Rural Ministry Track
Rural ministry is a rich and rewarding ministry which is typically deeply embedded in place: from remote coastal locations to fenland or upland villages; from deep and remote rural locations to market towns to small villages and hamlets. There are unique opportunities for mission as communities can be open to the importance of churches in community life, holding the story of the place, and in many rural villages, the only public space is the church, making it an important community resource. However, there are challenges which come with sparse populations and thinly spread teams and other resources for churches, and multiple congregations or parishes sharing one paid minister, with reliance on voluntary ministry of lay people and retired clergy. Rural ministry can feel isolating, and so this track aims to bring us together to support and inspire one another.
The Rural Ministry Track is open to all St Hild Students, whether you are taking accredited modules, studying internally or auditing. You do not have to take the Rural Ministry modules, but they are available to all St Hild students at any of our Centres.
It is open to those training formally for lay or ordained Baptist or Anglican ministry, but also to independent students who are engaged in ministry in their local church of any denomination. Most will be located in Rural churches already, although some may want to join because they are considering whether God is calling them to Rural ministry in the future.
The Track meets five times a year on a Tuesday evening on Zoom. We will hear from inspiring speakers who are engaged in Rural ministry or Rural community life. In the second half we will meet in small groups to share the joys and challenges we are experiencing in our Rural ministry, and to pray for one another.
Each year, there will be a Rural Mission and Ministry module at either level 4 and 5 or at level 6 and 7 (on an alternating basis). The modules will be offered both as fully online (10 Thursday evenings on Zoom) and as Lincoln centre modules (6 Thursday evenings on Zoom plus 2 Saturdays in person in Lincoln).
The Track, both Tuesday evening sessions and modules, aims to provide those in or considering Rural ministry with tools to enable them to understand Rural communities and equip them with ideas for different approaches to mission which they can try out in their contexts. Students are encouraged to share what they are finding helpful, and things they are struggling with, and to support one another as we grow in this wonderful ministry