The Rural Think Tank
…It's Different Out Here.
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 …
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 …
In this episode, I talk about how 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 20 (or even 10) years ago I also shared ways that small churches can make a global impact. Also in the podcast, …
In the latest episode of the Rural Think Tank Podcast, I discuss the history and purpose of the Rural Think Tank.
You never know when God is going to drop something into your lap, and you have to do it. Years ago, I had the opportunity to speak through a translator to a group of Bhutanese refugees in Rochester, New York. My wife and I were on a trip doing groundwork for an upcoming missions team. …
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 …
I had the opportunity to visit DC with my sons as part of a school trip last week. It was the first time any of us had been to DC. We were able to visit many of the monuments, memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Mount Vernon and more. One of the places was the Vietnam …
I will be the first to tell you that I am not an expert in ministry. I do things, and try to figure out what can work (mostly by finding out what doesn’t from trying it) The words I am about to write, I write in encouragement and love to strengthen those working alongside me …
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 …
This post was originally published on my other blog, MinistryPlace.net “Why do we do this ministry every year?” “Well…kinda because we’ve always been the ones to do It?….” We have all had that conversation in our churches. There seems to be that one ministry in every church that is a sacred cow that happens every year only because it …