Gratitude for the rural church
Some churches are big,
Some churches are small.
God in God’s foolishness
Loves one and all.
I can hear my husband’s grandmother singing the old hymns. I smile at the memory. A normally quiet person, she sang soprano with great gusto and scant attention to pitch. Like a bumblebee in a flowerbed, it was a wonder she could get that high at all. What does singing like an angel mean anyhow?
And what does a faithful church look like? There’s not one answer.
A rural church might never be big. That’s alright. But at the same time, staying open is not a vision. How do we glorify God? How do we love our neighbour well? That might take some investigation, as our neighbours might not be folks like us.
I’m grateful for rural churches persevering online when the internet infrastructure is bad.
I’m grateful for rural churches where people drive an hour to get to church.
I’m grateful for church basements and potlucks (remember potlucks?) where everyone is welcome and everyone has a story.
I pray for rural churches, and churches everywhere, that we might have the grace to discern where God is calling us. May we sing like angels, whatever that sounds like.
Resources
This blog is inspired by an article by Allen T. Stanton called 3 Indicators of a Thriving Rural Church
https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/3-indicators-of-a-thriving-rural-congregation/
If you lead worship in a congregation - rural or otherwise - I recommend these two blogs which are both packed with excellent resources, sermons and prayers: