As we move toward Lent, the days are finally lengthening. And we start thinking about how God will soon begin calling the creation around us to life.
This newsletter is filled with resources, insights, and opportunities that we hope might plant some ideas, equip, and encourage you as a rural ministry leader during this season. Whether you’re discerning your call, seeking connection with other leaders, or looking for ways to deepen your ministry, we hope you find inspiration here as we follow Jesus together.
"We are called to plant seeds of faith, hope, and love. Jesus taught about how a sower starts with a seed. The Great Sower of the Seed sows with generosity and abundance into our lives and world."
As you look toward the spring, I invite you to imagine and plan around the idea that it all starts with a seed. Interested in holding a Blessing of the Seeds liturgy (sometimes known as Rogation Sunday)? You can find planning resources in the blog post quoted above.
[Moment of gratitude] It starts with seeds of generosity➜
We are grateful to have over 50 students in the January 2025 Lay School for Ministry, which gathers monthly after doing online modules to discuss and learn more together.
We are so thankful for a generous donation of $5K from a congregation, and for a large gift from a donor who wants to see the work of rural ministry, both in Luther Seminary and through Faith+Lead, flourish.
Allen Stanton’s book, The Gift of Small, is a helpful book in a world that often fails to value the gift of small seeds and smaller-membership congregations.
The book speaks to lay leaders, pastors, and regional church leaders about the people, organization, and work of smaller membership congregations as they live out their important and distinctive vocations. Click on the above link to read a description of the book.
A deep connection exists between people and places in rural and small-town communities. In The Art of Leadership in a Rural Parish, you’ll explore the history of the rural United States, demographic trends, and theological connections between people and place. Learners will wrestle with how to make history an asset without nostalgia overwhelming a congregation’s story. Please note: if you don't have one already, you will need to create a free Learning Lab account in order to access this course.
This is a free course with helpful content shared by Dr. Mark Yackel-Juleen, made possible by a gift in memory of Rev. Paul and LaVonne Jensen. Thanks to their generosity, seeds of more ministers and more effective rural ministry becomes possible.
"Our experience as humans is at its poorest when we stand back from others, hoping in a distant, impersonal way that their anger or pain or difference from us will somehow be smoothed away without our needing to struggle to understand it or even look directly at it... In our quest for peace and comfort, would we choose to erase even the disconcerting, commanding love of Christ?"
Are you looking for a place to gather, connect, share stories and receive support from others involved in rural and small-town ministry? Join us for the next gathering. The Rural Ministry Café is a space where you can share your journey, learn from others, and find uplifting encouragement. Here is a glimpse of what the Rural Ministry Café has to offer:
Encouragement from fellow rural ministry leaders
Valuable insights and wisdom through shared experiences
Practical tools and creative ideas to enhance your ministry
Season 2 of My Town, a documentary series by Cory Hepola, is coming soon! The new season will share mores stories of appreciative inquiry and assets instead of deficits. Season 1 is already available.
What is the brain gain of rural America? As Ben Winchester from the University of Minnesota Extension Service describes it through his analysis of statewide rural data, it means this: rural communities are not dying, they're just changing. Minnesota is seeing a large return of people who are over 35 and more highly educated than the people who previously lived in our rural areas. Interesting, huh?
Ben challenges the normal, negative narratives about rural communities:
There’s a brain drain.
We live in the middle of nowhere.
The lucky few escape.
Replacing those narratives with a hopeful focus on:
Noticing there is a brain GAIN in rural Minnesota.
Rural people live in the middle of everywhere.
Rural communities are beautiful and gifted places live, work and play.
As we journey into Lent and towards our remembrance of the passion of Jesus, may your hearts be filled with peace, your ministries be blessed with purpose, and your communities be touched by God’s love.
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