Category: Rural Ministry
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Guest Post: Are You Ready For Kick-Off?
Editors Note: This is a guest post by my friend Ryan Campos. Here is a little about him… I’m a student minister who lives in Hermitage, MO with my lovely wife and two beautiful children (one is probably pushing her luck as you read this). I am passionate about students, and enjoy seeing how many…
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The Importance of Families in Youth Ministry…
The longer I serve in Rural Ministry, there are a few things that I have seen that catch my attention and scream their importance. One of these important factors is the role of Family in youth ministry. If you asked 100 youth pastors if they believed that it was vital that the whole family is…
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10 Things a Youthworker Should Do When You Have a New Principal…
It’s that time of year again. School is coming soon, Districts are replacing staff as we speak. The county where I live has three High Schools and all three of them have new principals this year. Here are ten things to do as a youthworker to establish the partnership between the ministry and the school. (in…
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The Future of Rural Students…
A friend of mine who is a local HS Spanish teacher recently put together a video application for a local teachers award in the Terra Haute, Indiana called the Golden Apple. He was from one of the smaller districts in the area, but was still one of the five chosen for the award. From…
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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 them” from a rural ministry…
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Vacation…
Wayne Yeager did an awesome job with a series of vacation-related posts last year, so I will spare you the repeat. I will however, encourage you to read some of his posts this summer. Great stuff. The longer I am in ministry, the more value I see to taking time off. When you are…
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#RuralMinistry Resources You Can Use: Multiply…
In a Rural Ministry, budgets can be tight. You may think you do not have the resources to use small group curriculum in your ministry. Here is a resource that is available for free to your church or ministry from David Platt and Francis Chan called Multiply. Multiply is a study that can be taken…
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A melancoly kind of day
Forgive me. I’m a bit melancholy today. You see today is my last day as a youth minister. I will continue on in ministry, but I will serve as the lead pastor of a church. I look forward to that challenge. It is what God has called me to do. I am certain of that.…
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Salt the Chips!
This morning High School Sunday School, we had the following discussion: Question: Why are chips at the restaurants more salty than chips that you would buy at the grocery store? Why do you sometime see cooks add salt to the chips and salsa served at the local Mexican joint? Answer. Restaurants like to make money.…
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Gods Not Dead Movie….
Here are a few of my thoughts, after seeing the movie a second time. I am not going to include any spoilers for the plot, in case you have not yet seen the movie. Willie and Korrie Roberston’s testimony… Awesome. Pointing out the girl in the hijab who puts it on only for her father.…
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Blogging at #RHMA2014 Evening Session 1….
I am enjoying connecting with other Pastors serving in small and rural communities throughout the US and Canada at the RHMA Small Town Pastors Conference. Last night, Phil Tuttle, President of Walk Thru the Bible shared about his time pastoring in a small, rural church. Here are a few of his thoughts: 7 strategic advantages of…
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Outsourcing in Youth Ministry
In “my other world” of IT and Business, there is a word that is used often that the church either uses in a negative connotation, or it is simply not spoken of. The word is outsourcing. The church has taken great pains over the years to do as much as it can in-house. In a…