Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement

Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement

A man shares during a meetingMinistry and Mental Well-Being in Rural Communities and Small Towns

Grantee: Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement
Location: Bloomington, IN
Website: https://rural.indiana.edu/focus/health/ministry-mental-well-being.html
Project Contact: Kyla Cox Deckard
Email: knblanke@iu.edu

Who we serve

Indiana University (IU) creates resources for rural congregations of any size and location, with a focus on congregations interested in serving their members and greater community through mental well-being initiatives.

How we support rural congregations and ministry leaders

Marshaling IU’s comprehensive social work, nonprofit, and public health programs, the Center for Rural Engagement and its partners are creating a suite of mental well-being and community collaboration tools. These resources will be designed to meet the initiative’s objective of providing resources or support directly to congregations in rural areas and small towns to help them strengthen their ministries and their role as anchor institutions in their communities.

Resources include:

  • a training certificate program for pastoral leaders and staff on trauma-informed care and strategies to support residents navigating mental health needs,
  • workshops for faith-affiliated colleges and universities that are interested in leveraging the CRE’s successful community-engaged learning model to increase student and faculty involvement in their local communities,
  • comprehensive digital mapping resources to help connect rural churches and their leaders with existing community resources for referrals and ongoing partnership,
  • cohort-based virtual workshops and resources to support parenting needs.

Partners

The Center for Rural Engagement partners with Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative grantees and offers mental well-being resources directly to rural congregations. These resources are developed in collaboration with the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, the School of Social Work, and the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Indiana University Southeast Applied Research and Education Center.

Faith tradition

Indiana University is a secular higher education institution. The Center for Rural Engagement collaborates across denominations and faith traditions, as well as business, nonprofit, and community organizations.

Geographical focus

Resources are available nationwide.

Four people chat after a meeting.