wfn.org | [LCMSNews] Reaching rural America with Gospel

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>12.16.2009		
>	LCMS News	 	
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>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod  	 	
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	December 16, 2009 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 106

Conference looks at reaching rural America with the Gospel

>By Roland Lovstad

Rev. Todd Kollbaum admits there were times when he prayed God would send
him a call or derail the effort to build a regional ministry among three
congregations in rural Cole Camp, Mo.

"Time after time, God would remove a stumbling block and I would call my
wife and say 'He did it again!'" said Kollbaum, describing his
experience during a session of the "Reaching Rural America for Christ"
conference, Nov. 5-7 in Nebraska City, Neb.

In formal and informal conversations, the 114 participants from 14
districts and national offices shared similar stories as they sought to
learn about building mission attitudes to share the Gospel of salvation
in Jesus Christ through rural and small-town ministries.

"I have done an extremely good job of getting in the way of rural
small-town ministry and God made it work anyway," Kollbaum told the
audience. He described how he was called from the seminary to serve
Trinity, Cole Camp, in 2004. Soon after, the nearby dual parish of St.
John and Holy Cross asked him to serve their vacancy.

"Since we were involved with a school association, it made sense to
strengthen our partnership," Kollbaum said.

Dr. Ralph Geisler, then a mission and ministry facilitator in the
Missouri District, provided support in developing a regional ministry
among the congregations, all individually proud of histories and
traditions that reached back a century or more.

Saying change is a slow process, the pastor explained how efforts
focused on retaining the congregations' individual identities,
respecting their histories, and dealing with fears that one congregation
would swallow the others. Kollbaum said the ministry recently held a
Reformation Day service attended by more than 100 people from the three
congregations. A second pastor, Rev. Michael Boothby, a spring seminary
graduate, has joined the pastoral partnership.

"It was phenomenal," Kollbaum said. "They aren't losing their individual
ministry: they are enhancing it. It has everything to do with God
working through talented lay leaders."

Kollbaum's ministry is like those encountered by some 3,000 of the 6,142
LCMS congregations that can be classified as rural and small-town
ministries, according to Geisler. He currently serves as director of the
rural and small-town ministry center, located in the Schroeder
Leadership Training Center at Saint Paul's Institute for Education
(SPIFE) in Concordia, Mo. Geisler classifies rural and small-town
ministries as those in towns with populations of less than 15,000 where
the economy may be based in agri-business, forest products, fishing, or
tourism.

SPIFE co-hosted the event with the Rural and Small-town Committee of
LCMS World Mission.

In small communities, interactions are among people who know each other,
"where the safest thing to be is demonstrably average," according to Dr.
Randy Cantrell, a University of Nebraska rural sociologist who discussed
population changes and characteristics of Great Plains communities. He
spoke of the importance of establishing "biographies" -- listening and
understanding the background and histories of the people, as well as
presenting one's own biography.

People who live in rural places are more likely to express contentment
with community, family, local church, and trust of their neighbor, but
they are also likely to say they hate the lack of available services,
Cantrell told the group. If people don't have access to a town of
10,000, there will be population loss, he said.

At the same time, the sociologist said studies of the census in far
western Nebraska found that as much as 30 percent of the population say
they arrived there in the last five years.

Cantrell advised churches to recognize the impact on their volunteers
and how the changes affect the social network. "For leaders in rural
communities, the best they can do is get people together to form
networks," he stated. "If you can get four or five people to discuss
working together, you are changing the social structure."

Often cited at the conference was the estimate that 50 percent of people
in rural and small-town communities are unchurched.

Noting those figures, Rev. Scott Snow, director of outreach with LCMS
World Mission, reported that funding is being developed for a "rural
missionary" who provides resources and build networks with the
districts. Geisler currently serves that role on an interim basis. Snow
also reminded the audience of existing services including "The 72 --
Partners on the Road," formerly known as "Harvesters for Christ," which
offers trained volunteers to work with congregations to develop
evangelism strategies for the community.

The conference also heard from Rev. Dr. Terry Tieman, executive director
of the Transforming Churches Network (TCN) and director of mission
revitalization with LCMS World Mission.

"We're talking about how to transform churches that are focused on
themselves and help them look outward with a focus on sharing Jesus
Christ with their communities," he explained. He reported that more than
300 congregations in 30 LCMS districts are involved in the TCN process,
and he is working with Geisler to tailor the services for rural
ministries.

TCN offers learning communities for pastors to learn leadership skills
and outreach techniques they can share with leaders and members in their
congregations. TCN also offers a weekend consultation that's designed to
help pastors and congregations construct a plan to effectively reach
their communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Congregations may
choose to continue with TCN in a process that brings local coaches and
resources for training.

Rev. Wayne Knollhoff, LCMS director of stewardship, presented
"Consecrated Stewards" and "Stewardship 360" as resources that assist
pastors and lay leaders in congregations. Terry Schmidt, associate
director of schools, presented topics on how congregations can prepare
children and youth as missionaries through Christian education and the
Lutheran schools. In small groups, participants discussed regional
ministries and provided feedback to the conference organizers for future
directions and services.

Following the conference, Geisler said that the LCMS Rural and
Small-town Committee would form three task forces to identify needs and
resources. One will focus on single-point parishes, another will look at
dual and three-point parishes (regional ministries), and a third will
work with congregational leadership training for outreach in the rural
culture.

Geisler added that Bible studies from the conference, as well as a set
of new studies, would be offered on request from the SPIFE Web site (
http://www.spife.org).

"We are sensitive that there is not one way to touch all congregations,
especially those in dual and three-point ministries," he said. "There is
a view that many more congregations will need to come together for
regional ministry. People seem to appreciate that we are forming task
forces and equipping leaders through the districts in order to
strengthen congregations to reach their communities for Christ."

Roland Lovstad is a freelance writer and a member of Immanuel Lutheran
Church, Perryville, Mo.

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If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact
Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org
<mailto:joe.isenhower@lcms.org>  or (314) 996-1231, or Paula Schlueter
Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org <mailto:paula.ross@lcms.org>  or (314)
996-1230.

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