America\u2019s rural communities present an incredible mission field. Three out of every four cities in North America have less than 5,000 people in them. More than 45 million people call rural America home.<\/p>\n
But rural communities also pose a missions challenge. Many churches in these settings struggle with isolation, lack of resources and a host of other issues.<\/p>\n
If that\u2019s your church, I want to help. I\u2019ve seen God do some incredible things through revitalized rural churches. I believe the same can happen in your church as you start with these four steps of revitalization.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Pray strategically<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t skip this. Prayer isn\u2019t a platitude. It\u2019s absolutely critical to your work of revitalization in a rural context. Specifically, you need to pray for these three areas:<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Be neighborly<\/strong><\/p>\n Smile at people and make eye contact. Everyone in small towns knows the pastors. If you\u2019re in a local convenience store, do your best not to ignore people. It\u2019s easy these days to be distracted as we go about our business. We can go in and out of stores and restaurants without really acknowledging others. It\u2019s easy to get in a hurry. Even if you\u2019re busy and need to be someplace else, be polite, look people in the eyes and smile. Even when you\u2019re in your vehicle, try not to cut people off and drive irresponsibly. People know what you drive. Smile and wave as much as possible. You want your community to see you as a friendly person.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Get engaged in your community<\/strong><\/p>\n You can make a much larger impact in a rural community than you can in a city. Get involved in meetings of whatever commission governs your community. They can be boring at times, but they give you an opportunity to find out needs in the community that you can help meet. You\u2019re looking for any way you can make an impact. You might find there are some public buildings or houses that need repair. Your church can offer to help. Even if you can\u2019t do all the repairs, you still can help. When word gets out about your church\u2019s generosity, your community\u2019s perception of your church will change.<\/p>\n I know what you\u2019re thinking: You\u2019re concerned that you\u2019re too small to really impact your community. First, you\u2019d be surprised to discover how much a small church can do when they\u2019re committed to serving their community. But you also can partner with other churches to multiply your effectiveness. Your denominational associations can be a great place to start.<\/p>\n\n