Introduction
One of the best books I’ve read on pastoral ministry was The Pastor of Kilsyth. Written by Islay Burns, it describes the life and ministry of his father, W.H. Burns. The publisher’s introduction describes the essence of Burns’ ministry:
What we have here then is the life of an ‘ordinary’ faithful pastor. He held no prestigious pulpit, he held no important professorship in theology. He founded no institution. He simply laboured in relative obscurity, but did so faithfully and with perseverance.
Like Burns, rural ministers must be committed to ministering in the overlooked and under-appreciated towns of American Christianity. Many ministers follow W.H. Burns, ministering in “relative obscurity” to all except the souls he shepherds and the God he serves.
1) Think more about souls than size.
Our church in Marion, Alabama was small because the town was small. We had few employment opportunities and were surrounded by farmland. The Baptist church down the street was the “mega church” with around 150 members. I had plenty of friends serving at larger churches and wondered, “Can we grow? How would we do it?”
Soon after I received the call to be Marion’s pastor, I had the opportunity to take a class on church revitalization with the late Dr. Harry Reeder. I told him that I worried about the size of our church and the possibilities of growth. He replied with a story of a church he spoke at several years earlier. The church had experienced a serious decline over the pastor’s years of ministry. After one of Dr. Reeder’s talks, they were in the pastor’s office when he suddenly broke down. When he came to the church, there were 300 members. Now, twenty years later, they were just above 100. There was no church controversy or issue. The town itself had rapidly declined as the economy shrank. Children didn’t move back home because of that, and the parents would follow their kids to be closer to their grandkids. Dr. Reeder didn’t give him an evangelism campaign plan, an outreach plan, or five steps to grow the church. Instead, he told him to be faithful to the calling he received. Instead of thinking, “Look at how few we are!” Think, “Thank God we’ve got who we’ve got.”
Every soul in a church is valuable and worth the minister’s efforts and love. Those in rural communities with small churches are fighting forces well beyond their control. Don’t envy the size of your friend’s church in a major metropolitan area. The Lord has called you to serve these people. You have an opportunity to know them far better than they would know the pastor of a larger church. Think of souls more than size.
2) Think of the community.
When you pastor in a rural community, think often of the larger community the church is part of. When I got to Marion, the two largest employers were Marion Military Academy and Judson College. Marion Military was a state-affiliated junior college that relied less on the local community for employees and staff. Judson, on the other hand, was a Southern Baptist-affiliated college. It was also the last all-girls Baptist college in America. Our organist taught there for 50 years. We had two members who were graduates. While both schools had a deep history with Marion, Judson’s connection was longer and more significant.
Sadly, in 2021, the school closed permanently. I remember addressing it on the Sunday following their announcement, and one alumnus began crying. We were sad to see Judson close, but we were more sad for the community. It seemed like another sign of a dying town. Nevertheless, there were still opportunities to serve. Every Thanksgiving, two of our elders and several members participated in packing Thanksgiving dinners for those unable to afford one. When small communities like Marion hurt, it is often the churches that step up and comfort the community. That is not an insignificant ministry.
3) Think more of preaching.
When I began searching for a full-time pastoral position, I remember an awkward interview with one church. I shared the size of Marion and how we had no other weekly activities except for Lord’s Day worship every Sunday morning. A woman on the search committee, who I am sure meant well, asked, “How is that even still a church? How does this affect your preaching? Being bi-vocational, do you just sort of wing it every Sunday?” I responded, “I wake up at 4:00 AM every day to work on my Sunday sermon. I usually can get two hours of work done before I have to get ready for my full-time job.” She was slightly shocked but asked, “Do you need to do that?” She couldn’t imagine why I would wake up early and spend time prepping for Sunday when the church was so small. My experience at Marion (combined with Point #1) taught me that all churches—no matter the size—deserve a faithful, well-prepared sermon on the Lord’s Day.
When I appear before the Lord in glory, what will I say to Him about caring for the first flock He gave me if I felt like they weren’t worth the effort? Being in a small church like Marion gave me powerful opportunities I haven’t had in larger churches. In a series through the book of Ephesians. The second sermon included Ephesians 1:4, “even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” I wanted to drive home the power in this verse that God, before the foundation of the world, chose us, so I called out each congregant by name: “He chose Jonathan, Whitney, Ulman, Miss. Avery, Miss. Jean, Mark, Col. Berry, and Dr. Betty.” I wanted them to know that the God of the universe loved them and called them to himself. Even recently I heard from a former member that they still remember that moment of that particular sermon.
4) Think of the past.
Most small churches, though not all, have been around for a long time. In Warrior Presbytery, the first presbytery I served in, the majority of our churches were founded between 1824 and 1850. One church even prided itself on bullet holes near the steeple left over from the Civil War. At Marion, we had a historical room. The walls were covered with photos of her ministers throughout her history. From her first Pastor in 1832 to me in 2022.
Sometimes I would enjoy a nice Lord’s Day afternoon reading through the minutes dating back to 1856 and seeing the names of two families at Marion represented in the minutes from the 1860s. I frequently worked the history of Marion into sermons to connect our past to our present. For my final sermon in Marion, with much anxiety about this church, I reminded the saints of their past. A past that saw genuine revival after the Civil War and had sent dozens of members into the ministry. Our church was built by those who came before us, and we continue to honor their legacy by faithfully attending Lord’s Day services and ministering to our neighbors.
5) Think of the Sacraments.
I owe my ordination call to Marion due to the doctrine of the Sacraments. One of those families who had been on the rolls since the 1860s wanted to have a new grandchild baptized in the church. I informed them I could not do the baptism because I was only licensed to preach at that time. The matriarch of the family forcefully, but warmly, replied, “Well, how do we change that?”
Marion struggled to regularly receive the Lord’s Supper. Sometimes months went by when they did not receive the Lord’s Supper due to their inability to get an ordained minister to serve them. The Sacraments were times of wonderful church unity as we gathered at the table. They became moments of great joy and hope. We did not have many young families, so when a child was born whom we could baptize, the church was full of excitement and joy in God’s faithfulness to the parents and the church. The Sacraments become a wonderful time for the church to see God’s love for them in the water and at the table.
6) Think of the presbytery.
When you serve in a small church, you realize the blessing of Presbytery for ministers. It is usually the only time you can connect with other ministers in your region. It becomes more than a court or business meeting. It becomes your church where you hear the Word preached, receive the sacraments, and fellowship with the brethren. You need presbytery if you are to survive in a rural, solo pastor position. If you are bi-vocational, it is worth taking the day off to make sure you’re there.
7) Think of prayer.
It is easier to pray for a small congregation than a larger one. I could easily work through our congregation in one sitting. Further, because you know them better, you are able to pray more specifically for their needs. This is one area I wish I had applied myself to earlier in ministry, especially during the worship service. When the pastor prays for the congregation in worship, he is actively shepherding the congregation. He is not merely praying for their needs, though that is necessary, but instructing them on how to commune with God.
Pray earnestly for their sanctification, for the salvation of the lost, for evangelism, and for faithfulness. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). While this uniquely describes the work of Christ in saving sinners, it also provides a model for ministry. In prayer, your flock hears your voice. They know that you not only know them but care for them. This will result in a greater willingness to follow you. Does your flock hear your heart in your time of public prayer? Show them you know them by praying earnestly for them.
8) Think of the Shepherd.
Remember that you are a sheep. The Great Shepherd of the sheep has entrusted you with the responsibility of caring for other sheep. This is not a light task, no matter the size of the congregation. However, it is easy to get distracted and focus on tasks, sermons, problems, etc. Keep your thoughts on your Shepherd, who has saved you, called you, equipped you, and will sustain you in your task.
