Have You Become a Rural Pastor?

You know you are a rural pastor if…

You didn’t realize that most people actually buy sweet corn.

Your organist has had to leave the service because the cows were out.

You expect attendance to drop during planting, harvest, and deer season.

You learned that “a little lunch” is actually another meal served at 10:30 a.m. or 3:00 p.m.

You have prayed for it to rain – and for it to stop.

You realize that if someone offers you a doughnut, they are not asking if you are hungry.

You know that coffee is just a good excuse to visit.

Your car and your cell phone have taken the place of your office.

You have made a pastoral call with rubber boots on.

You have actually done counseling while riding in a combine.

You regularly drive 100 miles to the hospital, sometimes several times a week.

You have seen neighbors complete someone’s harvest in one day because they had a crisis.

Your church secretary knocks on your door at 6:30 a.m. because she let you sleep in.

You know the names of the dogs on every farm in your area.

You have had breakfast at the sale barn.

You know how to read a plat book.

You know that comments about green and red tractors are about loyalty, not just colors.

You can tell which of your members raise cattle and which raise pigs when they come in the room.

Local doctors are not afraid to call you when a patient needs your prayers.

It has taken you three hours to get the mail from the post office (because so many people wanted to visit).

You tell distance by minutes, not miles.

Pies, cakes and other baked goods regularly show up in your office.

You have received a grocery sack full of beef or pork for Christmas.

Memorial Day is a big deal at the local cemetery and you are expected to pray.

You get a Christmas gift every year from the local funeral home.

You know that scalloped potatoes and ham is its own food group.

You have done Christmas caroling while being pulled on a hay rack.

Your board meeting can’t start until 8:00 p.m. because several elders have to finish milking.

You have to lock your car doors in the summer or you will mysteriously get a sack of zucchini.

Your nativity scene has real sheep.

You have driven 20 miles for an ice cream cone.

You have eaten at least one meal that featured an animal with a name.

You regularly see four or five generations of a family in the same pew.

You know that a veggie burger is a hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

You are not surprised when your doorbell rings at 2:00 a.m. because someone needs to talk.

-         Skip Shaffer, 2018

More Than a Cup of Coffee

Nearly every small town has one.  Some have more than that. Look in any rural area and you are likely to find a gathering place, a location where men and women get together ostensibly for coffee, but actually for community. It might be a local café, or a convenience store, or even a small business, but in each case you will find more than simple greetings or conversations about the weather.  If you listen closely enough you will hear the perspectives and ruminations and worries and dreams of people who understand that a community is far more than a collection of buildings in a common place.

Like many who call the church home I love coffee. And I know that I’m not alone.  In fact, I have heard some suggest that coffee may actually be our hidden sacrament.  I don’t know about that, but we certainly consume enough of it. And for many of us, morning would not be the same without it. But the real value of coffee is not found in the cup itself, but in the opportunities that it presents. You see, coffee is not our reason for being together, but an excuse to do so. How often do we suggest to others that we “get together for coffee?” If drinking the beverage itself was the most important thing, we could easily do that in the comfort of our own homes. But coffee gives us an excuse to gather with others, often in regular settings, and to share the news of the day. In the midst of those gatherings we are reminded that we are not alone in the difficulties and rigors of life. We talk about many things, sometimes important, often trivial. But the value is in the development of a kind of community that we come to depend on.

The church building is a place for community, but in a rural area it is not the only place. And if we are faithful to our task, we quickly realize that the presence of the church, or at least the faith that we share, can show up in a variety of different settings. Where do people gather in your community? Those places often have unique and interesting names – The Breadbox Café, The Feedbunk, Sparky’s, The Chrome. Sometimes they have a more commercial feel, like HyVee or Caseys or Cenex. More often than not that sense of community happens organically, over time, and not because we decide to create it. One thing is certain – whether you are aware of it or not, many of the people in your congregation are gathering somewhere during the week, and often with others from outside the church.  Discovering where can be an incredible asset in our efforts to serve God in a particular place.

Most often these informal gatherings happen in public places and usually at predictable times. Are you welcome there, have you been invited by someone to join the conversation, or have you simply stumbled upon a group of people by accident? All of those things have happened to me and more. Most pastors feel a bit awkward about simply showing up and inserting themselves into the midst of the conversation. But the smart pastor knows that there are tools available and is not afraid to make good use of them. Is coffee available? Buy some. Are doughnuts on the menu? How about offering to share some with your “friends”? Experienced pastors know that hospitality is the language of rural life and food is the way it is most often expressed. Drinking coffee or eating doughnuts is never an end in itself, but a socially acceptable way of entering the conversation. Many things have been shared over a piece of pie or a cup of coffee that would never come up in a brief casual conversation on the street. Even pastors find themselves welcomed when they appear as just another neighbor looking for their morning coffee and a newspaper.

Remember, it is our job to listen and be present. To hear what our friends and neighbors are saying and what they feel the needs are in our particular community. It is not to try to lead the conversation or to convert the others or to be the resident expert. We represent Christ through our presence, but this is not the place to teach or preach, but to listen and learn.

Why is this important? Three basic reasons come to mind. First, if we are going to be an active part of the community, we need to know what is on the minds of our members and neighbors around us. Successful pastors of vital rural churches know that their work is not confined to the sanctuary, but requires that we take a role in helping to revitalize and even transform the community that we call home. Those ideas do not come from our own minds, but from understanding the concerns being expressed by those around us.

Second, relevant preaching requires that we also exegete the context in which we serve. That means developing an understanding of the community, the people who call it home, and the problems that they face. Karl Barth was famous for saying that good preaching happened with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  I would take that a step further and add a third element – with an ear to conversation within a community.

Finally, the rural church is only effective if it exists outside the church building. Every pastor should ask this question – are we providing the tools that our members need in order to be an effective person of faith throughout the week? Helping them to understand that faith is not a Sunday thing, but a guiding principle of our lives prepares our members to approach every situation, every conversation as a disciple of Jesus.  It is not about preaching or evangelizing in the coffee shop, but about bringing a Jesus attitude with them wherever they go. If we are able to do that, then the church will be present in amazing and unexpected places.

The Courage to Be Contagious

There is one question that every church leader needs to ask – if you were not serving as the pastor of your congregation, would you still attend that church? If the answer is yes, what is it that you find so appealing? If the answer is no, then what needs to change, and more importantly why do you continue to perpetuate something that just doesn’t work?

It doesn’t matter where you are, there are things happening in vital churches that seem to draw people in. Interesting ministry invites people to come and see what the excitement is all about. In many ways, vitality is contagious. People talk about what interests them and what is important in their lives, and that is just as true about the churches we attend as anything else. 

How about in your community? Are your members talking about the church in ways that will encourage and invite others to come and see what is happening there? Simple things matter, from worship services that move our spirits, to Vacation Bible School programs that are open to every child in the community, to youth groups that seem to be on fire, to fellowship and mission activities that show the love of Christ.

Those are the kind of things that represent what it means to be the Body of Christ. And being the Body of Christ is essential to becoming a vital congregation. When you ignite an excitement in your members, you can be sure that they will share that message with their friends and neighbors, in both intentional and unintentional ways.

So is your church contagious? What is happening in your midst that will encourage others to want to come and see for themselves? It is our task to share the love and message of Christ with the world around us. But there is nothing wrong with doing that in a way that is appealing and inviting. If we are satisfied with simply providing three hymns and a sermon every week, if that is our standard, then one can reasonably ask why a visitor would bother to get out of bed and spend an hour with us on Sunday morning.

How can we begin to make our congregation contagious? While the answer to that question is wide and varied, there are a few things that good leaders can do to encourage the spread of enthusiasm and excitement in your community:

See opportunities, not limitations. Small and rural congregations are well aware of the dynamics that work against us. We know that demographics are not usually in our favor and that a decline in population usually means fewer members, lower attendance, and limited financial resources. The key is to stop worrying about what we don’t have and focus on what resources and opportunities are available to us now. We are not asked to do ministry with the gifts we had twenty years ago, but with the gifts we have here today.

Let mission take the lead. Worship is often synonymous with church, and is the most visible aspect of our ministry. But mission is our connection with the world around us. Non-members may never see the inside of our sanctuary, but they are often exposed to the work of the church in the community. Finding ways to express the love of Christ outside the church building sends a powerful message, both about the Lord and about your congregation. What needs are present in our community and how can we dedicate our membership and our resources toward strategies that will enable us to respond to those needs?

Be authentic. It is interesting to note that most rural pastors don’t come from rural backgrounds. But that does not mean that you cannot be effective. Leadership in a vital congregation means understanding what you know and admitting what you don’t know. No matter what your background, be yourself. People can smell a phony a mile away and once you lose credibility it is hard to regain it. Don’t be afraid to let others know that you want to understand who they are and what they do. And that you want to be a part of their community – and their lives. There is a reason God brought you to this church and this community – be inspired to use your gifts to  respond to that call in vibrant and enthusiastic ways.

Speak Jesus fluently. As leaders we come into a community not just as a helper, but as an ambassador for Jesus. It is our calling to talk about Jesus wherever we go and whatever we do.  In some new leaders there is a tendency to tone down the faith aspect of our work until we gain the people’s confidence. But that is so unnecessary because everyone knows why we are there.  And it is confusing to others if we don’t intentionally express and live the faith that we represent. If we don’t, who will? The unintended benefit is that our willingness to speak about Jesus frequently and fluently gives permission to others to be more open about their own faith. In the process, the church develops a reputation for being excited and unashamed about what we believe, opening the door for others to join the conversation.

Model leadership. Pastors are expected to model what it means to be a person of character and to be the de facto leader of the congregation. But if we limit that expectation to our called clergy then we miss a great opportunity.  We cannot do it all alone and we should not try. When we allow the elders, deacons, teachers, and others in the church to share in leadership and service we demonstrate that faith and service are valued in everyone and not just those who are paid to do so. Modeling leadership does not just mean sharing the work, but also extends to the sharing of ideas and initiative as well.

Do you have the courage to be contagious? Like it or not, as pastors we set the tone in everything we do.  We establish the standard for the attitude of any gathering by the attitude we present.  We play a large role in developing a sense of excitement and enthusiasm and wonder about the faith and community experienced in our congregation. Vital churches have pastors who are inspired about their faith and are not afraid to share those feelings in all that they do. Most of all, they are not afraid to encourage their members to do the same!

Looking for the Signs of Life

One of our primary responsibilities as pastors and church leaders is to find ways to inspire and ignite life within our congregations. For some this is simply a matter of finding ways to engage a body of believers who are ready to be led. In other cases, it may feel like a slow and arduous process as you try to re-energize a congregation that has grown tired and stagnant.

Unless your ministry is a new church development, your congregation will come with a history and a tradition. Sometimes those can be used as a catalyst for engaging in new and exciting ways of being the church in the world.  And sometimes they serve as an anchor around our necks that hold us back and become a barrier to any kind of meaningful change. Learning to discern what can be used and what needs to be discarded is an important skill for any leader interested in true revitalization.

Transformation is something that we all want for our congregations, but our results are often mixed. There is no secret formula to achieve it and there is no single strategy that will ensure success.  And very often achieving that sense of vibrancy and vitality depends on different factors in each congregational context.

What gives a church that special aura of vitality? How do we recognize the signs of life? While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are a number of factors that seem to be common to the churches that we would consider the most appealing.

Vitality requires a purpose – Churches that have an extra sense of life are motivated by more than just the desire to be together.  Sometimes it happens though worship, but often we find ourselves living out that purpose through a variety of activities, some social, some educational, some missional. Churches that exude a sense of excitement understand that there is a reason for everything we do together, and that ultimately reaching out to others in Jesus’ name is an important thing.  It is what motivates and encourages us and it is inviting to others who want to join our cause. 

Vitality focuses on mission – Our Christian walk compels us to reach out beyond ourselves. Mission can be realized in many different programs and approaches, but a sense that we are serving Jesus in the world, in ways that make a difference, is key to a sense of fulfillment within the congregation. Churches that are self-focused, where the primary attention is on the care of the building or making the budget or having meetings for their own sake do not share that sense of purpose.

Vitality is welcoming – Being a welcoming congregation is more than just greeting visitors at the door.  It also requires a sense that those in a congregation value and enjoy being together. Vital churches find the time to be in fellowship together, not out of obligation, but because they value the gifts and friendship of the body. That is why so often we find ourselves sharing together around the table, whether for a meal, a cup of coffee, or even to experience the love of God through the Lord’s Supper. The signs of life are realized as often over a piece of pie as they are in a service of worship.

Vitality depends on sharing – Churches are the strongest when their members join together to share the work and the responsibility of being the church. Life is most often found in those places where the people are engaged in ministry and don’t just assume that it is the job of the staff or pastors. I have yet to see a congregation, large or small, where there was not enough work to go around, but the big question is in how the work is distributed. Cultivating spiritual and administrative gifts and then allowing the freedom for our members to exercise those gifts, is one of the primary things we can do to encourage life in our churches. With that sense of confidence and responsibility comes an attitude of shared ownership in the mission and a motivation to serve God through the church.

Vitality values authenticity – Be yourself – it is the first rule of success in our life together. Vital churches do not need experts – they need servants who understand two things: 1) that we are all in need of God’s grace, and 2) that we can learn from each other. Successful ministry never results from telling others what to do, but rather by sharing together in this journey of faith. When pastors take the time to get to know the members of their congregation, and show that they are truly interested in understanding their lives and their gifts, then we set the stage for a ministry of mutual trust and service.

Vitality reflects our worship – Our worship begins in the sanctuary, but it doesn’t stay there. The way we express our lives together in Christ is one of the most important signs of life in any congregation. Our spiritual lives are encouraged and fed by the time we spend together in that place, but they are nurtured and nourished when we take what we receive there and apply it to what we do each and every day.  Worship takes many forms….in our prayers….in our devotions…in our scripture reading…in our service out in the community…and in the way we demonstrate that we are people of God. Vitality happens when worship becomes an irresistible expression of our faith and not just an activity that happens every Sunday at 10:00.

What are the signs of life in your church? It comes from different places and in different forms.  It also comes from both the pastors and leaders of the church as well as the everyday members who make up the family of faith. As you get to know them in their own contexts, take note of what seems to give them energy or the areas in which they demonstrate a passion for their faith. In this new era in the life of the Church, it is important that each of us has our eyes on ways that we can effectively cultivate vitality in our work together.  It doesn’t matter whether your church is large or small. We cannot afford to be complacent, inflexible, or worse yet, boring. But we must also be faithful to the leading of the Spirit and to the Word of God.  We are given a mandate to share the good news from the God who loves us. Let us find ways to accomplish that responsibility by encouraging those around us, while also reaching out to a world that is still waiting.

Can Pastors Celebrate Christmas?

That wonderful season is upon us again, that time when we gather together with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus.  For a short while our everyday routines are disrupted by decorating trees and stuffing stockings, opening presents and singing carols.  From family to family the traditions differ, but at the heart of the holiday itself we all have one thing in common – that baby who was born in a manger so many years ago.

But Christmas is not just for our members. Pastors need to celebrate, too. Not just in the leadership that we provide or the quality services that we design, but in our hearts. For as we say year after year in our holiday sermons, the whole point of this season is found not in the presents or songs or even in the event of our Christmas worship itself. The real impact of Christmas is found in how our lives are changed by God’s intentional presence with us. That is easy to overlook in the midst of the busyness of this season. But it is what makes the difference between just celebrating another Christmas holiday and actually living out our love for Christ in our day to day lives.

It is hard to imagine that such a small child could have caused such a commotion.  But our traditional Christmas readings from Matthew and Luke assure us that the few people who were there recognized that it was indeed a very special event.  Some came from a great distance, just to see and praise the child.  The story of the wise men is hard to forget.  They followed a star until it led them right to the place where the child was.  And it is important to remember that in the same way, we all follow a star today.

Our star is the gospel message; the Word of God as we read it from the Bible, proclaim it from the pulpit, share it with each other, and show it in our care for one another.  That star is one of the few guarantees in life.  For we are assured that if you believe it with your heart, follow it with your faith, and live it with your life, it will lead you straight to our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

This is an incredibly busy time for rural pastors. The services are numerous, attendance is usually up, and activities abound.  We are often challenged and perhaps even a bit stressed by the many obligations that crowd our calendars and by our perceptions that each activity is essential to providing a meaningful experience to each of our members.  In the process of “doing” Advent and Christmas it is actually possible to miss out on our own celebration of the season.  I have to admit that there have been times when I have come up for air after the Christmas Eve services and realized that everyone else has been celebrating but me.  And while it is understandable how we might fall into that trap, it is completely unnecessary.  Because the most basic lesson that we learned in seminary applies to this time as well – it is not about us.

Pastors and church leaders are more than just paid employees in the Christmas service machine. Like everyone else in the church, this time is for us as well.  When God came to be with us, he came to be with all of us.  Not just those in the pew, but everyone who calls Jesus Lord. Therefore, it is up to each one of us, pastors especially, to make an effort to remember that this season is not about what we do, but what we receive. And the greatest gift of all was given in the name of the child we celebrate this week. I hope you will take the time to experience the Christ, not just tell others about him, as you celebrate the nativity with your family, your church community, and your own faith.

That star didn’t disappear when the wise men went home.  It is still there, waiting to point you to Christ, ready to lead you on your journey of faith.  Even those of us who have committed our lives to God and who serve as leaders in the church need to be reminded of this every now and then. We need to remember to celebrate with our lives and our families and our faith, as well as our work and service to the church.  And that, put very simply, is what Christmas is all about!

Take time to celebrate this week. Christmas is for pastors, too!

Welcoming Visitors Through the Back Door

This seems to be the season for church dinners, particularly in rural congregations.  In spite of the logistical challenges, I am pleased to see that many churches are maintaining this tradition. Whether your church hosts a turkey dinner, a chicken and ham supper, or a pork chop festival, there are several things you can count on – delicious food in abundance, fellowship and fun between your members, and an opportunity for visitors to come into your church building.

Welcoming visitors to worship is a primary goal for most congregations, with much of the conversation focusing on how we get our members to invite their friends and neighbors or how we can become a more welcoming church.  However, we often overlook the value of events that get visitors into our building at other times during the week. When those hungry masses come to your church for your annual church supper, they do more than just sit at the tables and eat.  They also learn about your congregation by what they see and who they visit with. For many, it is the only time they may come through your doors, but they will form an impression based on the ambiance of the building and the friendliness of your members.  And for a few, that may be what it takes to get them to take a chance some Sunday morning.

Take a walk through your building sometime looking at it from the perspective of a visitor. What do you see? Is the building well cared for and clean? Are the rooms cluttered with years of old curriculum stacked here and there or unused furniture piled in the corners? Do the bulletin boards and displays appear to be up to date and tell the story of an active congregation or are they historical relics from another era? Can you tell that children are welcome here? Are there signs that this is a church that reaches out in mission? Can you tell that the people who call this place home love Jesus? Believe it or not, your building says a lot about what you believe and what happens in this place.

Watch the interaction between your members and visitors. Even at a dinner where the primary focus is on food there should be a sense that hospitality matters. Do your members interact with guests and help them to feel welcome? Do those who are working huddle together and have private conversations or do they make an effort to converse with those in line or at the tables? Is there a feeling that this is a private club or a sense that they are excited to open their home to others?

How do you welcome others into your building? Even if you do not have an annual church dinner, nearly every congregation has events that welcome visitors to come in through the “back door.” The most common is Vacation Bible School. If your church is like most, that summer event brings in kids who are not a part of your congregation, if only for a week. The question is do we make the most of that opportunity?

There are things that every church can do to improve this outreach.  Making the children feel welcome, sharing about other programs that they can participate in throughout the year, reaching out to parents when they drop off and pick up their kids are all ways that we can interpret the work of our congregation and help to develop the sense that this is “their church.” Having a program at the end of the week, whether on a Friday night or a Sunday morning in worship is a great way of inviting those families to worship with you and to reinforce a sense that they do belong here.

When a church building is available for other uses throughout the week, there is an opportunity to help visitors feel welcome walking through your doors.  Many congregations host preschools, food pantries, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, 4-H groups, AA, and other community organizations.  Do you make it easy for those groups to use your empty rooms or do they feel like outsiders asking for a favor? The more hospitable your building feels the more likely non-churched participants will feel that in some way your church is “their church.” Of course, the added benefit is that you are in the position to promote other church events, even worship, by posting inviting posters and signs that they will encounter as they enter the building or walk down the hall.

In small towns and rural communities, the pastor is a very public person.  In many ways, you are part of the identity of the church and when it comes to hospitality, your presence speaks volumes. No one expects the pastor to be present every time an outside group uses your building.  But showing up occasionally when groups are gathering or greeting visitors as they come in the door lends a sense that you are both accessible and available. When visitors know who the pastor is and can call her/him by name, they are far more likely to feel an affinity to that congregation, perhaps even paving the way to wander in your front doors some Sunday morning.

Evangelism is a priority for every congregation and welcoming visitors to our community of faith is essential to our mission and ministry. But every church needs to take a closer look at how we invite guests and the messages we send every time someone new comes into the building. If we only focus on those who come in through the front doors, we are bound to miss great opportunities to welcome those who come into our church in other ways.

Our Changing Calls

Is it possible for a pastor’s call to evolve over time?  How about a congregation's mission?  Most definitely.  That's really what this blog and this website have been all about.  In this day and age, it is rare when a pastor stays in the same setting for the entirety of his or her career.  Most pastors will move to another church at least once, and some do it many times. In other cases, we might  find ourselves moving into different types of ministries, often serving God in places beyond the parish.  And in my case, I moved from life as a parish pastor into theological education and then back again.  It has been a most unusual and rewarding journey.

Churches themselves need to face the changing dynamics in the local community and the way faith is viewed and lived out in a world that doesn't always value God's teaching and very often plays by a different set of rules.  We are in the process of finding ways to be God's ambassadors in a 21st century world, often with fewer resources, fewer members, and limited opportunities in our rural contexts.

After graduating from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in the mid-1980s, I served congregations in Vail, Iowa and Worthington, Minnesota. Both churches were full of faithful, caring people who loved the Lord and had a heart for mission and ministry beyond the walls of the church building.  Looking back, they were patient teachers who helped me understand the importance of sharing Jesus’ love in contexts where hard work, faith and family connections were both valued and essential. They reminded me that regardless of the size of the congregation, most ministry is very personal.

After 17 years as a pastor, I was invited to serve as Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Ministry at UDTS, where I had the opportunity to share my pastoral experience with men and women who were learning to become leaders in the church. I was privileged to be involved in theological education during a period of incredible transition in both the church and the academic world.  Part of my calling was to help interpret the needs of the larger church through the lens of one who had been there. Through it all I never stopped being a pastor and after twelve years and hundreds of students, a strange thing happened – I felt that God was calling me to go back out into the church to practice what I had been teaching.

I am now serving as Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at the Oswego Presbyterian Church in Oswego, Illinois, a dynamic congregation that straddles both rural and suburban contexts. And every day when I go to work, I am grateful for the lessons I learned along the way. The experiences of my earliest congregations are still formative for me as a pastor.  And I am still a teacher, just as I was at UDTS, but in a context that requires me to practice what I teach and not just lecture about it. Although the church is a very different place today, those basic lessons first learned in the seminary classroom and now practiced in the congregational context, are as relevant now as they were then.

No call stays exactly the same for very long.  How is your church changing?  How is your call evolving?  How can you as a leader and your church as a representative of Christ, reach out into your local community in more effective ways?  Those are questions that every rural pastor must face as we serve God in this rapidly changing world. Change is not to be feared or dreaded.  The fact that our churches are not the same as they were in the past does not mean that we cannot be effective in the ministries we now have.  Helping our members realize that change represents new opportunity rather than an attitude of decline is the first step in developing a new sense of identity and purpose, both within the congregation and to the larger community as well.