Building Thriving Rural Congregations
How can rural churches break free from the false narratives and unrealistic metrics that obscure their potential vitality? Allen Stanton lays out a new vision…
Author
Allen T. Stanton
Allen T. Stanton is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. He currently serves as a consulting fellow with the University of the Ozark’s Thriving in Rural Ministry initiative and as director of strategic initiatives for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Stanton is the author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and The Gift of Small: Embracing Your Church’s Vocation. (Fortress Press, 2024.)
Ann A. Michel
Ann A. Michel served on the staff of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from 2005 - 2024 as associate director of the center and later as a senior consultant and editor of Leading Ideas e-newsletter. She also taught at Wesley Theological Seminary in the areas of stewardship and leadership. She is the co-author with Lovett H. Weems Jr. of Generosity, Stewardship, and Abundance: A Transformational Guide to Church Finance (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) available at Cokesbury and Amazon. She is also the author of Synergy: A Leadership Guide for Church Staff and Volunteers (Abingdon, 2017), available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
3 Indicators of a Thriving Rural Congregation
Allen Stanton says rural churches need better indicators of what it means to thrive. He outlines three characteristics of vital rural congregations able to lead…
3 Unique Gifts of the Rural Church
Allen Stanton says rural churches are uniquely positioned to be agents of change within their communities. Most are trusted long-term community stakeholders, and on any…