There remains a rest for the people of God. The God who rested from his creative works promises the Christian a future rest. Hold fast and draw near to Jesus. Only for those who do will it be said, they made it home. 

Pastor in a small place or a small church, do not despise the small moments. God cares greatly about the small unseen moments of discipleship. We should too.

Christ is faithful to the house that he himself is building, one redeemed sinner at a time.

When you’re tempted to give up, instead look up to the exalted Christ and see him on his throne (Hebrews 1). And then look beside you, to the Christ who calls you brother.

Jesus is the wow factor in our small-town churches. If we continue to press into our extraordinary Christ, we will find that we can also press on for him.

If a good friend is a hard thing for a man to find, then a good friend in the church is an even harder thing for a pastor to find.

Perhaps rural towns and villages can be thought of as seed beds within which to nurture, grow and prepare people to serve, nourish and enrich the urban environments they may end up living within.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. One way we can do this is to prioritize attending the funerals of church members.

What can a hurt pastor do? How can you stand tall and say “In God I trust…What can a mere mortal do to me?” Get your job assignment from the Book of Job.

We’d like to share and celebrate some of the guiding principles that have, from the beginning, defined and directed us. We hope these principles will continue to remain central to the culture and mission of Small Town Summits.

Small places have unique strengths and opportunities. Lean into the big strengths in small places to see people saved, lives changed, the gospel spread, and God glorified.

For bivocational pastors finding a healthy balance in life where your physical, emotional, and family health is not sidelined is exceptionally difficult and critically needed for a lifelong marathon of faithful ministry.

We need not fear a disease that can kill the body but not the soul. God’s treatment goal for your disease and mine is curative, not palliative.

As we face an uncertain future, let’s fix our hope upon the surety of our God and look for ways to partner with one another in the work that he’s bringing about. And may the Lord of the harvest send more workers for his harvest.

Voices are the primary instrument in the church’s worship. This frees small-town pastors and worship leaders from the burden of musical complexity or even proficiency. The voices of the people simply need to be unleashed.

While the city offers unique discipleship opportunities, small places have unique discipleship opportunities of their own. Here are three discipleship opportunities unique to ministry in small, slow, out-of-the-way places.

A Loving Life helped me to process the book of Ruth in bite-size chapters that explain a small portion of the text, with robust application and illustration for today. Here are three reasons that the biblical lessons from A Loving Life are especially relevant to small-town pastors. 

I pray that the Lord places a big ambition in our hearts to carry out our work in small places in such a way that we are conformed to the image of our Savior.

Our churches should not be working to advance our kingdom and our glory but God’s kingdom and his glory. To do that, we need to work together. We need a “kingdom mindset.”

Fellow small-town pastor, a sabbatical will be good for you and your church.

We can never underestimate the importance and necessity of every believer encouraging unbelievers in Christ

Proclamation and teaching that promotes the gospel of reconciliation and unity calls for our best study, exegesis, self-examination, accountability, prayer, and energy.

The work of supporting those serving Christ in the small places is urgent, but we can’t do it alone. Would you consider partnering with STS financially as we seek to reach and resource small-town pastors, lay people, and churches throughout New England?

We can never underestimate the importance and necessity of every believer encouraging one another in Christ

There is only one Savior and we are not him. But we can join in both the eager pursuit and the eager waiting with trust in his sovereign power.

Books can help young men aspiring to pastoral ministry. But their value pales compared to what can be learned from experienced pastors in local churches. A well thought out pastoral internship stands on these four legs.

Four reasons why one-to-one Bible reading is uniquely suited for ministry in small places.

It’s doable. God gives us the strength and wisdom and energy we need to do the work he’s called us to do. Where better to raise up pastors for New England, than in New England churches?

Know your blueprint. Be ready for the inspection. Honor the occupants. It will take some time–even a lifetime. If you’re being careful how you build, that’s okay.

There is something particularly exhausting about political discipleship. It’s high-stakes. It takes courage. But if the Holy Spirit is in it, he can turn that risk into reward.

The small-town nature of Bethlehem demonstrates the nature of Jesus’s salvation, the nature of Jesus’s rule, and the nature of the King and his Kingdom.

Our entire earthly existence could be understood as a training ground for learning to trust in God. By choosing to trust and obey, we find the secret to joy in the midst of suffering.

If my community—and yours—is going to be impacted by the gospel, we need to review what it is, what it means, and how we share it and teach others to share this good news.

New England will only be reached with the gospel if we have a clear understanding of what the gospel is—and is not.

When these four qualities are part of any church there is great hope for Spirit-led momentum.

Dear twenty-first century friends of the gospel in New England, trust God for the revitalization of their churches by his Word and his Spirit, for his glory.

As a young pastor, I fought the very idea of bi-vocational ministry because I wanted to devote my entire energy and time to the church. I now understand it differently.