There is a certain homogeneity to the American suburb. Chain restaurants and big box stores cluster around sprawling neighborhoods; an SUV tucked in every drive. It feels more and more that to see one suburb is to see them all. When I began studying the rural church for as director of the Thriving in Rural Ministry Program at the University of the Ozarks, I expected something similar. I anticipated aged congregations in aged buildings,...
Why you should study the rural church
When Phillip Blackburn began as the director of the University of the Ozarks’ Thriving in Rural Ministry Program, he expected to serve small, dying churches. Instead, he has found livelihood and wisdom.
Photo by Matthew Hacker on Unsplash
