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THE RURAL CHURCH: A CORNERSTONE OF THE COMMUNITY
by Jason L. Jenkins
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In the past 50 years, a number of changes have taken place in rural communities. Wal-Marts have replaced local five-and-dimes, schools have consolidated and corporate agriculture has displaced the family farm. But through it all, the rural church has remained, and according to researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, its importance as an institution that serves the community will continue to grow.
MU rural sociologists first conducted a survey of about 500 rural churches in 99 Missouri townships in 1952. Their purpose at the time was to find ways to modernize the rural church. Since then, the survey has been repeated about every 15 years, and each has focused on challenges facing rural churches in Missouri and nationwide.
The most recent survey, funded by a $347,881 grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., a private philanthropic foundation that provides funding for the study of religion, focused on the viability of the rural church in a changing landscape. For the first time, the MU Department of Rural Sociology partnered with the Missouri School of Religion-Center for Rural Ministry to complete the project.
"What the surveys have shown so far is that there is no one model of success," said Lynne Isaacson, the project's coordinator. "But, we have found that the majority of rural churches are doing better than expected."
Isaacson also said that the church's provision of social services in some areas has increased the institution's importance to the community. "In some poorer townships, the church is called upon to provide a number of services because there are no other community institutions," she said. "Many times, the church is called on to provide health care, a food pantry and transportation for its members as well as the community."
The rural church has its challenges though. "Because many rural congregations are small, it is difficult to afford a full-time minister, but that is the dominant model," said Jere Gilles, the project's coordinator and an associate professor of rural sociology at MU. "The supply and preparation of ministers and reliance on an aging population seem to be some of the greatest challenges to Missouri's rural churches."
Researchers found a considerable difference between small churches in rural areas and small churches in urban areas. "In urban areas, churches have two choices: get bigger or fade away," Gilles said. "But in rural areas, it's OK to be small; being small is not an indicator of being in trouble. Small churches may be more fragile, but they are not any less successful."
Even in areas with declining populations, the latest survey has found that there are stable or growing churches. They show that nearly 40 percent of churches are growing in townships that are decreasing in population. Only one-third of churches in declining townships are declining themselves, and in growing townships, the number of declining churches is one in six.
In addition to the original survey format, the project has incorporated a case study for the first time. "Researchers have been sent to six selected townships where unique circumstances exist," Isaacson said. "They will spend three to four months learning how religious life impacts the changes that are taking place. These case studies will allow us a better understanding of the role that the church plays."
Gilles and Isaacson said the study will be finished by September, with final results available by the end of the year. Authors are writing two books based on the findings of the survey: one for ministers and the faith community, and one for an academic audience. Additional information about the rural church study can be accessed from the Missouri School of Religion-Center for Rural Ministry's Web site at www.msr-crm.org.
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