In this episode I interview Brad Roth, a Mennonite pastor in rural Kansas, blogger at DoxologyProject.com the author of God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church.
Brad and I talk about four of the main emphases of his book, namely:
- The importance of rural church
- Acedia (the spiritual “blahs”)
- The significance of place
- A new way to measure growth
There’s also an important conversation about replacing the typical metrics of demographics and attendance with what Brad calls “getting weird” as we assess church health and growth. Specifically, Brad raises the idea of using “rule” rather than metrics.
This episode will encourage you who serve in rural areas, and hopefully will inspire pastors in transition to keep small towns on your list of ministry options.
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Credits
Producer
Veronica Beaver | Veronica@KarlVaters.com
Editor
Phil Vaters | Phil@KarlVaters.com
Music
Composed and performed by Jack Wilkins | JackWilkinsMusic.com
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by Solomon Joy
Correspondence
Shelley Vaters | Shelley@KarlVaters.com
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