Rural Brain Drian – The Rural Think Tank

Rural Thinktank Podcast Episode 32: Change the Oil

March 12, 2020 by brentlacydotcom

This is a message on Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 given 1/26/30 at Bloomingdale Friends Church in Bloomingdale, Illinois. If you have thoughts/input/questions, go to ruralthinktank.com and hit the contact button or go to anchor.fm/ruralthinktank and leave a voice message. Video available on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/scott.miller.9619/posts/10158132991073960?comment_id=10158133159328960&reply_comment_id=10158133562978960¬if_id=1580056196868779¬if_t=comment_mention

Rural Think Tank Episode 6: What can Led Zeppelin really teach us about Rural Ministry?

September 6, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

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 …

Rural Think Tank : Episode 4 – A “game changing” shift in rural ministry practice

August 30, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

In this episode we are going to look at how a “game changing” idea from Dare2Share (see link below) can shift how we equip our congregation to reach the community around us with the Gospel. The question is: Are you the Quarterback or the Coach? The answer changed the way I approached ministry beginning several …

Rural Think Tank : Bonus! Episode 3 – Demographics, Rural Ministry and The Rural Brain Drain, Oh My!

August 28, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

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 …

We Must Re-Think Education in Rural America

June 24, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

Rural America is approaching, (or has already approached) a tipping point in education. The education dollars are largely no longer there. We have to come up with innovative solutions to have competitive students that complete school, have reasons to stay, and start business. We are shipping out our “best and brightest”, leading to a “Brain …

How do your local students see the opportunities locally?

March 31, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

I read an interesting article that makes a ton of sense, yet many of our small town employers have not implemented the idea – reaching students in High School early in their experience to help them see local opportunities. In this WSJ article by Dante Chinni, He quotes a local HR manager in a small …

What Happens When A Generation Leaves?

March 30, 2019 by brentlacydotcom

What happens when a generation leaves the rural area to seek education and employment in other parts of the country? The Southern Illinoisian Newspaper did a series looking at the students that leave small communities in that region. The article does a great job of pointing out that we are training our best and brightest …