Many of the congregations of the CGGC are located in what would be classified as “rural” areas. As a matter of fact, many of our now closed congregations have been located in rural areas. The story normally goes like this. One hundred and seventy-five years ago there was a bustling rural community and a church was formed and over time, the community changed and faded away and eventually the church faded away as well. We’ve experienced this hundreds of times across the CGGC. These are the areas where kids tend to grow up and move away in order to find meaningful and gainful employment in adulthood.
There are many smaller, rural congregations that see the aging population and shrinking numbers and ask, “is there hope for a church like ours?” I believe there is, but it will require a renewed emphasis on God’s mission and a willingness to minister in new ways in order to reach people you’re presently not reaching.
That’s why I’m so excited about opportunities like Fresh Expressions’ Rural Renewal Summit. It’s a two-day digital event exploring new possibilities for small-town churches. There’s a tremendous need for revitalized ministry in rural areas and Fresh Expressions is helping address this vital need for churches. This is one of the reasons we’ve chosen to partner with Fresh Expressions in order to bring this kind of much-needed training to the CGGC.
Next Friday and Saturday, April 21st and 22nd, you have the opportunity to take advantage of some great training that can help broaden your horizons and expectations for the local rural church.
Friday, April 21st from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, April 22nd from 10:00 a.m. to 3:45 (EDT)
- All sessions are online – no travel expense.
- Participants will have access to the recordings for a limited time after the actual event in order to review.
- Six-months free membership to FX Connect community and resource library for continued learning.
Because of our partnership with Fresh Expressions, you are able to take advantage of this opportunity and save 25% by utilizing the code CGGC25.
Individual tickets are $89 (this is before applying the 25% discount) and you can take a group of 4 for $229 (again, this is before the 25% discount).
If your rural congregation needs some help dreaming about what could be rather than fretting about “what’s going to happen to us” I’d encourage you to pull a team together and take advantage of the great learning at the Rural Renewal Summit.
You can find all the information and registration here: https://freshexpressions.com/ruralrenewalsummit
Thankfully, that’s not the only resource Fresh Expressions has made possible. Below you can find podcasts and articles that give wonderful insights into the advantages that rural churches have, and how to utilize those advantages to make a big impact on their communities. Below is a playlist of podcasts where two rural pastors sit down and speak with an experts on Rural Renewal.
There is hope for the small rural church! More importantly, they can play a vital role in introducing people to the hope that’s only found in Jesus!
Christ’s Peace,
Lance
CGGC eNews—Vol. 27, No. 15
Login To Leave Comment