Rural Ministry is marginalised, report warns
A major new report on resourcing and training in the rural church published by Christian charity the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) has uncovered widespread denominational failures to affirm and support rural churches and ministers.
The report, based on 18 months of ecumenical research, warns of church leaders marginalising rural ministry, failing to value their rural churches and undervaluing these churches’ contributions to the wider ministry of the church.
Rural ministers are denied crucial rural training and resources because of an absence of resources, a ‘one size fits all’ attitude from training providers or genuine problems in accessing training or information.
‘Resourcing and Training for the Rural Church: mapping the experience of contemporary practitioners and churchgoers’ comes out of the ARC’s 3 year Rural Life and Faith project. The work aims to overhaul national resourcing and training in rural mission and ministry, strengthening lay and ordained rural church practitioners.
Rural practitioners have welcomed the report. Glyn Evans, Rural Officer for the Diocese of Oxford said: ‘This report is brilliant. Although I have been saying as much about rural contextual training for years it is both affirming and more powerful coming from a national body after an extensive evidence based survey. I hope people take note.’
Canon Dr Jill Hopkinson, the National Rural Officer for the Church of England said: ‘The findings and conclusions from this research provide real impetus for the strengthening of the mission and ministry of lay people and clergy in the rural church. New resources based on some of the gaps in provision have been provided with more new materials planned to help meet many major needs.’
The ARC is already acting on some of the report’s eleven key findings by providing new online resources such as a ‘library of rural good practice’. Several training tools are in preparation: including for local rural church evangelism, mission and community engagement (especially involving lay people), and an online information hub related to all aspects of the maintenance, adaptation, use and community involvement of rural church buildings.
‘Resourcing and Training for the Rural Church’ is available free on the ARC website: www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/mission-and-ministry/improving-training-and-...
For more information please contact:
Simon Martin, Training & Resources Officer: 024 7685 3068 / simonm@arthurrankcentre.org.uk
You can find pictures on the ARC photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurrankcentre
Arthur Rank Centre is a charity supported by the National Churches and the Rank Foundation, which supports rural churches and their communities through a programme of community and social projects, resourcing and training; website: www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
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Click to download the Full Report as a PDF
Click to download the Executive Summary as a PDF
Click to download the Key Findings as a PDF