For almost seven years now, God has appointed me to be the pastor of a small town church. As a kid, I grew up in a big city and attended a big city church. As you might imagine, my background in the big city did almost nothing to prepare me to lead a church in small town New Mexico. The tension between my past experiences and my current reality has created tremendous opportunities for growth - in me and in the church I lead.
You need to know that the rest of this blog is really going nowhere. I'm not trying to make a point, I won't challenge you to action, and there's probably not much for you to gain from reading on. From this point on I'm going list some observations about leading a church in small town America. Your time is almost certainly better spent checking your Facebook profile, eating some salsa, or washing your cat.
In his book "Transforming Church In Rural America," Shannon O'Dell lists several revelations about pastoring in rural America. I want to share those revelations with you then add some of my own.
What They Never Told Me About Rural Ministry:
- It is the most difficult job on earth.
- Friends will become enemies.
- The people who leave my church are going to be glaring at me in the check out lane at Wal-Mart for the rest of my life.
- I was going to be thrown in the pit.
- A red-hot marriage is a must for being an effective rural pastor.
Those are Shannon's thoughts - he has more but those are the ones I completely agree with.
Here are mine.
What They Never Told Me About Leading A Church In Small Town America:
- Everyone knows everyone. This may seem obvious to those of you raised in a small town but this is a foreign concept and a difficult adjustment for us big city folks.
- Everything you do, say, own, drive, eat, and sometimes think will be scrutinized and criticized. If you are not the real deal you will be found out quickly because there's nowhere to hide.
- Small town people do not easily trust or welcome people from the "outside." We have several folks who worship with us every week who happen to live in the "rival" town just south of us. The separation between the locals and these outsiders is obvious, tangible, and pathetic.
- If you can figure out a way to be trusted and welcomed you will have gained some incredibly loyal friends.
- Some of the most honest, authentic, Godly people I've ever known are small town folks.
- If you don't do the friendly little half-wave (that's where you raise two to three fingers two to three inches off of the steering-wheel) to everyone you pass on the street you will be considered rude and since everyone knows everyone it's a real problem. (Don't make the mistake of raising just one finger off the steering-wheel! Trust me on this one - most of these folks carry guns...)
- God can do BIG things in and through small town folks.
- God has BIG plans and BIG dreams for the small town church.
- Jesus was a small town guy.
I think the thing that has surprised me the most and certainly the thing I was least expecting is the fact that I would come to love this small town and thank God daily for the opportunity to serve Him here.
I told you to wash your cat...
