The Rural Think Tank
…It's Different Out Here.
Many churches think of leadership transition in only one category: get someone in the pulpit until the next pastor arrives. Sometimes that is enough for a short season. But sometimes a congregation needs more than coverage. It needs clarity. That is where a transitional pastor can be especially helpful. The role is not just to …
Many rural churches have learned how to survive with limited people, limited money, and limited margin. That resilience can be a gift. But sometimes it also creates a habit of isolation. A church can start to think its only options are to do everything alone or not do it at all. That mindset wears leaders …
Churches can use AI as a tool, but AI must stay under the lordship of Christ, under Scripture, and under human pastoral responsibility.
AI for bivocational pastors can save time on support work, but it should never replace pastoral judgment, doctrinal care, or human ministry.
Small churches do not need panic or hype about AI. They need a practical framework for using AI in small church ministry with truth, stewardship, and discernment.
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 …
The Bible was written in farm country We live in a world where context is vital to our understanding. One of the reasons our society struggles with parts of the Bible is that it is set in an agrarian context. Jesus and Paul used that backdrop and crafted wonderful illustrations. Lets look at a few …
Isaiah 60:1-7 The Future Glory of Israel 1 [b] Arise, shine, for your light has come,and [c] the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,and thick darkness the peoples;but the Lord will arise upon you,and his glory will be seen upon you.3 [d] And nations shall come to your light,and kings to the brightness of your rising.4 [e] Lift up your eyes all around, and see;they all gather together, they come …
Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones speaks directly to rural churches facing decline, aging congregations, and the question of whether God can still bring life to places that feel forgotten. Sources MinistryPlace.net Rural Think Tank
This post was originally published on my other blog, MinistryPlace.Net Numbers 13:31-33 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had …