ministry and your leadership." -Ed Young, Fellowship Church "Shannon O'Dell's passion for the rural church in America is contagious" -Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv Small church buildings dotting the countryside are home to ministries that often struggle with limited attendance, no money, and little expectation that change can revitalize their future. In Transforming Church in Rural America, Pastor Shannon O'Dell shares a powerful vision of relevance, possibility, and excellence for these small churches, or for any ministry that is stuck in a "rural state of mind." The book reveals: how to generate growth through transformed lives ways to create active evangelism in your community no-cost solutions for staffing challenges, enhancing the worship experience, and inspiring volunteers Focusing on vision, attitude, leadership, and innovation, you can learn the practical strategies and biblical guidance that helped to grow a church of 31 into a multi-campus church of several thousand, with a national and global outreach. Discover effective structure and ways to cast God-given vision so others can follow and make an impact. Experience the blueprint for transforming into effective, dynamic, and thriving churches no matter where the location or how small it may be. MORE INFO

Download or read book Reclaiming Rural written by Allen T. Stanton and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-05-15 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As rural America continues to undergo massive economic and demographic shifts, rural churches are uniquely positioned to provide community leadership. Leading a rural congregation requires a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these communities, as well as a strong theological and community-focused identity. Allen T. Stanton describes how in establishing this identity, rural leaders build a meaningful and vital ministry. Reclaiming Rural explores the myths and realities of rural places, and how those common narratives impact the leadership of rural churches. Ultimately, rural congregations must practice a contextual understanding of vitality, which understands both the strengths and challenges of leading in a rural setting. Arguing for a practice of evangelism imbued with this mission of vitality, Reclaiming Rural promotes the church as a leader in economic and community development, modeled upon a Wesleyan theology of grace. Acknowledging the many challenges facing rural churches, this book is an energetic and encouraging guide to overcoming social and economic obstacles to build a thriving congregation.

Download or read book Historic Rural Churches of Georgia written by Sonny Seals and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forty-seven early houses of worship from all areas of the state. Nearly three hundred stunning color photographs capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their surrounding grounds and cemeteries.

Download or read book Rural Ministry written by Shannon Jung and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grounded in social research, Rural Ministry evaluates the diminishing establishment of the church in rural America, which is linked to the fifty-year-old crisis in rural ministry. It names the primary issues for leaders of Protestant and Catholic churches to ponder: the graying of the population; the closing of schools, hospitals, and factories; and the corporate buyout of farms during the 1980s. In addition to retelling the history of this crisis, Shannon Jung and the other contributors to this volume offer a set of Christian principles that respond to social problems in rural life. The situation is so intense that the book offers examples from around the heartland of cooperative or collaborative parishes that blend denominational and theological differences across the Protestant and Catholic spectrum. Key Benefits: Offers a vision of nationwide renewal in rural America; Advocates true ecumenical solutions to issues confronting the rural church in America; Sidebars feature examples and illustrations; Informs new rural ministers of the culture and issues about to confront them, allowing them to better handle the challenges and opportunities of the rural environment; Motivates congregations to activate ministries in new and provocative ways, insuring the spread of the gospel; Can help troubled churches survive.

Download or read book Replanting Rural Churches God s Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere written by Kyle Bueermann and published by The Replant. This book was released on 2019-08-09 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God has plans for Nowhere, USA. You might be surprised to learn that God has great plans for Nowhere, USA; population you, your family, a few people, and scores of cattle. As you surrender to Him, remain faithful to proclaim His Word, and maintain earnest prayer on your church's behalf, you can play a pivotal role in advancing the Kingdom. Maybe you have just been called to a town like that, maybe you are still wondering where you will serve, or maybe, just maybe you want to step out of your comfort zone and into the long-forgotten communities of rural America. If that's you, this book is for you.

Download or read book Thriving Churches written by Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd and published by The United Church of Canada. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THRIVING CHURCHES tells the story of two United Church ministers who travelled across Canada visiting flourishing United Churches to uncover the reasons for their success. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, minister at Westworth United Church in Winnipeg, visited urban churches, and Tammy Allan, minister at Olds-Sundre Pastoral Charge, Alberta, visited rural churches. They found these churches shared a number of features that helped them not only survive but also thrive through challenging times. Filled with concrete examples from congregations of all sizes, this book will inspire. Also included is an eight-session study guide on spiritual attributes of thriving churches.

Download or read book Mission shaped and Rural written by Sally Gaze and published by Church House Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using a mix of theological reflection, sociological analysis, case studies and personal experience, this book explores ways forward for mission in a rural context in both traditional and fresh expressions of church. It offers insights into issues facing rural England and explores the nature of mission with reference to the rural situation.

Download or read book Rural Mission written by Will Basham and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-20 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rural Mission is written to help Christians see the specific nuance of carrying out the Great Commission in a rural setting. This book provides some practical tips about the beautiful simplicity of rural ministry. Doing simple ministry to reach simple folks in your rural setting will help you reach the lost in your town as well as start new discipleship ministries. The advice is deeply practical and applicable for pastors, church planters, and any Christian who is serious about reaching folks in a small town or rural setting.Religious undertones and the warm hospitality of many rural places make them easy places for ministry, primed for the gospel. We just need to get to work at this rural mission. And it can't just be preachers. It needs to be all of us.Rural places lend themselves to isolated cultures and each of those cultures need biblically rooted missional strategies. Every unique subculture presents a variation of ministry strategy, but at the root of every missional strategy should lie biblical principles, centered on an unchanging gospel.The roots and remnants of religion that still remain in many rural places create some of the most wonderful opportunities for ministry. But these opportunities are quickly disappearing. Today's generation must be won to Christ before religious traditionalism and false Christian identity take many to hell.

Download or read book Remaking the Rural South written by Robert Hunt Ferguson and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2018-01-15 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book-length study of Delta Cooperative Farm (1936–42) and its descendant, Providence Farm (1938–56). The two intentional communities drew on internationalist practices of cooperative communalism and pragmatically challenged Jim Crow segregation and plantation labor. In the winter of 1936, two dozen black and white ex-sharecropping families settled on some two thousand acres in the rural Mississippi Delta, one of the most insular and oppressive regions in the nation. Thus began a twenty-year experiment—across two communities—in interracialism, Christian socialism, cooperative farming, and civil and economic activism. Robert Hunt Ferguson recalls the genesis of Delta and Providence: how they were modeled after cooperative farms in Japan and Soviet Russia and how they rose in reaction to the exploitation of small- scale, dispossessed farmers. Although the staff, volunteers, and residents were very much everyday people—a mix of Christian socialists, political leftists, union organizers, and sharecroppers—the farms had the backing of such leading figures as philanthropist Sherwood Eddy, who purchased the land, and educator Charles Spurgeon Johnson and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who served as trustees. On these farms, residents developed a cooperative economy, operated a desegregated health clinic, held interracial church services and labor union meetings, and managed a credit union. Ferguson tells how a variety of factors related to World War II forced the closing of Delta, while Providence finally succumbed to economic boycotts and outside threats from white racists. Remaking the Rural South shows how a small group of committed people challenged hegemonic social and economic structures by going about their daily routines. Far from living in a closed society, activists at Delta and Providence engaged in a local movement with national and international roots and consequences.

Download or read book God Land written by Lyz Lenz and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-19 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Will resonate with any readers interested in understanding American landscapes where white, evangelical Christianity dominates both politics and culture.” —Publishers Weekly In the wake of the 2016 election, Lyz Lenz watched as her country and her marriage were torn apart by the competing forces of faith and politics. A mother of two, a Christian, and a lifelong resident of middle America, Lenz was bewildered by the pain and loss around her—the empty churches and the broken hearts. What was happening to faith in the heartland? From drugstores in Sydney, Iowa, to skeet shooting in rural Illinois, to the mega churches of Minneapolis, Lenz set out to discover the changing forces of faith and tradition in God’s country. Part journalism, part memoir, God Land is a journey into the heart of a deeply divided America. Lenz visits places of worship across the heartland and speaks to the everyday people who often struggle to keep their churches afloat and to cope in a land of instability. Through a thoughtful interrogation of the effects of faith and religion on our lives, our relationships, and our country, God Land investigates whether our divides can ever be bridged and if America can ever come together. “God Land, Lyz Lenz’s much-anticipated debut book, is a marvel. Not only is it a window into the middle America so many like to stereotype but fail to fully understand in all of its complexity, but it mixes reportage, memoir, and gorgeous prose so seamlessly I wanted to know how she did it.” —Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita

Download or read book Lifestyle Evangelism written by Dr. Joe Aldrich and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finding common ground and earning the right to be heard is the secret to lifestyle evangelism. In this classic bestseller, now released as a mass-market paperback, Dr. Joe Aldrich shows us how we can build genuine, caring relationships with nonbelievers that will open their hearts to the gospel message. The author's approach is biblical, practical, and natural. Lifestyle Evangelism is the definitive work in introducing people to the Savior in a way that displays God's authentic love for the lost.

Download or read book White on White written by Verlyn Klinkenborg and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book will appeal to anyone interested in architectural photography in general as well as those intrigued by the early history of America and the elegant simplicity of the hand-crafted structures.

Download or read book Rural Church Turnaround written by Danny Davis and published by Crosslink Publishing. This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Rural churches across North America are dying at alarming rates. Rural Church Turnaround is about real people who decided their rual communities needed a life-giving church. Rural Church Turnaround recoutns the experiences of pastors and lay eladers who led their dying congregations back to health, vitality, and impactful ministry."--Back cover

Download or read book Rural Youth Ministry written by Brent Lacy and published by . This book was released on 2018-03 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rural youth ministry is an amazing adventure--a truly unique beast, different from serving in the inner city or the heart of suburbia. But even though our culture is becoming increasingly urban and suburban, rural youth ministry isn't going away anytime soon.Brent Lacy is no stranger to the realities of rural ministry--the joys, the challenges, the rewards, the heartaches. He grew up in a rural community and serves as the youth pastor at a rural church today.Through the pages of this book, Brent examines keys to thriving in rural youth ministry, strategies for building solid relationships, tips on reaching your local schools, wisdom on surviving church politics, ideas on effectively using technology, and advice on adjusting to a new church or community. Whether you're new to rural youth ministry or your life has been forged in a rural setting, this book will inspire you to hold firm to God's calling. You can be successful in your ministry. You can reach your community in ways you and your church never even thought were possible. The work may be long, hard, and messy, but the rewards are amazing. The Expanded Second Edition also includes updated and additional content.

Download or read book Rural Evangelism written by Kevin E. Ruffcorn and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aware that pastors and church members need a new vision for evangelism in small towns and rural areas, Ruffcorn presents lively suggestions and new understandings gleaned from his workshops on rural evangelism and his own experience. He emphasizes the need for congregations to dwell on both the inward and outward aspects of nurturing their own members and reaching out to neighbors.

Download or read book Church Revitalization in Rural America written by Tom Cheyney and published by . This book was released on 2018-08-08 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The lasting solutions to rural America's churches challenges will be found in rural America. The rural church in America in the twenty-first century must develop new relationships and new ways of doing things to ensure prosperous and socially healthy future. But we should not delude ourselves into thinking that the rural American church has so many unique issues. In fact, most of the challenges facing the rural American church today are often the same challenges for the declining rural, urban fringe, and extreme urban church seeking renewal and revitalization. Yet, while the challenges are similar, the solutions are more unique. It has been just a little over a year since I completed my study sabbatical focusing on rural church revitalization. Our research revealed three profound types of churches among the rural landscape. The first type were those churches which were benign. These benign churches were 118 (33.71%) out of the 350 rural churches surveyed. Benign churches are the churches which have primarily a maintenance mindset which is displayed by very little effort and very low expectations. The second type we discovered were the bewildered churches in the rural landscape. Bewildered churches are those which are so frustrated that they are all but ready to jump off the proverbial bridge. These churches were 117 (33.43%) out of the 350 churches interviewed and surveyed. They are not only doing nothing they have no desire to seek renewal or life. They are the ones which have the mantra that the last one left alive remember to turn the lights off. The third type of rural church our research and interviews revealed are those who are the bold. These bold churches along the rural landscape have leaders which operate more as a community watcher and chaplain for the entire region not just a few church members. These churches were 115 (32.86%) of the 350 churches surveyed and interviewed. Without a doubt these were the healthiest of all the three types. They had a forward focus and were willing to try almost anything to reach their tiny population for Christ Jesus. Those churches were led by leaders who were strong voices for righteousness in their rural communities. They were not only participants with community leaders but they were partners in projects for the good of the area. These bold churches also stretched the usual outreach area around their church from six miles to thirty miles. The bold churches were most interested in connecting with the community. They sought ways to think outside of the box for the betterment of community not just the church. They emphasized newness over deadness. I am extremely encouraged at what I have seen and the pastors who are giving it their all for the sake of Christ in these rural areas. As a rural church revitalizer, you cannot settle for just doing a little. You must give it your all if you are going to revitalize a rural church. Successful rural revitalizers stay out front and on the edge. Dying rural churches are more focused on relaxing in a recliner. There have been many who I met that could barely make ends meet and yet their daily walk and Christian experienced makes ours pale in compare. There was such joy and intimacy in these congregations. The pace was much slower and so much more relaxed. These rural churches affirmed the membership and accepted everyone. Pastors of these rural churches were known in these small communities. They were making a difference. This will be the most challenging ministry assignment you will ever face! Might I make one more parting observation? While so many in denominational life are focusing on a small number of urban centers for their future hopes, perhaps such short sightedness will be the cause for us to lose the rest of America. What a sad day that will be. Our Lord Jesus loves the little communities just as much as He does the big ones. Hold on and keep on. Hold on Rural Church Revitalizer. Hold on!

Download or read book Rural Church Development written by John William Jent and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: