Rural communities in the Northern Plains Region are a goldmine of opportunity to find innovative ways to make help people become Christ-followers. It is possible for rural ministries to reach a percentage of population impossible in more populated communities. However, woven into the fabric of most rural cultures is a high value of the status quo. If there is to be a turn-around in our rural ministries, we must address this value in productive ways. We must start with the Gospels where Jesus did his powerful work among people who were not inclined to change.
As I read the life and ministry of Jesus, it does not appear that He was very interested at all in the status quo. In fact, while He understood and giving existing structures their due, He gave them little or no support. He honored them, but He boldly criticized those who unduly valued them. Careful attention to His teaching, what He modeled and the movement He began quickly reveals that He intended to build a movement that could easily be identified like this:
- communities of believers who loved God with every fiber of their being…
- made up of people who loved those who needed help at a level equal to their self love …
- clearly sold out both corporately and individually to help others become Jesus followers.
Everything else was subservient to those priorities. Their love for God was expressed in worship together and alone, as well as through lives adjusted to godly standards of morality and ethics. Their love for others found its expression in the social and spiritual care of all kinds of people – ethnic connections, social status and spiritual conditions aside. They utilized every opportunity to help anyone and everyone meet the living Christ and did so in the natural course of their everyday lives.
- Nearly all of our rural churches have one or more members or participants (I call them Super Stars) who intuitively understand Christ’s priorities and are gifted, motivated and willing to launch into innovative ministry. These believers have an adequate knowledge of Scripture, maintain a consistent devotional life, are committed to the success of their local church and are often involved in ministry outside of the local church.
- Rural cultures generally foster a strong, quiet resistance to people and activities that are different from those to which they are accustomed.
- Most rural pastors naturally tend to conform to the local church culture making it difficult for them to lead change. This is understandable since there are many examples of innovative pastors who have not survived in the rural context. However, it is helpful to observe that from its inception, Christianity is countercultural.
- Leading change demands the risks inherent in “seed-dying-in-the-ground” commitment. It is possible that the changes necessary to effectively reach our rural communities with the Gospel could cause pastors to become vulnerable to the loss of their positions, income as it now exists and strained relationships. The church could even cease to exist in its present form. Such threats can be viewed as dangerous or a very fine adventure, depending on the individual’s perspective.
To be successful new approaches must be simple, practical and reproducible. The making of disciples requires life-on-life demonstrations of God’s power accompanied by sound teaching. In the rural context, networks of relationships must necessarily be adjusted in order for Christians to engage in such activities. (excerpted from Rural Ministry Revitalization Report by Phyl Putz).