Flyover Church:
How Jesus' Ministry in Rural Places Is Good News Everywhere
August 13, 2024
The temptation to operate from a scarcity mindset is stronger than ever. The tensions unleashed over the past few years—which led to skepticism, breakdowns of trust, declining church attendance, and uncertainty around community ministry—continue to linger in and among our rural churches. Yet God’s loving, redemptive work is happening in all places, no matter how small or far-flung.
In Flyover Church, Brad Roth, the author of God’s Country, describes how rural ministry shares soul-deep commonalities with the church in every place. And he speaks a hopeful message into the distinct challenges—and promises—faced by rural communities. Tracing Jesus’ ministry and bountiful work among the small-town people and places in the gospel of Mark, this book offers a vision for ministry tailored to rural settings. Pastors and leaders everywhere will be encouraged to approach ministry from the reality of God’s abundance.
The subtitle for this
engaging ministry manual is, “How Jesus’ Ministry In Rural Places Is Good News
For Everyone.” And yes, I did indeed say
“ministry manual.” A disclaimer of sorts
is in order: “Rural ministry is not for the faint of heart.”
According to a 2021 study of
more than 15,000 religious congregations by Faith Communities Today (FACT), 7
in 10 U.S. churches have 100 or fewer weekly worship service attendees.1 And the number of rural churches is growing
in number, if not in size.
Pastor and author Brad Roth
ministers in one such church congregation, in rural central Kansas. He grew up baling hay, tending sheep, and
shearing Christmas trees on a farm in Illinois.
He’s writing from personal experience when he says, “Rurality isn’t a
problem to be solved. Rural is a way of
life, a kind of culture. We’re still
here.”
What sets rural ministry
apart is the communities themselves.
“There are formal responsibilities and contracts and job obligations in
rural communities just like there are in cities and suburbs,” Pastor Brad
writes, “but what really sets rural apart are the informal obligations and
responsibilities that bind people together.”
Pastor Brad feels that
ministry is not “task-based,” but is more “presence-based.” In rural communities, the need to “get to
know the people” is even more crucial than in urban or suburban ministries. “Pastors have to be in, with, and for the
community.” “Showing up” and “staying
put” are important concepts. Loyalty is
not optional.
For Pastor Brad, the message
hasn’t changed. It doesn’t need to be
rebranded. The same gospel, the same methods
that Jesus used to establish His church are the same. But the rural community has its own mentality
which must be understood in order to minister the Gospel effectively.
Using the Gospel of Mark as a
backdrop, Pastor Brad “walks” the reader through the joys and challenges that
are part and parcel of the rural community ministry. Rural ministry avoids typical “measuring
tools” that seem to be the bread and butter of urban and suburban ministry.
As a graduate of Harvard
Divinity School and the Anabaptist Mennonite Seminary, sometimes the author’s
education gets the better of him. But
through it all, Brad Roth’s championing the cause of the rural church is a
refreshing journey through the Flyover Church.
I received this book free of
charge in exchange for my open and honest review.
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