Using a mix of theological reflection, sociological analysis, case studies and personal experience, this book explores ways forward for mission in a rural context in both traditional and fresh expressions of church. It offers insights into issues facing rural England and explores the nature of mission with reference to the rural situation.

Rural Mission is written to help Christians see the specific nuance of carrying out the Great Commission in a rural setting. This book provides some practical tips about the beautiful simplicity of rural ministry. Doing simple ministry to reach simple folks in your rural setting will help you reach the lost in your town as well as start new discipleship ministries. The advice is deeply practical and applicable for pastors, church planters, and any Christian who is serious about reaching folks in a small town or rural setting.Religious undertones and the warm hospitality of many rural places make them easy places for ministry, primed for the gospel. We just need to get to work at this rural mission. And it can't just be preachers. It needs to be all of us.Rural places lend themselves to isolated cultures and each of those cultures need biblically rooted missional strategies. Every unique subculture presents a variation of ministry strategy, but at the root of every missional strategy should lie biblical principles, centered on an unchanging gospel.The roots and remnants of religion that still remain in many rural places create some of the most wonderful opportunities for ministry. But these opportunities are quickly disappearing. Today's generation must be won to Christ before religious traditionalism and false Christian identity take many to hell.

As rural America continues to undergo massive economic and demographic shifts, rural churches are uniquely positioned to provide community leadership. Leading a rural congregation requires a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these communities, as well as a strong theological and community-focused identity. Allen T. Stanton describes how in establishing this identity, rural leaders build a meaningful and vital ministry. Reclaiming Rural explores the myths and realities of rural places, and how those common narratives impact the leadership of rural churches. Ultimately, rural congregations must practice a contextual understanding of vitality, which understands both the strengths and challenges of leading in a rural setting. Arguing for a practice of evangelism imbued with this mission of vitality, Reclaiming Rural promotes the church as a leader in economic and community development, modeled upon a Wesleyan theology of grace. Acknowledging the many challenges facing rural churches, this book is an energetic and encouraging guide to overcoming social and economic obstacles to build a thriving congregation.

Forty-seven early houses of worship from all areas of the state. Nearly three hundred stunning color photographs capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their surrounding grounds and cemeteries.

God has plans for Nowhere, USA. You might be surprised to learn that God has great plans for Nowhere, USA; population you, your family, a few people, and scores of cattle. As you surrender to Him, remain faithful to proclaim His Word, and maintain earnest prayer on your church's behalf, you can play a pivotal role in advancing the Kingdom. Maybe you have just been called to a town like that, maybe you are still wondering where you will serve, or maybe, just maybe you want to step out of your comfort zone and into the long-forgotten communities of rural America. If that's you, this book is for you.

Booklist Editors’ Choice “Best Books of 2019” An intimate portrait of the joys and hardships of rural life, as one man searches for community, equality, and tradition in Appalachia Charles D. Thompson, Jr. was born in southwestern Virginia into an extended family of small farmers. Yet as he came of age he witnessed the demise of every farm in his family. Over the course of his own life of farming, rural education, organizing, and activism, the stories of his home place have been his constant inspiration, helping him identify with the losses of others and to fight against injustices. In Going Over Home, Thompson shares revelations and reflections, from cattle auctions with his grandfather to community gardens in the coal camps of eastern Kentucky, racial disparities of white and Black landownership in the South to recent work with migrant farm workers from Latin America. In this heartfelt first-person narrative, Thompson unpacks our country’s agricultural myths and addresses the history of racism and wealth inequality and how they have come to bear on our nation’s rural places and their people.