Apathy & Commitment Summer 1989

ARTICLE TOOLS

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My wife, Roxy, and I both grew up in Phoenix. After agreeing to candidate in a country church near Brewster, Nebraska, we went clothes shopping so we could blend in better with the natives.

I'd heard Brewster was ranch country. Ranches made me think of cattle. Cattle made me think of cowboys. And cowboys made me think of boots. So I figured I should buy a pair of boots. Checking out different styles, I discovered boots came with rounded or pointed toes. Since I'd always worn shoes with rounded toes, pointed boots seemed extreme to me. So, I bought a pair of rounded boots.

When Roxy and I found ourselves candidating in Brewster, sure enough, I was right. Sort of. There wasn't a men's dress shoe in the entire church. But I sported the only pair of rounded-toe boots.

This city boy had a lot of adjusting to do when he moved to a rural pastorate. And since approximately 40 percent of rural pastors are from the city, I suspect I'm not alone. Here were some of the cultural adjustments I had to make to begin ministering effectively.

I soon learned that if I were to be successful in rural ministry, I must be willing to give up some of my "rights." I took a tip from the apostle Paul, who mentions in 1 Corinthians 9 that he had to give up rights in order to minister to Gentiles-people who were vastly different from his cultural upbringing (just as rural people were from mine). Here were some of the things we had to leave behind.

Cultural rights. Roxy and I discovered numerous cultural differences. For instance, we had grown to enjoy specialized restaurants in the city. In Brewster, population 21 (after we moved into town), we found none.

We also discovered rural cooking was different. I will never forget the day we visited ...

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