A BIG GOSPEL IN SMALL PLACES

In this book, Stephen Witmer provides a theological vision for small-town/rural ministry. Arguing that small places are both better than we think (when we write them off as worthless) and worse than we think (when we believe them to be idyllic), the book roots the case for small-town ministry in the nature of the gospel itself. The gospel is the good news of a God who works on big and small scales, at fast and slow speeds, often in ways that display his lavish, inordinate, ‘unstrategic’ love. The gospel itself therefore gives us permission and encouragement to pour ourselves into a small, slow, and unstrategic ministry if that’s the kind of ministry God gives us in order to display his worth.

Read Owen Strachan’s review of this book here.

JAYBER CROW

We’ve got to include at least one Wendell Berry book here! Berry’s many works of fiction and non-fiction explore themes of community, identity, memory, and the land. Berry cherishes an affection for small places that resists sentimentalism and recognizes the ever-present challenges. In this beautiful and moving novel, Berry tells the story of Jayber Crow, who becomes the bachelor-barber of Port William, Kentucky. We witness the development of Jayber’s deep and long belonging to the Port William community.

THE LEFT BEHIND

In this important and very relevant work, Wuthnow details many contemporary threats to rural communities today, including the sense of many rural people that the small-town way of life is being threatened and that they are being left behind. Wuthnow draws on years of research among small-town and rural people in order to help shed light on the growing urban-rural divide in America.

THE FORGOTTEN CHURCH

Reflecting careful research and a lifetime of commitment to rural ministry, and written with clarity and passion, Glenn Daman’s The Forgotten Church occupies an important place in the recent literature on small-town and rural ministry. It provides an informative and inspiring call to remember what has been largely forgotten. Daman’s discussion includes historical perspectives on rural life and on the rural church, as well as a treatment of many contemporary rural struggles and suggestions for how rural ministry can be productive and fruitful.

CHURCH AND COUNTRYSIDE

Perhaps the most relentlessly theological book on rural ministry we’ve read (that’s a compliment!). It’s written by an Englishman, and therefore focuses mainly on the English countryside. Gibson discusses the centrality of community in a rural context and focuses on the ways in which Christians can live from their shared experience of the Eucharist in order to deepen and bless their communities. There’s lots to learn here, even though we don’t agree with everything.

THE COUNTRY PARSON

The famous poet George Herbert left behind prestigious careers at Cambridge University and in Parliament to become a country pastor. In this 17th-century work, he encouraged and exhorted other rural pastors. For hundreds of years, The Country Parson was widely used by pastors, but today it is largely forgotten. We think it deserves to be reclaimed. What comes through most clearly in this work is Herbert’s conviction of the importance and value of rural ministry, his sensitivity to local culture (including ways it can be affirmed and ways in which it must be challenged) and his love for country people.

Read Stephen Witmer’s TGC article on The Country Parson here.

HILLBILLY ELEGY

This book became a run-away New York Times bestseller, and with good reason. J.D. Vance explores the crisis of poor, white America by telling his own story of growing up in the Rust Belt of Ohio and an Appalachian town in Kentucky. It’s a page-turner. Vance’s story is fascinating and his insights into ‘hillbilly’ culture provide an important perspective on many small places in America today.

LOVE BIG, BE WELL

This work of fiction consists of letters from a pastor to his small-town Virginia congregation. Together, the letters provide a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of love, community, friendship, and small-town pastoral ministry. Here is a pastor who is not ashamed of living and ministering in a small place; who in fact sees the great advantages of such a ministry. It’s possible to love big in a small place.

Read Stephen Witmer’s TGC review of this book here.

GOD'S COUNTRY

A beautifully-written, sharply-observed, nuanced, and theologically informed book on rural/small-town ministry. Roth focuses on the various disciplines required for effective rural ministry and makes the case that the Church needs the rural church in order to truly be the Church. The book is bursting with fresh insights and provides much-needed encouragement for those who minister in small places.

WHO WERE THE FIRST CHRISTIANS?

A major work of historical and biblical scholarship that makes for challenging and riveting reading. Robinson tackles (and effectively critiques) the prevailing scholarly consensus that early Christianity was an almost exclusively urban religion for the first three hundred years. He cites clear evidence showing that there was in fact an early rural Christianity (and therefore also likely an early rural Christian mission). This monograph is demanding, but very important. It calls into question some of the claims commonly made by those within evangelicalism who urge the priority of city ministry.

SMALL TOWN MISSION

This is a short, helpful call to live all of life on mission, including life in small towns. Morrow helps Christians to think like missionaries, discusses the importance of prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit, points to ways we can analyze local culture (including the culture of small towns), and calls Christians in small towns to be intentional like a missionary. It’s part book and part workbook, with helpful questions to stir and promote discussion and interaction.

SMALL TOWN JESUS

This is a helpful and impassioned plea not to forget the small places. Written by a highly successful small-town church planter, the book includes a section explaining why small towns matter so much and a section helping those in small towns to do ministry more effectively and missionally. The book is clear and practical, and is the fruit of years of experience in small-town ministry.

SMALL-TOWN AMERICA

An extremely helpful and clearly-written study of small-town America, based on many years of interviews and analysis by a leading Princeton sociologist. Wuthnow is a sympathetic and perceptive listener, even when he disagrees with those whom he’s interviewing. One of the recurring motifs of his study is that often small places and big places are more alike than we may think, but even so, the very fact that we often perceive them to be quite different matters significantly. Wuthnow discusses a wide range of topics, including community spirit, leadership, faith, work and money, and moral sentiments in small towns.

MEMOIRS OF AN ORDINARY PASTOR

A deeply moving account of the life of Tom Carson, a little-known Canadian pastor who labored for years in the Eastern Township region of Quebec. Written by Tom’s well-known son, Don Carson, this is the account of an ordinary pastor greatly used by God. Although he was never famous, Tom was a faithful and fruitful pastor. He read widely, ministered deeply, cared for his wife, shepherded his children, studied the biblical languages, memorized Scripture, and had a vibrant, deepening experience of God and the gospel until the day of his death. He knew real, substantial joy in Christ in the midst of suffering. Here’s a small-place hero we can seek to emulate.

HOLLOWING OUT THE MIDDLE

Two sociologists who moved to Iowa in order to understand the brain drain of young people away from rural areas offer an illuminating account of a major problem for rural America. Various chapters deal perceptively with the categories of young people identified in the study: the Achievers, the Stayers, the Seekers, and the Returners. A concluding chapter addresses the important question, ‘What Can Be Done to Save Small Towns?’