Offered annually

An overview of ministry in the town and country community and church with an emphasis on understanding the varied types of contexts and how each affects pastoral work and strategy. The town and country culture is experienced as well as studied during the class.

Next class: 2027

Pastors in isolated settings find themselves facing a large number of pastoral care issues, some unique to the context, with less help than their suburban and urban counterparts have available. This course looks at some of the stresses town and country life places on pastors and their families as well as those in the church, and explores ways pastors can keep themselves spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy and thereby able to offer pastoral care to others.

Next class: 2028

The oral culture and intimacy of the town and country context present a unique set of circumstances for preaching, evangelism, discipleship, and youth and children’s ministries. This course explores the ways town and country culture impacts and reshapes the common methods and strategies for communicating the Gospel.

Next Class: 2026

A look at how town and country residents think and the spiritual and social tools required to lead them. The course examines the standard issues of church leadership as they apply to the town and country church. It also touches on the role of the pastor as community leader.

Offered individually on-demand

Students in this course will research a topic in Town and Country Ministry and present their findings to the class in a collaborative learning environment. The instructor will suggest topics and offer reading lists, and students may suggest topics of special interest.