About LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission

The primary focus of Rural and Small Town Mission (RSTM) is to support congregations in rural and small town settings in the work to which God has called them. RSTM recognizes that, while the work to which God has called congregations is the same, the context in which that work is carried out can be very different—even in rural America.  Specifically, RSTM focuses on assisting:

• Sole Rural Parishes
• Dual and Multi-point Parishes
• Large Rural Parishes
• Leadership training

Sole Parishes

Rural and Small Town Mission supports pastors, professional and lay leaders in sole parishes from rural and small town settings by providing on-going leadership training and connecting them with available resources for a number of ministry areas. Our leadership training and conferences will assist congregational leaders in community engagement and leading change as congregations become aware of changing community demographics. As the work of RSTM continues to expand, there will be additional discussion of issues such as congregations working together in partnership, ethnic outreach in rural and small town settings and congregations with Lutheran day schools. If there is a particular need that your congregations need, please contact Amy at Rural & Small Town Mission at 888-463-5127 or amy.gerdts@lcms.org

Dual and Multi-point Parishes

Rural and Small Town Mission provides encouragement and support for congregations of all sizes, but is especially sensitive to the dynamics of dual and multi-point parishes. We will assist congregations in rural and small town settings by providing ideas and resources for the work in their unique settings. Our leadership training events, conferences and webinars address many of the unique challenges of congregations working partnership. One of the primary components of the "Engaging Rural Communities Events” is a focus on congregations working together for the sake of the kingdom and meeting the needs of the communities in which they exist. As the work of Rural and Small Town Mission continues to expand, our intention is to address such topics as the worker priest model of pastoral ministry and examine various partnership models for multiple congregations working together. If there is a particular need that your congregations need, please contact Amy at Rural and Small Town Mission at 888-463-5127 or amy.gerdts@lcms.org.

Large Rural and Small Town Parishes

Large congregations in rural and small town settings may face similar issues to small rural congregations on one hand and large suburban congregations on the other. At the same time, there are unique challenges that are not shared because of both the size of the congregation and its specific context. Rural and Small Town Mission will provide support for professional and lay leaders in large rural and small town parishes through leadership training and resources specifically for geared for their context. If you have questions about resources or training opportunities for large rural and small town congregations, please contact Amy at Rural and Small Town Mission at 888-463-5127 or amy.gerdts@lcms.org.

About RSTM

Let us go to the small towns....Mark 1:38 - God’s Word®

LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission is based in Concordia, Missouri, but provides training and resources to called and lay leaders throughout the LCMS. In 2011, Rural Regional Mission Partnership retreats were offered in North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Plans are underway for new retreats in 2012 in a number of districts.

Rev. Dr. Lee Hagan serves as the interim director of LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission until a permanent director is called. He succeeds Dr. Ralph Geisler, who led Saint Paul Institute of Education, a ministry of Saint Paul Lutheran High School in Concordia, Missouri, into a partnership with LCMS World Mission to support rural congregations across the LCMS. Under the synodical restructuring approved by the 2010 LCMS Convention, Rural and Small Town Mission became a component of the LCMS Office of National Mission and operates today as a ministry of the LCMS.

Recent years have seen the programs and work expand to allow Rural and Small Town Mission to assist and support more congregations and districts across the Synod. In 2012, the LCMS Office of National Mission plans to call the first full-time director of Rural and Small Town Mission for the LCMS. We hope that the coming months allow RSTM to continue to grow and that Christ, the Lord of the Church would richly bless our "life together.”

If you would like additional information, please contact program coordinator, Amy Gerdts by email at amy.gerdts@lcms.org or by calling 1-888-463-5127.