How do you pastor a small-town church? I’ve read books about ministering in the city or among the poor. But what about the middle-class rural communities where many pastors serve? Where’s the wisdom for pastoring those churches?

I’ve pastored a small village church in England for almost seven years. I still have so much to learn. But by God’s grace and the example of faithful members in our church, I’ve learned much about pastoring in communities like ours.

When we first arrived, we didn’t live in the village. But moving into town made building relationships natural. We talked to neighbors over the fence. We chatted with locals on our family walks. We met parents when we dropped off our kids at school. These relationships were vital to us being part of the community.

. . . Books about ministry tell you to go to where the people are. But in urban places, the people are scattered across locations and events. Some city pastors may ask, “Why start a playgroup when there are 10 other playgroups to meet people?”

But in our small community, if anything happens, it’s at our church. Our playgroup is the only one. Our seniors’ lunch is the only one. As a British church, when we celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, our event was the only one. People will come to things we host because we’re the only ones doing so.

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Tim Wilson | “8 Tips for Pastoring in a Small Town” | July 19th, 2022

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