A one-of-a-kind study sponsored by Grove City College’s Center for Rural Ministry (CRM) and its research partners provides a deeper understanding of pastors who serve rural and small town churches.
The nationwide survey of more than 1,000 clergy revealed pastors’ motivations, aspirations, and frustrations, as well as providing data about their ministries and churches that those who serve and study rural ministry can use in their work.
While other surveys include these pastors, this is the first that focuses on them and, as a result, provides better and more accurate information.
“As we talk to pastors and other partners, we can have more confidence in saying what is happening across the country and even be more specific about what is happening in certain regions or denominations. We can speak more clearly to common beliefs about the rural church—dispelling some myths, giving nuance, and suggesting areas of need,” CRM Assistant Director Dr. Adam Loretto ’05 said.
The survey was conducted by Lifeway Research, the research division of Lifeway Christian Publishing; sponsored by Grove City College, the Rural Church Institute in Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center, and the Rural Home Missionary Association; and funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
“We are thrilled that this partnership has enabled us to conduct pioneering research into the ministry and felt experiences of rural pastors who can easily be overlooked or underrepresented in national research projects,” CRM Executive Director Dr. Charles E. Cotherman said. “We are hopeful that this is the first of many similar efforts as we seek to better understand and resource pastors who serve within small towns and rural communities."
The survey’s results are varied, and Lifeway’s analysis provides fascinating demographic and denominational details about that variety. “The survey is a reminder that the rural church in the United States is no monolith. There is no one version of the rural church,” Loretto said.
But answers to the top line question about what inspires pastors to serve rural and small town churches, speaks to a near-unanimity. While 80% of respondents said “enjoying the pace of rural life” was a part of the reason, the vast majority – 95% – identified “seeing someone take a step toward Jesus,” followed closely by “seeing the potential to make a difference” and “getting to preach God’s word,” which both polled at 92%.
“The future outlook of most rural pastors for their churches is more positive than past statistics might support. Clearly, pastors in rural areas are putting their confidence in God’s capabilities rather than widespread trends,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
One somewhat surprising finding was that over 70% of the respondents were full-time clergy, earning their income only from the church, with just 3 in 10 serving part-time, bi-vocationally, or as volunteers. This gives most pastors a “great opportunity to focus on the needs of their congregation and community,” Loretto said.
“Of course, we've learned over the years that being bi-vocational is not a mark of defect in a pastor or church and that some of the most missionally engaged and evangelistic pastors are those that draw income from a source other than their church,” he said.
A not-so surprising finding was that 60% of pastors said a challenge they face is developing lay leadership to help with ministry, outreach, and simple church upkeep. “The organism of the modern church, even one with a congregation closer to 50 than 150, requires too much attention to make all the parts of it work effectively under the leadership of one person,” Loretto said.
That reality was behind the founding of the CRM, which is committed to helping rural clergy and their churches thrive. The survey provides more basis for conversations with pastors and lay leaders and more direction to faculty and students working on research and service projects with the CRM.
“For pastors that we work with, it helps us acknowledge them more. We can help them see how they fit in with the picture of what is happening around the country. For faculty of Grove City College, we hope it influences their teaching or inspires some to use this data to start a research project of their own to support a church. For students, we hope it helps shape their vision for what life in a rural church can look like if they are called there vocationally or as lay leaders. And just for those that care about the church in general, we hope it provides some challenge to engage with their local congregations and pray more specifically for pastors,” Loretto said.
The survey also carries some encouraging news. Loretto noted that three quarters of the pastors said they are seeing conversions in their church and 88% said they think their individual churches will be stronger in ten years than they are now. “That's great news and fits with reports of renewed interest in Christianity, particularly among young adults, that we've been hearing about for a couple of years now,” Loretto said.
The study is the subject of a special episode of The Rural Ministry Podcast, featuring Cotherman and Loretto. It is available at youtube.com/@ruralministry. For more the Center for Rural Ministry, visit ruralministry.org.