Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Why would we go to serve at a rural church

On September 2nd, Eagle Springs Baptist Church of Eagle Springs, NC voted and extended a call to me to become their new pastor. Lindsey and I have prayed over this and have been praying for years about where the Lord would lead us. We thought he would lead us to France or another European setting. We thought God may keep us in Raleigh. We had sent out hundreds of resumes all over the United States and World. Lindsey is a city girl at heart. I am a very odd mixture of urban and want-to-be country. We thought an urban setting or maybe sub-urban would be a good fit. God, faithful to make better plans and to know what we need, chose to lead us to a town of 2,100 and we are thankful for His guidance. The people of this church could not be more friendly and welcoming. I begin to pastor there full-time Oct. 27th. We move into the parsonage on the 26th of October. I feel humbled, honored, a little nervous, and very excited. Honestly, also a bit overwhelmed by it all. I feel the weight of the role and the responsibility to make disciples, not just a paycheck. I also want to lead my family well through the many changes that the Lord has provided for us. New Church. New Town. New Friends. New House. New Baby. New Job. New Lives. He is faithful and I am trusting Him to perfectly lead me as I seek to imperfectly lead them.

Recently I have been asked by some why we would go to serve at a rural church. Some have made the assumption that we are going there to get experience, that this is a good "first church", and that we will not be there long. Some have looked on this ministry in the rural area with disdain and have questioned we would not go to the urban centers or international setting. I have heard it stated: "The soul of a plow boy is not worth as much as the soul of a delivery boy." Can I tell you that this is abundantly wrong? Here are 4 quick reasons why this idea is wrong.

1. The churches in the urban and rural south (particularly the states within the "Bible Belt") are dying faster than new ones are being planted.Some claim that this is due to pastors feeling "too creative" or "gifted" for rural ministry. Time magazine notes that many churches are closing their doors because they can't support a pastor financially or pastors are unwilling to come. Many pastors are frustrated with historically unchanging churches that are culturally religious, yet spiritually dead. If pastors do not go to these churches, they will die. If there are no churches in an area that was once flooded with them, it is likely that the spiritual heritage of churches like Eagle Springs Baptist Church (111 years old) will die within one generation.

2. The rural southern churches have long held the ropes for the IMB and NAMB. While rural churches are typically not able to give large amounts of money in support, with the average size of SBC churches being around 180, the collection of them make for a hefty portion of the annual contributions to the cooperative program. The SBC was founded by small churches deciding to band together to pool their resources in support of missions. We would do well not forget where we came from.

3. Rural Ministry is Not Second Rate. Jared C. Wilson, along with excellent quotes from Tim Keller truly hits at the heart of this. I particularly loved this quote: "Do not treat these mission fields like training wheels for "real" ministry. If that's the case then you shouldn't be in ministry anywhere." One of the better, convicting, and more encouraging articles I have ever read. I'm thankful for it as I go into my new pastoral role.

4. Most importantly, God doesn't care about accents, but about the salvation of all peoples. God cares about the heart and the heavenly tune lifted from every believer's heart in a time of worship doesn't differentiate accent, but pure love for the Lord. The man in the field is just as important to the Lord as the man with the large purse strings. That is just one of many reasons that he used both in his illustrations on earth. a town without a Starbucks still sells coffee and men and women can listen to the Gospel proclaimed in mud huts, under shady trees, in 111 year old churches as well as large auditoriums. God faithfully leads us where we are to go. It is up to us to be faithful to go where he leads.

We are not perfect in our response to the Lord in this, but we feel within ourselves a desire to be faithful to what the Lord has called us to. We find rest and peace in that. Please pray for us as we endeavor to be faithful and thank Him for His continued provision for our family.