Topics OLD - Rural Church Coordination Program

FAITH AND LEADERSHIP

Explore what we are learning about rural ministry and the projects that support it

Going beyond just keeping the peace to becoming ambassadors of peace

In the months before the 2024 presidential election, the Purple Church Initiative helped members of hundreds of UMC churches in North Carolina talk with fellow congregants with whom they disagreed.

A food ministry in a tiny, rural town has helped hold a United Methodist church together across denominational divides

Volunteers from a small North Carolina church feed their neighbors each week with a hot meal and companionship in an outsize effort to the community.

At Bethlehem Farm, living creatively and building community

A West Virginia Catholic community based on a working farm shares a commitment to sustainability and support for their neighbors with rotating teams of volunteers.

Rural churches are economic powerhouses for their communities

The outsize economic impact of rural churches on their communities calls for a renewed vision of their importance, according to a two-year study in North Carolina.

Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church works for the environment and for community well-being

For 40 years, a small, rural North Carolina church has played a crucial role in what is now known as the environmental justice movement.

Beyond stigma and shame to recovery and hope in addressing substance-use disorder

Faith coalitions are addressing the opioid crisis by providing resources, connections and a destigmatizing vision.

How an initiative to support rural pastors is saving farmers’ lives

What happens when pastors are challenged to “think like farmers”?

Breaking free of the ‘company gospel’

West Virginia’s identity is inextricably linked to coal. But some congregations in the state are transforming that connection by caring for creation.

Keith Wasserman and Christine D. Pohl: How hospitality and faithful discipleship make for good work

For 40 years, Good Works has served people living in poverty in southeastern Ohio with respect and dignity. In a new book, founder Keith Wasserman and ethicist Christine D. Pohl explore what makes this ministry an authentic expression of Christian life and discipleship.

A North Carolina nonprofit helps churches convert property from liabilities into assets

Leaders of a community development corporation believe that even struggling congregations can survive and thrive if members take stock of their assets and put them to use as resources for their communities.