Small, Rural Church Preaching

Being a rural preacher it is somewhat different from being in highly populated urban environments in many ways. Most rural congregations are small. When one visits there to deliver the message, there is a sense of "invitation to join our family" that doesn't present itself in larger environments. It is something that those from an urban background sometimes wrestle with.

More than that, you will meet and shake hands with every person there, making a special connection that doesn't quite come about in a large congregation. The folks in these small churches want to know about you, your family, and why you are there. Contrasting that with larger congregations, in these there lacks that personal interaction (perhaps merely due to the numbers). It is something to be missed and yearned for by the big city preacher.

I like the rural preaching assignments. These days I have my own congregation in a rural area and my focus will be more about them than rural preaching at large. Nonetheless, I cannot forget the small church experiences that brought me to where I am today. Today I'm serving ONE congregation. Lord willing, this small rural congregation may grow to be a large rural congregation. But a rural congregation, it will remain.

Brother Marty