Rural churches have always known that they cannot survive by themselves. They very much need the support and encouragement of other local churches, and churches of the wider Association, if each one is to be faithful to its call and mandate in the respective places of ministry in which Christ has established them.
How they do that today may be very different than how it was formerly done. What to continue doing, what to leave aside, and what to newly establish, in shared mission and ministry, is very much to the front in our thinking of such matters today. No church has all that it needs, in and by itself.
Since no individual Christian has all of the gifts, talents, abilities, training and experienced needed, God has put us together in community. We make use of the differences of what we bring, even as, also, we celebrate the unity of purpose in what we seek to achieve. Thus, local churches partner with others in order to find how their unique ‘pieces of the puzzle’ fits in to the mission at hand, hopefully including vision concerning whole geographical regions, as well as in shared ministries to people in cultural groupings. Churches may share ‘puzzle-pieces’ that reflect such as: the gifts, skills, experience and abilities of a pastor or other church leaders and the same as relating to that which congregants may offer in an exchange of resources, like money, facilities, teaching and training seminars, stories and perspectives of what they’re doing in terms of practical experiences, training events, and short term ministry and mission opportunities, locally as well as globally.
Such necessary perspective and action may help to arrest the serious decline of many rural churches. They will be stronger and remain or return to new viability as they collectively share and manage resources.
In Most Instances, Old Ways of ‘Doing Association’ in Denominations Must Change.In earlier years of their voluntary association (to augment their strength and the fruit of their shared labours), churches, pastors and congregants supported by their attendance and participation associational gatherings. For the most part, this is no longer true today. Formerly, long distances made unique challenges that few are continue to face today. Church leaders, delegates and interested individuals travelled many hours, days even, by horse-back and carriage and, then, by early forms of car-transport, to attend such gatherings. Spring and Fall Rallies were common; Annual Meetings were attended upon by relatively large crowds.
Most will not sacrifice to attend meetings and rallies, today. The purposes for such gatherings are no longer espoused – that of having fellowship and developing more distant relationships for the purpose of inter-action and collective ministry. They no longer commit to travel to such events in order to gain new perspective and insights for ministry, or to find inspiration, good teaching and other resource-aids for ministry to help them as they return to their locales, for service there.
Pastors, leaders and congregants today can be ‘in fellowship’ by any number of means of communication, such as phone or the World Wide Web.
While not face-to-face, in many ways such interactions can be more intimate and certainly more immediate. If, especially, there has been a prior face-to-face meeting and relationship, these other means serve to augment and deepen such inter-personal contacts and communication. Whether welcomed or not, or thought inappropriate for ‘real fellowship and interaction’ by perhaps those of certain perspectives or stages of life, in reality such high tech / lower touch interactions are here to stay. They are welcomed and taken for granted by younger and emerging generations as is any new or serviceable technology.
Just as One can eat with one’s fingers or with chopsticks or fork such instruments are used at will and ease, or by cultural (or sub-cultural) preference. Opposing such interactions may not mean that we label as ‘Luddite’ those opponents of new technologies and they may rightly prefer more face-to -face relational activities (as essential or proper for such fellowship). Yet, it may also reflect an unawareness of the fact that many young people seem to be are more in touch and more relationally involved in close friendship and collegial interaction than are many of those who challenge the technology, preferences and time spent, that allows for this to be so. People no longer believe they have to gather in face-to-face dialogue and discussion before they and decide on matters of import.
Many congregants, even including pastors and leaders in local churches have stopped attending associational and other denominational rallies. Smaller numbers faithfully few but even many of them show increasingly limited interest. They do not conclude that the matters under consideration are of sufficient import to command the commitment of their time, travel and interaction. Such expenditures, it is felt, are no longer worth it (and people vote with their absence). There is feeling that such investment could better be given in other ways, still with the goals and desires of following in the ways of Christ and the work of His Church.
This seems to some to reveal a clear lack of commitment, reflecting or guaranteeing the steady decline of the denomination, a drawing back from voluntary association with the attending purpose of receiving thereby: fellowship, stimulus, inspiration, resources, and agreement on next steps for mission.
Pastors, leaders and congregants read, study and interact on-line, or through books or other personal involvements with a wide range of friends, acquaintances and fellow-Christians. They know what they think and how they would vote. They can register their opinion and votes without having to travel miles to have a more linear (than laterally-rich) interaction and debate. They can discuss matters of import online and thereby come to their own opinions, preferences and subsequent involvements. They can see visually the other (e.g. by Skype) and can do that with a number of people at a time (through new and evolving technologies). This does not mean they never get together, but it does augment the times both before and after that can influence and enrich, and suggest actions and attending resources for positive involvement.
One can subscribe to, and download freely from ministry resource sites online. They may come from far away and diverse places, such as ChristChurch, New Zealand, from anywhere in Canada or the United States, from the United Kingdom or from any formerly ‘distant land.’ Worldwide, Christian thought, ministry and mission is being practiced and new (and old insights and resources are being developed and in many instances, generously shared. Good and focused resources might be available at any general or specific seminar, in the context of rallies, assemblies, etc. and these will continue to be available to those who attend. But there are others good sources (many more of them, in fact) that are widely available to help stimulate, encourage, inform and resource both general and specific ministries and tasks that pastors and congregants may want to explore. Then they can move together to develop such initiatives in their own specific ministry-contexts and settings.
Pastors and leaders, as well as congregants with specific tasks, burdens and need for assistance, may also develop relational interactions with anyone world-wide and thereby further share fellowship, information, helpful perspectives and practical resources.
Ideas and resources thus gained will need to be vetted and places through the gifted lives of those ministering in specific, local settings. This is because, although the general objectives, insights, principles and values may be universal, in most instances ‘one size does not fit all’ in terms of how truth is lived and worked out locally, in the actual incarnational setting in which the specific ministries are enjoined.
It follows then, that there is danger in a kind of local franchising of what seems to have ‘worked’ pragmatically elsewhere. In most instances of local mission, the uniqueness of God’s purposes in that context, the openness of people and the subsequent opportunities for response will be key. Inherent also in believers seeking passionately to respond to God’s call will be the need for prayer and for dependence upon the Holy Spirited for His creativity and imagination, for Christians seek both to be faithful to eternal truths and ways as well as to becoming specifically and locally relevant as they seek to do God’s will and to be helpful in the midst of the actual challenges and opportunities at hand.
