Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Doxology Project

Home
General Christian
Taking the Measure of the Rural Church

Taking the Measure of the Rural Church

Last updated on: April 7, 2018 at 8:01 pm by Brad Roth

Taking the Measure of the Rural Church 2018-03-28T15:11:36-05:00 Brad Roth

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

There may be no greater challenge for rural pastors and leaders than measuring ministry. What metrics do we use? Budget, facilities, and numbers in the pews seem inadequate in communities whose total population can be smaller than the Sunday gathering of a big suburban congregation. Besides, while those metrics can get at crucial aspects of the life of the local congregation, they come up short in measuring the breadth, length, depth, and height of the church–a divine-human reality that surpasses and subverts our attempts to pin it down.

And yet, the longing for success by the world’s metrics can torque how we see our ministry, driving a sense of futility even as we catch glimpses of the beautiful work God is carrying out.

More often than not, I think we’ll find ourselves standing between Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.

Ecclesiastes is traditionally ascribed to Solomon, writing as a bitter philosopher-king from the iron glare of old age and lost youth. He’s haunted by the futility of his efforts. He writes: “I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.” (2:11, The Message).

I can sometimes hear myself in those words. Does what I’m doing in my rural community count for anything? Am I able to do and give what my rural congregation most needs, lead it where it most needs to go? Or are my efforts just smoke and spitting into the wind? Talking to pastors and leaders in the rural church, I know I’m not alone.

Not long ago, a pastor of a thriving small-town congregation described his early days in rural ministry. He had invited a denominational consultant to coach him in turning his congregation around. The consultant took a look around and asked him, “What are you doing here, spinning your wheels?”

No doubt there are many rural and small town pastors who have wondered the same thing. Are we just spinning our wheels?

But so too, there are moments of beauty when we struggle for words to give thanks for our rural congregations. Our church basement flooded the other day. What was supposed to be a movie night ended up being a wet-vac-the-carpet night. There we were, hustling buckets of water out the door and moving the quilting circle’s masterwork to drier quarters. In the midst of the buzz, my wife looked over and said, “There’s no congregation I would rather do this with.” I agreed.

It’s moments like these when rural pastors and leaders find themselves leaning into the Song of Songs.

The Song of Songs is traditionally ascribed to the lusty young Solomon and read as an allegorical love song between God and his people. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he pastures his flock among the lilies” (6:3). There are moments when we are walking with Jesus, pasturing the flock among the lilies. Moments where we see through clear to the love of Christ that permeates and upholds all things.

Maybe rural pastors and leaders are a little like Solomon. We can recognize the limitations and challenges and drawbacks of rural places with honesty. We can wonder what we’re doing here and if it matters, if our work amounts to anything, or if we’re just spinning our wheels. We have to face those questions honestly, acknowledge them and give them their due. But we must also come to recognize that not every questioning voice we hear is of God. The snake is also hissing in the Lord’s vineyard.

Whatever questions may plague us, we have to learn a deep sense of love for people and place, a love that comes upon us not so much as an emotion but as a steadfast orientation. It’s a love that is bigger than our hearts. Jesus-shaped love. Cruciform love.

Rural pastors and leaders are always going to be standing between Ecclesiastes and the Song–but maybe a little closer to the Song, our lives tumbling out of a heart filled with something Christlike.

“Set me as a seal upon your heart,” says the Song, “as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned” (8:6-7).

Something like that love has got to be close to the heart of rural ministry. It’s a love as strong as death, a passion fierce as the grave, surrounding, flooding, submerging the church like many unquenchable waters. Perhaps that love is our metric.

What else?

Uncategorized

rural ministry

rural pastors

Previous Post

March 30, 2018

Fear and Trembling at Easter

Next Post

April 23, 2018 Training Pastors and Leaders for the Rural Church

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month January 2023 November 2022 May 2022 April 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What day did God rest during creation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The third day The seventh day The first day The sixth day

Books by This Author Books by Brad Roth

See All Titles »