As I have said before I live in a very small rural town. Now it is quiet around here. But that also means there in not a large influx of people moving to our area. This is great for having a small community that you tend to know most people. But it is not good for growth of the economy or community. Especially for the growth of our church.
You know in your church you talk about how to bring in new members. How to reach out to others in your community. How to grow. Well take that same thought and then place it in a area that has a limited amount of people to draw from. Of course you can see that it makes it that much harder to grow. And even easier for a church to die in 80 years or so. Yes that is the average life span of a church. You did not know that there was lifespans of churches did you. That is why I was so excited when I returned to my home church a few weeks ago for our homecoming. They have been around for 136 years and 100 of that in the same location. Thankfully that church is in an area that is growing in population by leaps and bounds.
But now I am in this small town of 2 miles by 2 miles. The next town of a lil size is over 30 miles away. And large towns are over 100 miles away. Well I do worry (as you may have guessed) on how the churches here can continue. Granny M's church has an 99% elderly congregation. Other than the largest of churches around here, that seems to be the norm. So I was happy to send the book 'Transforming Church in Rural America' with Granny M for her church family to learn from. I love that in this book they can find no-cost solutions for staffing challenges, ways to upgrade worship, and generate teams of volunteers. There are innovative strategies for growth through transformed lives, relevance in meeting needs, and creating active evangelism in your community. Pretty good resources in my opinion. If your in a small town like I am, then this may be the gift for your pastor. Or you can read it and help in ways to transform your own home church. I am thankful that my home church has grown but it is over 100 miles away from me now. And I am a part of a small town and need to think of how I can contribute here in a meaningful way. Hopefully I can be part of the change and not just the status quo. I wish to thank Book Sneeze for sending this book to me. And for allowing me to learn from it as well as pass it on to Granny M's pastor.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this DVD free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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