Pastoring small towns introduces unique challenges for pastors. Here are five areas of help for small-town pastors.
By Pete McMillan
As a small-town pastor, it can be disheartening to finish the last page of a leadership or ministry book only to realize merely a fraction of its content applies to your situation. You most likely have no staff to lead weekly meetings with, and you are the one who gets tasks delegated to you.
I serve in a town that, according to the last census, has a total population of 96. So, I was skeptical that even authors of a book for small-town pastors would truly understand my experience. Do they get it? Is their view of a small town like mine?
In their book Pastoring Small Towns: Help and Hope for Those Ministering in Smaller Places, Ronnie Martin and Donnie Griggs offer not just encouragement but a deep understanding of the isolation and challenges small-town pastors often face. Their empathy shines through as they share stories from their own small-town ministries, making pastors of small towns feel understood and less alone in their experiences.
While the anecdotes are refreshing and comforting, the authors’ deep understanding of the unique challenges faced in suburban and rural ministry provides the wit needed to offer small-town pastors assurance for today and strength for tomorrow. Here are a few summarized areas of help for the small-town pastor:
1. Compassion
There are certainly parallels in any ministry, regardless of size or demographic. Pastors are to feed the flock and fend off wolves. Pastors are to love their people. However, a small town is often primarily seen for its warm charm and rustic beauty.
While there is no need to compare the stresses of inner cities to those of rural towns, Griggs makes an important point, “The lack of any real interfacing with denser populations and faster-paced societies can produce an escalation of anxiety when even ‘smaller’ challenges arise.…In small towns, small things can quickly become big things, which is why small-town pastors would do well to develop a nonanxious presence with their congregations.”
Pastors in a small town must love Jesus and the community of people made in God’s image. They need to cultivate compassion like Jesus had for those who were like sheep without a shepherd. Love and compassion will gradually build trust and reduce anxiety among the people of a small town, which is essential for an effective ministry.
2. Courage
Just as cities require a certain speed of adaptation, small towns can resist change, presenting challenges and opportunities. After my first year in this town, when I thought I was starting to fit in, a neighbor reminded me, “I’ve been here for over 30 years, and I’m still the new guy.” Reluctance to change means a pastor must have the courage to embrace and practice patience.
Patience is not just a virtue; when combined with courage, it brings gifts. Martin explains, “Instead of feeling like everything needs to happen as famously fast as inhumanly possible, we have time to create ideas, make plans, reflect on concepts, and move our people forward with purpose and intentionality.”
With courage and patience, a small-town pastor can utilize the slower pace of small-town life to benefit the ministry. However, courage also involves being a shepherd who protects against wolves in sheep’s clothing and serving as a prophet who warns against idolatry.
3. Character
The authors emphasize the essential character traits required for effective pastoring: wisdom and humility. While these are important for all pastors, small-town pastors face unique challenges. Martin explains, “The greatest companion for a small-town pastor (okay, all pastors) is wisdom, which is the godly application of knowledge.”
He highlights the importance of knowledge and discernment in choosing the tools we use and who we partner with. For instance, social media may be used differently in urban contexts compared to small towns where people may have a different relationship with these platforms. Therefore, pastors in small towns could leverage social media as a redemptive tool.
Additionally, wisdom leads small-town pastors to appreciate the significance of physical community and to be aware of the temptations that come with it. Martin notes in small towns, pastors are known and respected in ways that differ from those in urban areas.
He warns, “As much as we like to criticize celebrity pastors…small-town pastors can pursue a similar celebrity on a smaller, and dare I say, more attainable scale.” Wisdom and humility are crucial characteristics of small-town pastors.
4. Consistency
The most practical chapters of the book cover the themes of faithfulness and multiplying. Griggs addresses the concerns of small-town pastors who may question the value of their ministry due to a perceived lack of impact on social media, published books, or keynote speaking engagements.
He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the reward from Jesus, encouraging us to “Faithfully plod on day after day. Love, lead, and feed the sheep you’ve been given like it’s the most important thing Jesus has called you to do in the church.”
Griggs explains consistent faithfulness benefits pastors by setting a strong example for future leaders in the development process. By fostering a culture of faithfulness and humility, churches can deter power-hungry individuals and create a solid foundation for discipleship and leadership development.
5. Cardio
Our contemporary society often undervalues steadfastness, endurance, and grit, particularly in ministry. Interestingly, both authors wrote a chapter on endurance, and I’m grateful they did.
One of the most hopeful sentences in the book comes from Martin’s chapter on endurance: “For pastors in small towns, the loneliness, isolation, and feelings of insignificance run so deep some days that the only thing we have to give our people is our endurance.” Understanding the race we run, we need endurance and are pushed to prayer, sacrifice, courage, and discernment to finish well.
"For pastors in small towns, the loneliness, isolation, and feelings of insignificance run so deep some days that the only thing we have to give our people is our endurance." — @ronniejmartin in “Pastoring Small Towns” Share on XWatching a Rocky movie can motivate me to train for physical endurance, but Griggs’ final chapter on endurance had a similar spiritual motivating impact. Griggs passionately urges small-town pastors, “We can make it, but here’s the thing – we aren’t going to make it without a fight. Get your dukes up and fight like you want to make it to the end.” As a small-town pastor, remember you’re not alone; never underestimate the power of perseverance.
In Pastoring Small Towns, Martin and Griggs don’t aim to provide groundbreaking advice. Instead, as brothers in less visible areas of ministry, they write from a heartfelt perspective that recognizes the unique challenges pastors face in smaller towns. They aim to remind, equip, and encourage fellow pastors in similar settings. Their encouragement motivates and inspires small-town pastors to keep going, reminding them of the true value and impact of their ministry.
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