The Rural Think Tank
…It's Different Out Here.
Rural church resources. Free and practical tools for small church leaders including Sunday school curriculum, administration guides, and volunteer management.
This podcast episode looks at the “graying” of our rural and small congregations (Episodes 3 and 6 are also related here). I discuss changing the perspective of how you do ministry when you have a predominately senior adult congregation. We look at not what seniors can’t do, but what they can do. Links to things …
The Untapped Creative Potential in Your Church Every church has them. The artist who sketches in the margins of the bulletin. The musician who plays in a band on Saturday night but never on Sunday morning. The writer who journals but has never shared their words. These are the creatives. And in most rural churches, …
The Church Is Not a Building One of the most persistent myths in rural ministry is that the church is a building. People come to the building. Ministry happens in the building. And if people are not coming to the building, something is wrong. But the church is not a building. The church is people. …
When the Shepherd Needs a Shepherd On September 9, 2019, the evangelical world was shaken by the news that Jarrid Wilson, a 30-year-old megachurch pastor and outspoken mental health advocate, had died by suicide. Wilson had founded Anthem of Hope, a Christian mental health organization. He had spoken openly about his own struggles with depression. …
The Led Zeppelin classic “When the levee breaks” tells the story of a disaster causing people in a smaller town leaving for work elsewhere. There are other implications that this song brings for Rural Ministry in today’s society. You don’t want to miss this episode! Links to things I mention in this episode: The Rural …
In this episode we are looking at how we can learn from the last 20 years or so of the histories of IBM and HP. They have made some strategy decisions over the years that helped them either grow larger or leaner. Which is the right choice for your ministry and community ? Links to …
This is an unscheduled Bonus episode this week that is a little longer form than the typical episode. This is because it is packed with two topics that deeply affect rural ministry – Demographics and the “Rural Brain Drain”. I also throw out a “What If” scenario for rural communities to combat the talent drain …
How Technology Has Made the World Smaller Technology has made the world smaller, making it easier to get the message of Christ across the world in ways that we never would have imagined twenty — or even ten — years ago. A church that meets in a building with forty seats on Sunday can reach …
In the latest episode of the Rural Think Tank Podcast, I discuss the history and purpose of the Rural Think Tank.
It’s Friday by SM Lockridge – It’s Friday….Jesus is praying Peter’s a sleeping Judas is betraying But Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday….Jesus is praying Peter’s a sleeping Judas is betraying But Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday ….Pilate’s struggling The council is conspiring The crowd is vilifying They don’t even know That Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday….The disciples are …