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Exploring the Shift in Missional Engagement: Understanding Rural Characteristics and the Need for Balance

This article discusses the shift in missional engagement from urban to rural areas, highlighting the characteristics of rural areas and why they require attention. It explores the decline in rural populations, the evangelical response, and the importance of a balanced approach to reaching both urban and rural communities. The article also suggests strategies for developing a rural missiology and building bridges in rural areas through contextualizing the gospel.

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Exploring the Shift in Missional Engagement: Understanding Rural Characteristics and the Need for Balance

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  1. The Back-burner of Missional Engagement

  2. Why the Shift? Definition of Rural Characteristics of Rural: _______________ Less dense Sparse population Not built up At a distance All population, housing, and territory not included within an urbanized area or urban cluster. The rural portion of the US encompasses a wide variety of settlements from densely settled small towns and ”large lot” housing subdivisions on the fringes of urban areas to more sparsely populated and remote areas

  3. Why the Shift? Difference between urban/rural population U.S. Population = approx. 325,000,000 Urban Population = approx. 265,000,000 Rural Population = approx. 60,000,000 * Rural areas cover 97% of nation’s land area, but contain only 19.3% of the population.

  4. Why the Shift? Rural Population Trends • Majority of rural counties now have fewer US born residents than in 2000 (factor = dwindling populations) • Rural areas have a higher % of Baby Boomers (65+) • Rural counties are home to a smaller share of nation’s prime-age workers (age 25–54) • Rural counties have a smaller share of young adults than urban/suburban areas • In short, rural areas are not growing, they are shrinking • Caveat: total population of rural counties with recreation-base and government-based economies grew

  5. Evangelical Response to the Shift Pendulum swung to the urban/suburban areas With 80% of the U.S. Population in urban/suburban areas—and climbing—the church shifted to focus on this movement Resources and Investments… • Books • Conferences • Blogs • Finances • Leadership training • Church planting • Church revitalization • Mission models

  6. Re-balancing the Shift The mission of the church shouldn’t involve choosing between whether we focus on going to an urban (suburban) or a rural area, but a missional impetus to go to BOTH!

  7. Re-balancing the Shift Francis Asbury, 1844 We must reach every section of America, especially the RAW frontiers. We must not be afraid of men, devils, wild animals, or disease. Our motto must always be FORWARD!

  8. Moving Forward… Jesus was present in remote, sparsely populated areas • Jesus was born in Bethlehem • Jesus was raised in Nazareth • Jesus conducted most of His ministry in around the countryside in villages and towns. • Jesus went throughout “all the cities and villages” • Jesus sent His disciples into all the world to make disciples of all ta ethne.

  9. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology Acts 17:22–34 (The ABCs of a Missionary) Aware • “For as I was passing through and observing…” Bridge • “Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus…” • “…I found an altar on which was inscribed: ‘To an Unknown God.’” Contextualization • Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.” • Takes the altar and begins to contextualize truth in the heart language of the people • “…as even some of your own poets have said…”

  10. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Awareness Observations from Rural Contexts: • 43% see drug addiction as a major problem • 42% see the availability of jobs as a problem • 43% see lack of access to public transit a problem • 23% see lack of access to good medical care a problem • 24% see lack of access to high speed internet a problem • 40% say their current financial means are not enough and will NOT get any better in the future

  11. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Awareness Continued Observations from Rural Contexts Continued: • Rural areas have the highest percentage of suicide • 2015–44,193 suicides (most occurred in rural areas) • Strong relational network (40% of rural population know all or most of their neighbors; fishbowl) • Rural areas have an aging population • Skeptical of changes • Skeptical of outsiders • Protect their culture and way of life • Racism and segregation tend to be more prominent in rural areas • Growing secularism—the rise of NONES; aging population plus growing secularism of the young adults that stay means dimmer gospel light

  12. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Bridge building Building Bridges in Rural Areas: • Become an insiders if you’re not already • Love for community (home-town pride) • Relational connection • Social services and child advocacy • Counseling services • Transportation services for population—especially aging population

  13. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology… Bridge building Continued Building Bridges in Rural Areas Continued: • Hunting • Recreation • Festivals/Fairs • Fire fighters tend to be volunteer • Schools • Technology • Business

  14. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology… Contextualization Contextualizing the Gospel in Rural Areas: • Style • Building • Dress • Music • Vocabulary

  15. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology… Contextualization A word about Contextualization: No one ever meets universal Christianity in itself: we only ever meet Christianity in a local form and that means a historically, culturally conditioned form. We need not fear this; when God became man he became historically, cultural conditioned man in a particular time and place. What he became, we need not fear to be. There is nothing wrong in having local forms of Christianity--provided that we remember that they are local. (A. Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of the Faith (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1996), 235).

  16. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Models of engagement Church Planting Models in Rural Areas: • Traditional • Launch Big • Missional Incarnational • House Church • Multi-Site; Satellite; Parish • Niche Churches (ex: Cowboy Churches)

  17. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Models of engagement Church Revitalization/Replanting Models to Engage Rural Areas: • Autonomous (Think Home Depot’s Motto—DIY) • Macedonia • Satellite; Campus; Parish • 2–1 Merger • Reinvestment; Legacy

  18. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Models of engagement Additional Missional Models to Engage Rural Areas: • Social (Non-profit) • Counseling Center • Rehab Facility • Meals-on-Wheels • Visiting Angels • Afterschool Children Programming • Tentmaking (Business) • Bed and Breakfast • Hunting Clubs • Shared Office Space (“co-working” office spaces) • Coffee Shop; Restaurant • Recreational Youth Facility • Daycare; Preschool

  19. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology…Rural Missional Networks and churches Missional Rural Churches and Networks: • Rural Matters Institute (Billy Graham Center) • www.bgcruralmatters.com • Dirt Road Network • www.dirtroadsnetwork • Northplace Church, Sachse, TX • Pastor–Bryan Jarret • Fresh Life Church, Kalispell, MT • Pastor–Levi Lusko • One Harbor Church, Morehead City, NC • Pastor–Donnie Griggs

  20. Moving Forward… Developing a rural missiology Takeaways: • We must not forgot the 60,000,000 people that live in rural areas. That’s 60 million people for whom Christ died for. • A rural missiology involves the ABCs of a missionary. • God can do BIG things in SMALL places. • Healthy, vibrant, life-giving churches need to be planted, revitalized, and multiplied in rural areas. If not, such areas will continue to experience gospel witness going dark. • There are various ways believers and churches can go about missionally engaging the rural frontier.

  21. Q&A Tweet questions to @edstetzer or @joshlaxton

  22. The State of the Gospel in Rural America

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