{"id":696,"date":"2020-02-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/4-tips-for-passion-in-a-rural-church\/"},"modified":"2020-06-21T21:47:12","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T01:47:12","slug":"4-tips-for-passion-in-a-rural-church","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/4-tips-for-passion-in-a-rural-church\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Passion in a Rural Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note:\u00a0<\/em>This post originally appeared on factsandtrends.net and is adapted with permission from\u00a0Replanting Rural Churches<\/a>. (Copyright 2019, Acoma Press.)<\/p>\n

I (Matt) remember it like it was yesterday. \u201cI don\u2019t know that you\u2019ll like it here, brother,\u201d a member of the search committee said, \u201cThere\u2019s not much to do. You might be bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Underneath my polite smile were two eyes rolling and the reminder I have four daughters\u2014there\u2019s no such thing as bored.\u00a0<\/em>But let\u2019s be honest, it was a town of 60 folks in the absolute middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n

Though we did have a caf\u00e9, we had a convenience store plastered with racist epitaphs, a gas station without gas, and were nearly an hour away from the nearest Walmart.<\/p>\n

There really wasn\u2019t much to do.<\/p>\n

EXCEPT WIN SOME SOULS FOR JESUS.<\/p>\n

While I wholeheartedly believe it was a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit breathing life into that church, one thing He also did was breathe life into me.<\/p>\n

He gave me a passion for a town that would otherwise be forgotten. I couldn\u2019t wait to get started, to get my boots on the ground, and to see what God was going to do.<\/p>\n

What a privilege it is to pastor the bride of Christ! We\u2019ve been entrusted with Jesus\u2019 sheep. That means you might get dirty, and there\u2019ll be days you\u2019ll want to hang up the shepherd\u2019s staff and do something else, but man.<\/p>\n

What a\u00a0privilege<\/em>!<\/p>\n

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS.<\/h3>\n

You preach the Word of God to the people of God in the house of God indwelt by the Spirit of God; I can\u2019t think of a better reason to have a little passion!<\/p>\n

The Jesus who, as Hebrews 12:2 says, \u201cFor the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.\u201dFor the joy that lay before him, Jesus endured the greatest agony imaginable. Let me be clear: you can handle a couple of bad days. Not only that, you can do so with a little pep in your step. I mean, think about it\u2026<\/p>\n

You preach the Word of God to the people of God in the house of God indwelt by the Spirit of God. I can\u2019t think of a better reason to have a little passion.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re preaching to five, to 50, or to 500, do so with passion. Over time, it\u2019ll begin to infect the members of your church.<\/p>\n

YOU SERVE JESUS IN\u00a0EVERYTHING<\/em>.<\/h3>\n

Now, it\u2019s easy to have some passion while preaching, but what about the other things we do? Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24, \u201cWhatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

You might have to clean some toilets or visit sister Claire after her bunion surgery. You might have to endure a contentious business meeting after you changed what room the quilt club met in, or even have to help a member corral a stray cow.<\/p>\n

But do it from the heart, do it for the Lord, do it with\u00a0passion<\/em>, do it because you love them. It won\u2019t be glamorous. (What did you expect from an article with the word \u201crural\u201d in the title?)<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s worth it because there\u2019s a reward at the end of this cornfield with a reminder from Paul:\u00a0\u201cYou serve the Lord Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As you do, there are four things that\u2019ll help you communicate your passion for your church\u2014things that are helpful whether you\u2019re rural or metro, big or tiny. Any pastor worth their salt can incorporate some of these things.<\/p>\n

1. BIRTHDAYS<\/h3>\n

Curate a list of the birthdays of each of your members and write them a handwritten note or give them a call on their birthday.<\/p>\n

Many will go to the mailbox each day and get ready to toss the latest spam they received. But a letter from you? They will\u00a0cherish<\/em>\u00a0it!<\/p>\n

2. WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS<\/h3>\n

On holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, and certainly Valentine\u2019s Day, make it a point to contact the widows and widowers in your church.<\/p>\n

Many are lonely. Many of them missed the loved ones who have gone before them. Don\u2019t forget these members of your flock around important holidays. Instead, make them feel special.<\/p>\n

Give them a call, invite them over for dinner, or go pay them a visit.<\/p>\n

3. SMILE<\/h3>\n

I (Matt) joke that I have a resting angry face, but it\u2019s true. I actually write in my notes here and there to remember to smile. I love to preach the Word, but sometimes, my face fails to show it.<\/p>\n

Preach with passion. Don\u2019t put on a show, but do your church a favor and at least look like you\u2019re enjoying the absolute privilege you have to proclaim the Word.<\/p>\n

4. MINGLE, MINGLE, MINGLE<\/h3>\n

We get it. Your mind it set on the Word you\u2019re about the preach, but the time before and after the service is a great time for you to mingle with the people you serve.<\/p>\n

Ask how they\u2019re doing and, get this (it\u2019s earth-shattering), actually\u00a0listen<\/em>\u00a0to them.,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note:\u00a0This post originally appeared on factsandtrends.net and is adapted with permission from\u00a0Replanting Rural Churches. (Copyright …<\/p>\n

4 Tips for Passion in a Rural Church<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":697,"template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"channels":[],"topics":[53],"languages":[],"class_list":["post-696","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-article","topics-replanting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Tips for Passion in a Rural Church - Church Replanting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/4-tips-for-passion-in-a-rural-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Tips for Passion in a Rural Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Editor’s Note:\u00a0This post originally appeared on factsandtrends.net and is adapted with permission from\u00a0Replanting Rural Churches. 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