🌳6 Ministry Mistakes Village Pastors Make
(and how to fix them)
Read Time: 4 minutes
I’ve been in village ministry for 6 years. I’ve learnt a lot… and made many mistakes!
What are some big mistakes that village pastors make? And how do we fix them?
Read on…
🤦♂️MISTAKE #1: Copycatting big churches
We’ve all done it. You see this amazing idea that Big Church™ does and try it in your area.
And it tanks.
Why?
Christians didn't want to invite friends: It may have been relevant in Big Church™ but it seems odd here.
You didn't have the resources to pull it off: Perhaps if you had great musicians, inspiring speakers or gifted designers you could have done it. But you don’t.
It was irrelevant to your community: What works with millennial professionals may not work for your elderly neighbours.
🔨FIX: Share ideas with similar churches
The more you talk to other rural churches, the more you see what works for them.
They might tell you they tried Great Idea™ and it didn't work.
Or they might give you a fantastic new idea you'd never have thought of.
🤦♂️MISTAKE #2: Short Timescales
Village churches are like acorns. From a tiny beginning, they can grow into great sturdy trees.
But it takes time.
Too many pastors are looking for quick wins. When they don't see growth, they assume the village is dead and move on.
🔨FIX: Keep at it!
Because village populations are often static, you will gain more from long term wins rather than short term pushes.
Old youth group members will come running back as adults in a crisis.
You'll never see those opportunities if you don't commit for the long term.
🤦♂️MISTAKE #3: Drive-In Church
Imagine you are a dog-walker in a rural village. You walk past Hobbiton Baptist Church every Sunday morning. The car park is full. But you've never spoken to a single one of them.
How would you feel about the church?
The danger is we create a “drive-in” church, where the village is used as a base and nothing more. If people in the village don’t know who you are, why would they come to your church?
🔨FIX: Keep at it!
Obviously, Christians in rural areas will drive to get to a good church. But make sure the village knows who the people in those cars are:
Be at community events: Is there a village fete? Set up a stall. Do the schools do assemblies? Be there. Whatever small thing there is, make the most of it.
Put on events that benefit the village: Often there is a lack of activities for families. Why not put on a kids event during half term?
Start a village newsletter to put faces to the cars: Our church puts out a quarterly village newsletter where Christians share their testimony (as well as other things). This is great to personalise the church.
Ask local Christians what works: Inevitably not everyone will live in the village. But those who do may have a better sense what works.
🤦♂️MISTAKE #4: Sunday Christians
Imagine a local person goes to a Christmas carol event.
They bump into "Moody Susie" their next door neighbour who always complains about something. If she goes to this church, the neighbour doesn't want anything to do with it
🔨FIX: Everyday Christians
Preachers need to talk about how to be a Christian every day. We need to love our neighbours, family and friends. We need to be a light in the world
If we do this, the previous experience can be flipped. Many will come to church because a Christian is their best friend. “If they're so kind, maybe Jesus isn't so bad.”
Or they might come to a one-off event, say a Fireworks party. When they see that the friendly person they talk to walking the dog is a Christian, it can make clear church is a great place to be.
🤦♂️MISTAKE #5: Pragmatism not Prayer
Let's be frank: the odds are against you in a village.
You'll have:
Small church
Small resources
Small pool of people to reach.
No amount of ingenuity is ever going to overcome those disadvantages.
So what do you do?
🔨FIX: Make Prayer the #1 Strategy
While a mere human can't do this, God can!
Too often we over look our greatest asset: God is on our side.
Pray to God. Make prayer the #1 strategy. Let him get the glory.
And you will see him work in ways you never imagined.
🤦♂️MISTAKE #6: Everyone welcome... (except on Sunday morning)
Have you ever walked into a village pub and instantly realised only regulars are welcome?
Many churches can be like that. They say “Everyone Welcome” on the sign but they speak as if all the people in the room have been a member for forty years.
🔨FIX: Expect Newcomers
Welcoming newcomers isn't about watering down the offence of the gospel. But rather it's showing newcomers they are welcome:
Welcome from the front every service: Tell people your name, where they can take kids, that it’s good to see them. Do this even if no visitors are there! You are showing church members that visitors are expected and always welcome.
Explain things newcomers wouldn't understand: This could be theological concepts in the sermon. But it could be as simple as coffee after the service.
Sharing the gospel (even when non-Christians aren't there yet): Not every sermon needs to be 100% evangelistic. At the same time, if you are consistently preaching sermons which explain the gospel, Christians will feel they could bring friends any Sunday. That is exactly what you want.
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