Growing a Rural Church
Who says you can't raise strong congregations in country fields?
Stephen McMullin
July 1, 1988
If you're a rural pastor, as I am, you have probably read books that claim to address the needs of the small, rural congregation, only to discover that to many authors, "small" means a church of less than two hundred and "rural" means a town of less than ten thousand. You've probably heard exciting news about churches adding thousands of members every year, too. Where does this leave the pastor of a church of forty in a community of five hundred? What does church growth mean in such a congregation? More than eight years ago, I was called to a two-church pastorate; the smaller church had a membership of twenty-one, the larger a membership of sixty. On my first Sunday in the smaller church, I preached to seventeen people: two men, twelve women, and three children. About sixty attended regularly in the larger church during my first year, but sixteen months after my arrival, more than twenty of them left after a lengthy dispute. A lot of people in both churches seemed discouraged. I cannot tell you that in eight years the churches have been transformed into thousand-member congregations; we are still small, rural churches. The smaller church has twenty-four members now; the larger church has grown to ninety-nine members. But my experience has convinced me that there are principles that will help the small, rural church grow and have a vital ministry. Understanding Hindrances to Growth
I've learned the hard way that I have to understand what's important to the rural congregation, because it's not uncommon to leave such churches with the bitter taste of frustration and seeming fruitlessness. I would have felt that way had I left this pastorate after two or three years of ministry. I'm thankful I stayed here considerably longer, because ...
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