We know everyone and everyone knows us: a snapshot of rural ministry

Ministry in rural communities throws up a host of problems and possibilities not seen in urban contexts. Here, Western Australian pastor David Juniper reflects on the joys and challenges of 11 years of ministry in the small farming community of Cranbrook, in the south-west of WA.

In April 2001, our shire held its Shire on Show day. The day was an opportunity for businesses and community groups to come together and show their wares and to celebrate the vitality/survival of our community.

Some of those who came from further afield were taken aback when the whole day started at 10am with a combined church service in the middle of the showground. However, the attitude of the locals is, “These people are a part of our community. This is their contribution to our day.”

Now I don't know about you, but I reckon that level of acceptance is priceless. And that sort of opportunity is an example of the most important factor in rural ministry, the factor that is probably the biggest difference between it and city ministry—we know everyone and everyone knows us.

That is not surprising when you look at the statistics. In 2000, Cranbrook Shire had a population of 1,125 people. Of that, Cranbrook town had 275, Tenterden (10km south) 95 and Frankland (46km west) 85. The church we worked at had two centres—Cranbrook church being home to about 90 people and Frankland to 14.

This defining fact of rural ministry—that we know everyone and everyone knows us—has implications for ministry patterns both within and without the church community.

Firstly, there are the implications for church members. The majority of our church members had known each other for more than twenty years, and most were related to other families in the church through marriage or extended family. When one particular family came to Tambellup in 1990 they were new blood; these days they are related to half the church through marriage. Such longterm relationships bring great opportunities—and significant barriers—to ministry.

When they are good, family ties and long-term relationships strengthen the bonds of fellowship. The bonds of love and care, which are cultivated within families and longterm friendships, strengthen and undergird congregational life. We are family. We belong. Of course, this could mean outsiders find it difficult to fit in. However, our experience was that it provides a sense of warmth and community that others found attractive.

Rural and other smaller churches cannot offer the comprehensive programs of larger regional and city churches. What they do have to offer is quality of relationships. Therefore, when family ties are not good, this can threaten to undermine one of a rural church's most important assets

The sheer closeness of relationships in the country can mean there is a fear of addressing issues—we will have to live together for the next forty years, so please don't rock the boat. However, this can also be a great advantage—there is nowhere else to go! We cannot go to the church down the road and so we have to learn to live with one another. That process can lead to a deep and vital congregational life.

Because we know everyone and everyone knows us, our church provides opportunities for people to develop their gifts in an affirming environment. When one of the young blokes started playing his drums in church, what he lacked in ability he made up for with enthusiasm. What made his enthusiasm bearable was that he was one of our kids. How could the older folk in the church object when his grandmother thought it was absolutely wonderful!

Secondly, along with the implications within the church, there are the implications for the outsiders. Several years ago we bought a beige Ford which looked very similar to another car in town. The first Sunday I parked outside the church, someone asked the owners of the other beige Ford what they were doing at the Baptist Church on Sunday!

Positively, because we know everyone and everyone knows us, there are multiple entry points into the lives of those around us. The policeman that I meet when I go down to collect my mail in the morning is the same one who gets me to blow in the bag at 1am on New Year's Eve, the same one at the P&C working bees, the same one who asks me to take part in a ‘Blessing of the Roads’ at Easter, the same one who takes my son for a driving test, the same one whose family comes to our home for a meal and the same one I would take fishing in Albany.

He is also the same one who books several of the young men in our church for driving infringements. His daughters are in my scripture classes at school. His daughter's teacher's aid goes to our church. At Christmas time members of our church will be involved in the service group that runs the Christmas tree for his children. If they come to the carols in the Shire Hall, members of our church will play a prominent part in presenting the program, and on Anzac Day there is a good chance I will be involved in the service.

None of this means he will necessarily become a Christian. But at least one of his predecessors has. And he cannot be a part of this community without being impacted regularly by the ministry of our church.

Negatively, however, there are a number of structures in the Cranbrook community that constrain the way people relate to our church.

The squatter is still mounted on his thoroughbred. Our community has several clearly defined social groups. They consist of private school farmers, public school farmers, service professionals, service workers, permanent labourers, urban refugees, itinerant labourers and welfare recipients.

And Denominationalism is alive and well in the bush. The other churches in our area are not strong, however, denominational ties are still significant. A person may not support the local Anglican church, but they will still identify as Anglican, and to become a Baptist would be a betrayal of their roots.

Men are still men in the bush. The relationships between men and women have changed considerably over the past thirty years; however, gender still has a real and quantifiable impact on response to church activities. The men will often stand outside at funerals; the church is women's space.

These structures are well-established, though we have found opportunities arise with certain groups that do not have the same established patterns of relationships—particularly service professionals and workers and urban refugees. For the other groups, rural churches need to apply the same principles as any church seeking to work cross-culturally.

The church has had a strong ministry to women in the community. In general, women still have more discretionary time available to them than men, and our women have done a good job of reaching out to other women. On the other hand, our men have had to focus on providing low-key events away from ‘sacred’ spaces. What the men do they do well, but we need to do more of it.

Our church has a high profile in the community and many opportunities to bear witness to Christ. There is an opportunity to build trust and a consistency of witness that is unique to rural life.

Apart from the key fact of knowing everyone, there are a number of other key factors in rural ministry. Here are four.

The rural way of being

A recent study pointed out that farmers predominantly have five of a possible fourteen personality types. For instance, one of the characteristics of our farmers is that they often work alone.

If they want to do something, they pull out their chequebook and do it. And so rural ministry has to constantly work at promoting a sense of working together.

The brain drain

Many of the academically or artistically gifted young people go away to study. Those that stay behind are solid and dependable but they may not be the most creative in their thinking.

Although young men still go off to the big city and bring home gifted and talented wives, there is not the inflow of young women (teachers, nurses etc.) that there used to be.

The positive side of this is the encouragement the church gets seeing its young people finding significant avenues for Christian service in urban churches.

Rural outlook

Many communities are in decline. The church may also decline, as the rural population falls. The church will go through a grieving process when long-term families finally pull up stakes. The church may catch the attitude of despair or it may offer a reservoir of purpose. Church leadership needs to be aware of this dynamic and work hard at maintaining a sense of vision and call.

Things can be tough financially. (The figures for taxable income released a few years ago showed the four communities that we drew members from were the lowest in the state.) Ministry may come under financial constraints, with many farmers working very long hours and not enjoying the holidays or financial rewards they once did. Many farming wives work on and off the farm—sometimes just to make ends meet. Country hospitality can be undermined—many people are just too tired to socialize.

Rural pastors

Every church benefits from continuity of pastoral care, but the rural churches even more so. Real ministry within a rural context means becoming one of us, and it takes time to win that level of trust. A long ministry multiplies opportunities for pastoral care, both within and without the congregation.

Pastors working in a rural situation face problems of isolation and insulation. To maintain a long pastorate requires attention to personal growth. Opportunities for personal development are not as convenient, but rural pastors need to make them a priority. And it is easy to just get caught up with the concerns of your own church. We therefore make sure we meet with other pastors in the wider area at least once a term to keep from getting too introspective.

We know everyone and everyone knows us, so ministry families need a place to escape to occasionally so that they can get out of the spotlight.

Occasionally I need to remind myself of something: a rural church is not a stepping stone to a great ministry opportunity—it is a great ministry opportunity. Why? Because we know everyone and everyone knows us.

David Juniper has been a Baptist pastor in country areas for 13 years. He is now one of the pastors of Albany Baptist Church.