I think many of us church planters and pastors have been rightly impacted by the necessity for us to see our town as a mission field just as significant as anywhere else. We are grateful to pastors and thinkers like Ed Stetzer, Tim Keller and others for this mindset. These faithful leaders have caused our…

Many of us ministering in small towns are surrounded by devastation and despair. My state, West Virginia, is leaving a legacy of alcoholism, depression and heroin addiction. [Source] Sound like where you are at? What will it take for the Gospel to leave a greater legacy in our towns than despair and devastation? Church planters have…

My great grandfather started churches in small towns in the early 20th century. He had a third grade education and somehow managed to pull off one semester of bible college on top of that. He was found out by the school and consequently kicked out of college, but not before being exhorted to pursue great…

In chapter three of Small Town Jesus we look at “Small Towns, Big Mission”, which talks about the current brokenness in small towns. This is something I continue to find more and more as I travel and speak with church planters in rural areas. Recently, while in West Virginia, a church planter there told me…

One of my favorite movies of all time is Tombstone. In my favorite scene, Doc Holliday goes to fight Johnny Ringo and a startled Ringo says, “I didn’t think you had it in you!” Then, Doc Holliday famously replies, “I’m your huckleberry.” The saying is slang for, “I’m the man you’re looking for.” Here at smalltownjesus.com we…

When a missionary is sent to take the gospel to bear fruit in remote villages across the globe, people get excited. In fact, when a pastor is sent to a tiny town internationally: We applaud that pastor We resource that pastor We speak of their tremendous courage and faith We celebrate them However, typically when…

Or…. Small Town Problems are Gospel Opportunities Small Towns can have big problems. While many small towns have a myriad of ideal qualities, it’s easy for locals to become anxious about what’s not working. This personally happened to me after high school. I became cynical and sinful tending to see the worst in my area rather…

Ed Stetzer’s blog on Christianity Today’s website is often filled with photos of marquees with bizarre attempts by churches at being relevant or catchy. You can Google search, “funny church signs” and waste hours laughing at other people’s mistakes, or crying because your church marquee is one of the ones highlighted. Here’s the thing: all of those marquees are…

I spent the first few years of our church plant in my small town trying to meet with people the same way I did when I was on staff at a church in urban/suburban Southern California. I scheduled meetings at coffee shops and at the church office. I met with people weekly for months and…