As churches are shrinking, and the ability to pay full-time pastors or convince them to consider smaller or rural pastoral contexts, the denomination will need to be more flexible and nimble to meet the needs of these congregations.
While there isn’t a clear definition of what a rural context is, the USDA estimates the rural population of the U.S. could be as high as 49% of the total population. Rural congregations, however, often see...
