Reclaiming Rural (Allen Stanton) -- A Review
RECLAIMING RURAL: Building Thriving Rural Congregations. Alban Institute Book. By Allen T. Stanton. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Co., 2021. Xiii +121 pages.
Perhaps
you are a member of a rural congregation. Perhaps you’re serving the said
congregation as pastor. It might be small, though not all rural congregations
are small. Though we might think they’re small, rural congregations come in all
sizes. If a size is not the determiner, what is? In fact, what makes a rural
congregation rural? Apparently, there isn't a definitive definition of rural,
which makes the conversation about rural congregations complicated. I've never
served a rural congregation, but I have preached at several. None of these
congregations were quite the same. They were mostly small, but maybe as small
as you would think. I remember preaching at a UCC church in Kansas. It was
located about five miles in on a gravel road situated amid cornfields. While
you might think that such a congregation would be near death, but it was
thriving. So, what makes for a thriving rural congregation?
Allen
Stanton has written in Reclaiming Rural a thoughtful book that addresses its very issue. He comes
at this conversation as an ordained United Methodist minister who has served as
pastor of a rural congregation in North Carolina. Currently, he is the
executive director of the Turner Center at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski,
Tennessee. This college is itself located in a rural area and his job is to
help rural congregations engage in community transformation.
Stanton
offers the book as a counternarrative to the belief that rural churches are an
endangered species. He writes that his "central argument is that the rural
church can and should establish a practice of evangelism that seeks to
recognize, cultivate, announce, and invite the wider community to participate
in the Kingdom of God" (p. xi). He challenges two current narratives, one
comes from the right and is exemplified by J. D. Vance's bestselling Hillbilly
Elegy, which focuses on rural decay. That narrative suggests that rural
folks are angry, poor, and uncultured (all of which Vance escaped by going to
an Ivy League school). Then there is the progressive agrarian vision of Wendell
Berry that celebrates the simplicity of rural life. Stanton, for his part, seeks
to offer a more realistic picture that suggests not all rural are the same. For
one thing, not all rural communities are agrarian in nature. Some are home to
major industries. One thing is certain, many rural communities are experiencing
economic challenges, especially regarding the challenges of providing quality
health care when rural hospitals are closing across the country.
What Stanton
wants us to see is that just as not all rural communities are the same, the
same is true for rural churches. Unfortunately, many denominational officials
and church growth experts offer one-size-fits-all solutions to the challenges
faced by these congregations. The problem is that the “best practices” that many
denominational officials and church growth experts offer congregations are
drawn from suburban and urban congregations and do not fit with the realities
of these rural congregations. The advice given to these congregations is often
inappropriate and does more damage than good. One example given is the advice
to create youth groups as the key to growth. The only problem is that the advice
is given to a congregation in an aging community with few youth. Perhaps a
different target would be better, but the denominational officials are certain
that youth groups are the answer. Thus, the congregation fails and falls into
despair. In response, Stanton offers rural congregations a different pathway to
success. He invites them to find within themselves resources and mission that
is appropriate to their situation. The message he wants to get across to these
rural congregations is that they are often one of the most important anchor
institutions in the community. He writes that "the rural congregation is
one of the rare places where people gather frequently, bringing expertise,
passions, and skills in the community." (p. xi). So how does this get
leveraged? Answering that question will help a congregation discern what it
means to be a vital and thriving congregation in that particular context.
Although
this is a rather brief book, Stanton provides a needed word to these
congregations that might prove valuable. He writes as one who has served and
studied these congregations. So, he begins by laying out a brief but different
narrative for rural congregations, helping the reader discern what makes for a rural
community and thus a rural congregation. As noted earlier, it’s a rather
complicated question (chapter 1). Then he moves on to a conversation about what
vitality might look like (chapter 2). In this chapter, he wants to address the
tendency of rural congregations to become so inner-directed that they have a
vision for the large community. While such congregations are often very
relational, and function as one small group, their focus needn't simply be on
themselves. They can, and he believes, should see themselves missionally by
looking outward to their community. To understand the vitality of a rural
congregation, accountability needs to be understood contextually. What is
possible in a particular context? He does have three indicators of vitality.
The first is a clear theological identity. In other words, it's grounded theologically.
It sees itself called by God to a particular ministry. Second, it is committed
to the community, and third, it practices good stewardship—and that is more
than money. It often involves the building and property and how it is used to
minister in the community.
Once he
has defined what it means to be a rural congregation and what vitality might look
like, he moves on in chapter three to discuss reclaiming evangelism. By this,
he doesn't mean door-to-door hard-nosed proclamation, but rather to share in a
variety of ways the good news of God's kingdom. He reminds the reader that
evangelism isn't about adding members to the church. It is focused on the work
of exhibiting the realm of God. Evangelism can and does include the work of
community development. Finally, it does involve inviting the community into the
kingdom of God, even if that doesn't translate into new members.
There
is also a chapter on reclaiming our theological goals. This is important
because for Stanton theology serves as the foundation for discerning vitality.
Here he talks about how the church engages the world, noting the distinctions
made between charity and justice for instance, as well as the question of
whether the church is being with or doing for? All of this reflects our
theological foundations. What does the kingdom of God entail? With this in
mind, in chapter five he speaks of reclaiming practice. In this chapter, he
introduces us to three different congregations (two of which are UMC and one is
Missionary Baptist). He offers them as examples of congregations that are small
and yet vital. They may not look successful for a numeric vantage point but are
successful in the way in which they engage their communities in ministry. They
are those anchor institutions though in different ways.
The
concluding chapter is titled "Reclaiming the Future." Here Stanton
does a bit of visioning. He invites us to use a bit of imagination to consider
what rural ministry might look like. He begins with the question of recruiting
pastors, noting that small rural congregations find it difficult to attract
seminary-trained pastors, in part due to financial constraints. Perhaps a bigger
concern is the fact that rural ministry is often deemed less valuable than
suburban or urban ministry. But he doesn’t just focus on the recruitment of
pastors. He also helps us imagine the potential of rural congregations. That
starts with how we talk about them since there is a tendency to speak
negatively of them with a focus on the problems and the possibilities. He also
speaks of new ways of doing rural ministry and of providing for leadership,
including vocational ministry. The key here is to use one’s imagination to
discern possibilities for rural congregations. Though not all will thrive or
survive, that doesn't mean it's impossible for a rural congregation to thrive.
Reclaiming Rural a
really valuable book. I would suggest that it be read not only by those who
feel the call to rural ministry but perhaps more importantly to those tasked
with leading national and regional denominational bodies. It will be important
for such leaders to understand what rural ministry might look like and can look
like. It probably isn't like a suburban congregation. In fact, every rural
congregation will be a bit different so let's give up on the one-size-fits-all
solutions and encourage congregations to look at themselves and find their way
to embody the kingdom in their communities. In fact, these congregations might have
even more influence in their context than a large suburban congregation. Thus, we
must lift them up as valuable witnesses to God’s realm.
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