The Rural Ministry Podcast

What makes for a healthy church? Kaitlyn Wood is the Director of Church Health & Flourish Movement with ECO, and works with many local pastors and churches to help answer this question.  https://ruralministry.org/

What does it look like to be a pastor of pastors? Bill Sukolsky is a retired Presbyterian pastor, and now serves as Pastor Liaison at the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College. Listen in as he shares his heart and fulfills his retirement call to serve his fellow rural pastors. "A Pastor to Pastors" Short Film 

What does it look like for churches and denominations to care for their pastors? Hear from Joel Seymour, Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA, a national leadership role focused on developing and supporting regional structures, training, and equipping local pastors.

Looking to connect your church to a local college campus? Hear from Eric Fehr, Assistant Dean of Student Life & Learning at Grove City College, as he offers practical insights into making lasting connections with college students.  https://ruralministry.org/

What are the long-term fruits of student engagement with rural churches? Becky Montoro, a Grove City alumna and former student-intern through the Center for Rural Ministry, joins Pastor Wade Henderson of Living Faith Church, to discuss the long-term impact of student engagement in the flourishing of small-town congregations. https://ruralministry.org/ https://livingfaithpa.com/

A group of Grove City College students talks about the impact of their mission trip over spring break, ministering to several rural churches in western Pennsylvania and western New York. 

Pastor Calvin Cook of Kane Community Church offers a thoughtful look into his ongoing collaboration with the CRM and Grove City College students. Listen in as he discusses the profound impact of mentoring these students and the shared growth experienced over the past several years. https://youtu.be/FgkvZE0gQfE https://ruralministry.org/

Glenn Daman is the co-editor of "The God of Small Places", a brand new book that aims to develop a vibrant theological vision for rural ministry. https://www.amazon.com/God-Small-Places-Institute-Resource/dp/B0GPTBPMG3

Looking for a mentor? Listen to Charlie share some advice based on his own personal experience over the past several decades... it may not be as complicated as you think! Home - The Center for Rural Ministry

How can we lead well and instill leadership qualities in others? Scott Sunquist is the President of Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is also a mentor of our very own, Charlie Cotherman, Executive Director here at the Center for Rural Ministry. https://ruralministry.org/ https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00BBFY8UQ

What are some of the ways we can identify and develop leaders in a rural church? Hear from both a pastor and a lay leader about what works... and what doesn't. https://research.lifeway.com/2026/01/07/developing-leaders-in-a-rural-church/ https://www.gallup.com/analytics/697370/unlocking-local-leadership.aspx https://vineyardusa.org/vineyard-leadership-essentials/ https://www.espn.com/college-footb...

What does it look like to raise up leaders in rural churches? Who better to ask than someone who's doing this work every day with local pastors? Steve Donaldson is the Founder of Rural Compassion. https://www.ruralcompassion.org https://ruralministry.org/

New data on the rural church was conducted by Lifeway Research, in a collaborative project from the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College, The Rural Church Institute at Wheaton College, and the Rural Home Missionary Association. https://www.rhma.org https://wheatonbillygraham.com/rural-church-institute/ https://ruralministry.org

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." - John 1:14 On the Incarnation: https://www.amazon.com/Incarnation-Saint-Athanasius-Popular-Patristics/dp/0881414271 Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ: https://a.co/d/4Cumg7S Waiting on the Word: https://a.co/d/b30D9kN

What does it look like to revitalize the local church? Join our discussion with Steve McVey, rural pastor and founder of Dirt Roads Network. https://youtu.be/GRQ3vynvmlg Dirt Roads Network https://ruralministry.org/

Building partnerships in your community can be valuable to God's mission for your church. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOENNIHrfH4 https://bbcf.org https://venangochamber.org

What does it look like to do real ministry in your local community? Listen to our conversation with Pastor Mark Sentell as he offers some practical insights. https://youtu.be/GGTwkSGBL7Q https://ruralministry.org/the-garage-how-one-small-church-is-repairing-cars-building-community https://ruralministry.org/cars-kids-crisis-and-construction-contextualized-rural-ministry

Optimistic new data was released today by Lifeway Research, in a collaborative project from the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College, The Rural Church Institute at Wheaton College, and REMA. Hear some of our initial impressions! https://wheatonbillygraham.com/rural-church-institute/ www.ruralministry.org

God's mission has utilized two structures throughout history to further the Kingdom.  www.ruralministry.org

Our ability to pay real attention- to both God and people- can make or break our ministry in small places. Three Mile an Hour God (Kosuke Koyama) www.ruralministry.org

Rural ministry is beautiful... and its limitations have the potential to hold tremendous value. C.S. Lewis "The Great Divorce" www.ruralministry.org

Ministry is hard... especially in a rural context. How do we further the kingdom in our communities with limited resources? www.ruralministry.org

Is bigger always better? How has this mindset come to dominate our culture (as well as our churches)? It's possible that God has put you in a small place for a reason, so how can we listen for that call? www.ruralministry.org