So a former southern baptist youth pastor who works for a non-denominational parachurch ministry walks into a Quaker Church… This is not the lead up to a really great “preacher joke”, this is life right now, and truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. When you follow God’s call, you don’t […]
You’re Tracking The Wrong Metrics in Rural Ministry…
I know, I used a buzzword. Whether you are in Church Growth, Business, Marketing, SEO, or Fantasy Sports, the word “Metrics” carrries a heavy connotation. Its one of measuring and evaluting everything for the sake of making things better. In a lot of rural churches, this would be a large […]
Rural Pastor, You Need to Write…
Pastor, I have a suggestion. No, I’m not the person begging for your attention directly before or after the sermon to let you know the restrooms are out of toilet paper… This is a matter that directly affects you. Its about how you communicate the message of the gospel to […]
Staging…
A couple weeks ago, I announced that I was embarking on a new ministry adventure. There has been much preparation in the transition (and not all is complete, but we’re getting close). In all the preparation and training, I feel like the driver sitting behind the wheel of a top-fuel […]
Poll: The Biggest Issue in Rural Youth Ministry is…
We are constantly working on new ideas and resources here at MinistryPlace.Net. One of the upcoming ideas involves a lot of feedback from our readers. We are taking a poll looking into the biggest issues of the Rural youth worker. Here are the rules. Vote for the issue that is […]
4 Lessons from the Bible Found on the Farm…
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. Let’s look at a few and “recast […]
Youth Ministry on the Cheap: Super Bowl Party
I love playoff football. I’ll admit it. I’m a full-on NFL junkie. Here’s the deal: I’m not alone. This past weekend, network television set all time ratings records for the Wildcard Weekend of playoffs. The FOX game of San Francisco and Green Bay scored the highest ratings of any Wildcard […]
Rural Ministry in a Grocery Store…
At a local Pastor’s prayer breakfast, I heard the following statement: I do a large part of my ministry at the local IGA. I see people that would never walk into my office for counseling. I ask them how they are doing and they tell me. A lot of times […]
Gangs and Rural Ministry….
The title of this post sounds like an oxymoron, but it is becoming a real problem. It has been for a while in parts of the country. Unfortunately this problem hit a little too close to home a few years ago. I grew up in a small town in Southern […]
Lessons From The Bible Found on The Farm: The Vine
In John 15, Jesus makes the claim ” I am the vine, you are the branches, …if someone remains in me, they will bear much fruit”. The crowd that Jesus was speaking to may have been overlooking hills full of vineyards, or there may have been some that had experience […]