National Connect Church
Grantee: North Carolina Rural Center
Location: Raleigh, NC
Website: https://www.ncruralcenter.org/national-connect/
Project Contact: Darren L. Crotts
Email: dcrotts@ncruralcenter.org
Who we serve
The National Connect Church HUB Partnership Initiative equips HUB Partners that seek to serve rural and small-town congregations of all denominations with a desire to strengthen relationships with their neighbors and community partners through effective community engagement.
How we support rural congregations and ministry leaders
The project is designed to equip regional HUB Partners to train and coach rural congregations in engaging their communities more deeply. Through in-person workshops and coaching experiences, HUB Partners guide churches while using a dedicated curriculum to identify local strengths and foster collaboration. This train-the-trainer model ensures that ministry leaders and lay teams are empowered to sustain connection and creativity long after the initial training, nurturing a culture of resilience and hope in rural places.
Partners
Partnering with regional HUB Partners through regranted funding to support training, coaching, and contextual implementation in their communities is the model. These HUB Partners act as local experts and trainers, expanding the reach of Connect Church’s tools and cultivating a growing network of leaders who help rural and small-town congregations rediscover their capacity to lead and serve through strong community relationships.
Faith tradition
The National Connect Church HUB Partnership Initiative is interdenominational, welcoming participation from a wide range of Christian traditions. It is open to ecumenical and diverse rural expressions of faith, focusing on equipping local leaders to strengthen community connections rather than advancing any single denominational identity.
Geographical focus
We seek to support a growing network of HUB Partners across rural and small-town communities in the United States. The initiative’s model allows each region to adapt and contextualize the work while honoring the pillars of the Connect Church process, ensuring that every local story and asset helps shape the national impact embodied in each rural Connect Church team.