Small towns and rural areas aren’t what they used to be. While the pace is still slower than the city, the challenges are just as hard as they’ve always been, and the move of city folks to rural areas has created some new dynamics.
In this guest article, Adam Will writes about the realities and opportunities of rural church ministry in a way that’s thoughtful, practical, and hopeful.
— Karl Vaters
When we talk about church planting or revitalization, the conversation often drifts toward strategy and demographics. People say, “Let’s head to the suburbs or that new housing development—that’s where the growth is. That’s where the people are.” And, let’s be honest—that’s where the money is too.
Others with a more incarnational bent might be drawn to urban centers or neglected downtown neighborhoods. That’s a beautiful thing. Everyone needs Jesus, and we absolutely need new and renewed churches in those places.
But let me make a case for the church that rarely gets a headline: the rural church.
The Forgotten Field
The vast majority of churches in the United States are plateaued or declining. And in my experience, an even higher percentage of rural congregations fit that description. Many of them are aging, isolated, under-resourced, and struggling to find consistent leadership.
That’s not always because of a lack of faith. Sometimes it’s just geography and history.
Over the last 75–100 years, demographics have shifted. Families are smaller. Cars allow people to drive longer distances to “church shop.” You no longer need a church every mile—or three of the same denomination within a five-minute drive. People have moved out of small towns into metro areas. I get it.
In fact, I’d even argue that for some tiny country churches with zero gospel fruit and no desire to engage their communities, the best move might be to close and reallocate those assets to a new work somewhere else.
But here’s the thing: rural America is still a mission field.
Despite the reputation for being religious, data shows that rural communities are just as unchurched as their urban and suburban counterparts. One recent survey even showed that rural people are less likely to attend religious services than suburbanites.
We can’t assume rural folks are fine just because there’s a church building nearby. Many of those buildings are empty, or spiritually lifeless, or simply disconnected from the people around them.
The Rural Challenge
Because rural areas have low population density, the strategies that work in urban or suburban settings don’t always translate. Flashy programs, ad campaigns, and church growth formulas tend to fall flat in places where people know your grandma, your dog’s name, and the last three pastors who came and went.
Ministry here is deeply relational. It’s slower. It’s rooted. And it often takes years before trust yields fruit.
And yet… our culture of ministry seems to either ignore the rural church—or worse, belittle it.
Most lead pastors in America will serve a congregation of 200 or fewer at some point in their ministry. But the most popular conferences, podcasts, and platforms tend to spotlight churches of 1,000+. The result? Many pastors feel like they’re failing just because their ministry doesn’t look like a highlight reel.
To make things harder, graduates of Christian colleges often enter ministry with significant student debt—and an expectation that they’ll serve in a medium or large church with full-time pay. That’s not always possible in a rural context. So, small-town and rural churches, especially those without strong financial footing, are often passed over by gifted, called leaders who simply can’t afford to serve there.
A Mission Field, Not a Museum
All of this is forming a kind of spiritual desert in America’s heartland. The birthplace of many of our country’s revivals has quietly become one of its greatest mission fields.
So yes—plant churches in growing suburbs. Send teams into the heart of the city. Redeem downtowns and neighborhoods and apartment complexes. I cheer for that.
But don’t forget the farm roads, the forgotten towns, the two-flashing-light villages, and the places where the only coffee shop is inside a gas station. The people there matter too.
And while you may not get the same “return on investment” in the traditional metrics, Jesus never measured ministry by bang-for-your-buck. He sent His servants into the highways and hedges. He left the 99 for the one. He cared about the places everyone else passed over.
Let’s be that kind of church. Let’s raise up that kind of leader.
Let’s not forget the rural church.
(Photo by Focused 001 | Flickr)
