WE ARE THE CHURCH – Part 1 of 5

WE ARE THE CHURCH

“A Five-part series of Building Up Every Church”

Five terrific men of the pulpit have written a column for a look at the many shades of today’s church.  Each shares his perspective and experience of the church where they currently serve.

Part 1 by DIllon Brandt – Pastor of the Rockwell City, Iowa Church of Christ

In this installment of Building the Church Together, we are exploring the rural church. So, let’s go out in the country. To do so allow me to paint a picture for you. As you pull off the high-speed four-lane highway onto the narrow two-lane you begin to slow down. The slower speed allows you to take in the scenery of farmhouses and cornfields. It’s not much to look at but there is something refreshing about the simplicity of it all. As the drive continues, you come upon a small rural town. There are no stoplights, most intersections don’t even have stop signs. There is a gas station, a bar, and maybe if the town is fortunate a grocery store or even a hardware store. However, despite the lack of amenities, there is a smile and a helpful wave from every car and family passing by.

Here in this small town lies the heart of the kingdom of God, because where there are people, there is a need for the gospel. The beauty and majesty of the kingdom of God is that it is made up of all kinds of churches of different shapes and sizes. Each is vital to advance the Gospel message in their own way. The church in this rural setting may not have the latest technology or smash hit sermon series. Many don’t have a full-time pastor, but yet this church is still vital to the kingdom of God. However, the resources available to the small rural church often leave us wanting to do more but restricted by what’s available. This is why it is so important for us to work together.

In my role as a small church pastor in rural Iowa, I have a burden and passion for reaching the lost off the beaten path. Most days that is a rewarding and fulfilling task. However, if I’m being honest there are days when my planning falls short and there isn’t enough time to make the 45-minute drive to Wal-Mart to get the needed supplies for youth groups. Perhaps it’s the kind of day when I’m not sure which hat I’m wearing, or which hat should have priority. If only there was another pastoral staff member or secretary to lighten the load. But there isn’t and you, church leader, are left juggling a thousand tasks. Where do we start and where do we stop? Let me suggest two ways that rural churches can build God’s Church together.

The first is to recognize the number one gifting of every small rural church…personal relationships. You don’t need to live very long in a small rural community before you realize that everyone knows everything about everyone else. Use that to our advantage. Love people where they are for who they are, a child of the most high God.

One thing we did recently at our church was to host an End of School Bash for our community. It wasn’t much but we set out to give our community a time to celebrate the fact that we had made it, in person, through the whole school year amid the pandemic. It was a free event with lots of food, games, and bounce houses. The sole purpose of the event was to share with our community that we love and care for them, no strings attached. There is a kicker to this story. We didn’t have the volunteers or the resources to pull this event off on our own. We needed other churches and community organizations to pull it off. We partnered with local community groups, got donations and discounts from area vendors, and were able to borrow some bounce houses through a connection with a sister church.

This leads me into the second way we build God’s Church together. Do what you can do well and don’t try to do something that someone else can do. Is there a way to partner with the congregation on the other side of town or with a congregation in a neighboring town? What is your church good at? Do that! Is it hospitality? Then go and find a way to share that with not only your church family but with another church. Does your church have members who can swing a hammer or wield a paintbrush? Consider creating a traveling ministry that goes around to surrounding communities to help families in need. God has given each of us gifts so that we may use them for the greater good of the kingdom.

Then in the areas your church doesn’t do well, stop! Your church’s weakness may be another’s strength. Does your church only have one or two students? Instead of trying to have your own youth group, can you support another congregation’s youth group? Send your students and a volunteer to help make a kingdom impact through that congregation’s strengths. It is hard to give up a ministry that your church ‘has always done. But let me encourage you to do what you do well and don’t do what someone else can do best. At the end of the day the kingdom of God hasn’t lost, instead, it is made stronger because we have worked together. 

The rural church may not have all the immediate resources of our urban brothers and sisters but let’s use that as a reason to lean on one another. God has uniquely placed and gifted each of us where we are to expand the kingdom. What could the impact be if we worked together lifting one another up and supporting each other?