Rural Church Institute

Books

Rural Titles

Dynamics of Small Town Ministry

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Big dreams in small places: Church planting in smaller communities

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Big Dreams in a Small Town

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A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters

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Additional Rural Titles

Church and Countryside: Insights from Rural Theology by Tim Gibson

Church Out Here: Insights from Small Town Churches edited by Will Basham, Olivia Meade, and Jason Cook

Country Parson: His Character and Rule of Holy Life by George Herbert

The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America by Glenn Daman

God-shaped Mission: Theological and Practical Perspectives from the Rural Church by Alan Smith

God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church by Brad Roth

The Lord’s Harvest And The Rural Church: A New Look at Ministry in the Agri-Culture by Kent Hunter

Maximize! Leveraging the Strengths of Your Small Church

No Little Places: The Untapped Potential of the Small-Town Church by Ron Klassen & John Koessler

Old Time Religion: Healthy Churches in Rural Places by Jason Cook

Ordinary Faithfulness by Olivia Meade

Recognizing Rural Ministry: Moving from Anecdotal Assumptions to Data Derived Opportunities by Carl P. Greene

Reflections of a Small Town Pastor: Engaging in God’s Mission in Smaller Places by Lee J. Smith

Replanting Rural Churches: God’s Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere By Matt Henslee, Kyle Bueermann, and Mark Clifton

Re-shaping Rural Ministry: A Theological and Practical Handbook by Jill Hopkins

Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America by Jon Sanders

Rural Congregational Studies: A Guide for Good Shepherds by Shannon Jung and Mary Agria

Rural Evangelism: Catching the Vision  by Kevin Ruffcorn

Rural Ministry: The Shape of the Renewal to Come by Shannon Jung

The Rural Pastor: Then Things I Wish I had Known Before I Began Rural Ministry by H. Andy Wiebe

Rural Revival: Growing Churches in Shrinking Communities by W. Scott Moore

Rural Youth Ministry: Expanded Second Edition 2nd Edition by Brent Lacy

Small Town Jesus: Taking the gospel mission seriously in seemingly unimportant places by Donnie Griggs

Small Town Mission: A Guide for Mission-Driven Communities by Aaron Morrow

Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O’Dell

Who were the First Christians: Dismantling the Urban Thesis by Thomas A. Robinson

Small Church

The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us

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Inside the Small Church

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The Big Small Church Book

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The Bible, Live: A Basic Guide for Preachers and Teachers in Small Churches

Buy

Secular

Journal of Research in Rural Education

Visit

The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Small-Town America

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Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America

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The Encyclopedia of Rural America

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Biography/Fiction/Other

Parables of a Country Parson: Heartwarming Stories of Christian Faith and Life William E. Barton (Author), Garth Rosell (Editor), Stan Flewelling (Editor)

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Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery by Richard Lischer

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Moving To A Small Town: A Guidebook To Moving From Urban To Rural America by Wanda Urbanska and Frank Levering

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Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson by D.A. Carson

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If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now: Why We Traded the Commuting Life for a Little House on the Prairie by Christopher Ingraham

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Other Organizations Book Lists

Glenn Daman’s Bibliography

RHMA Book Recommendations

Small Church Leadership Network

Small Church Leadership Network 2

PCA List

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