The Rural Think Tank
…It's Different Out Here.
What is the Rural Think Tank?
In the latest episode of the Rural Think Tank Podcast, I discuss the history and purpose of the Rural Think Tank.
Your Church May Be Ministering to a Community That No Longer Exists
Many rural ministry frustrations make more sense when churches realize they may still be working from an older map of the community than the one families live in now.
Why I Built MinistryPlace
I have spent over 25 years in small-town and rural ministry. Youth pastor. Associate. Bi-vocational. Transitional pastor. Community Missionary. Parachurch Staff. Long time supply. A wild journey. And most of the time, I couldn’t find resources that actually fit my church. The Sunday school curriculum assumed I had a full-time children’s director, or class sizes …
Small Towns, Big Innovation: How Rural Communities Can Build Entrepreneurial Advantage
Rural innovation is strongest when local creators build with excellence, serve real needs, and carry a gospel witness that can travel far beyond their small town.
Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life: Rural Hope When Grief Feels Final
Jesus did not merely promise future resurrection. In John 11 he declared, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Rural churches need that hope when grief and discouragement feel final.
The Real Question Is Not Homeschool or Public School
The real question for Christian parents is not simply homeschool or public school. Rural churches and families need to think more clearly about formation, responsibility, and discipleship.
When God and the World Stand Face to Face: What Elijah on Mount Carmel Still Says to Rural Churches
On Mount Carmel, one man stood against 450 false prophets and settled the question of who is God. Not with an argument. With fire.
When the School Map Changes, Ministry Changes Too
For generations, many rural churches have built children’s ministry, youth ministry, outreach rhythms, and even their calendars around the local school. That made sense when a town had one clear school identity, one district, and one set of weekly rhythms that most families shared. That is not always true anymore. In many places, school consolidation …
Why Rural Churches Are Still One of the Strongest Community Development Institutions
Rural development often centers on grants, broadband, and infrastructure, but many small towns still rely on churches to supply trust, volunteer capacity, and local staying power. Rural churches are not the whole development strategy, but they remain one of the strongest institutions many towns still have.
When Failure Is Public: What Peter’s Restoration Still Teaches Rural Church Leaders
Peter’s denial was public, painful, and real. John 21 shows how Christ restores without minimizing failure, and why that still matters for rural church leadership today.
Why Activity Is Not the Same as Fruit in Small-Town Ministry
Many small-town churches are busy, but activity and fruitfulness are not the same thing. John 15 helps rural ministries tell the difference before exhaustion becomes the culture.