Rural Advancement

Join us for a two part conversation with Dr. Joe Girdler. Dr. Joe is a published author, current superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Kentucky, and has a lengthy career in ministry. In part 1, we discussed Dr. Joe’s story, some practical ways in which small town pastors can set the atmosphere on a Sunday morning, and how to encourage conversations about the Holy Spirit. In part two we are shifting towards talking about generosity and missions.

You can find links to all of Dr. Joe’s books at joegirdler.com

As always, if you would like to reach out to the show with ideas or feedback, or just for encouragement, contact our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Join us for a two part conversation with Dr. Joe Girdler. Dr. Joe is a published author, current superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Kentucky, and has a lengthy career in ministry. In part 1, we will discuss Dr. Joe’s story, some practical ways in which small town pastors can set the atmosphere on a Sunday morning, and how to encourage conversations about the Holy Spirit. Part two will shift focus to talk about evangelism and generosity.

You can find links to all of Dr. Joe’s books at joegirdler.com

As always, if you would like to reach out to the show with ideas or feedback, or just for encouragement, contact our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Join us this week as we talk rural ministry with Josh Ziefle, Campus Pastor at Northwest University and host of the podcast, Christianity Now, which looks at modern issues facing the contemporary church. We will be discussing challenges, misconceptions, and best practices centered around the rural church.

You can check out the Christianity Now podcast at Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts! If you would like to connect with our host Joe Epley, you can reach out to the show at [email protected]

Join us for  the second of a two part conversation with Pastor Steve McVey, the founder of the Dirt Roads Network. In the first episode Pastor Steve talked about revitalization through the lens of his time as pastor in Lamont, Kansas. This week, we will dive into the resource that is the Dirt Roads Network and talk about the future of the rural church.

You can find more info on the DRN at www.dirtroadsnetwork.com

As always, if you would like to connect with the show for encouragement, or to give ideas or feedback, reach out to our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Join us for a two part conversation with Pastor Steve McVey, the founder of the Dirt Roads Network. In this first episode Pastor Steve talks about revitalization through the lens of his time as pastor in Lamont, Kansas. His story is a great encouragement for all those facing difficult church contexts. Next week, we will dive into the resource that is the Dirt Roads Network and talk about the future of the rural church.

You can find more info on the DRN at www.dirtroadsnetwork.com

As always, if you would like to connect with the show for encouragement, or to give ideas or feedback, reach out to our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Join us as our host Joe Epley walks through highlights from the book Small Church Essentials by Karl Vaters. This book is a great resource for practical tips on leading small town ministry. This book highlights good strategies for church health, and proper metrics to measure success that don’t revolve around the numbers.

You can purchase Small Church Essentials or Karl Vaters’ other books at the links below:

Small Church Essentials

The Grasshopper Myth

De-Sizing the Church

As always if you would like to reach out the show for encouragement, or with feedback and ideas, you can connect with our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Join our host Joe Epley as we dive into a prayer that comes to us from the Catholic tradition. The Litany of Humility is designed to inspire humility in our life as well as a road map to pray God’s blessing on others.

You can read the full litany here.

As always, if you would like to reach out to the show for encouragement, or if you would like to give feedback or ideas, you can contact our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Pastors Dereck and Gail Owen share about their journey in a small town over the course of two decades, highlighting their experience as both youth and lead pastors during that time. Join us today as they unpack topics such as how to lead a growing church when a town is in decline, how to create opportunities for students, and how to discover significance in part 2 of this conversation!

As always, if you would like to reach out to the show with feedback or ideas, or for encouragement, please contact our host Joe Epley at [email protected]

Pastors Dereck and Gail Owen share about their journey in a small town over the course of two decades, highlighting their experience as both youth and lead pastors during that time. Join us today as they unpack topics such as small town best practices for youth ministry, how to walk through the loss of a student, and how to create a congregation that empowers and embraces young people. This week is Part 1 of 2 for this great conversation!

Pastor John Murdoch shares insights on the Holy Spirit, Prayer, and God’s faithfulness through 52 years of ministry. His experience and wisdom in working with youth, lead pastoring, and planting churches created a fun and enriching conversation!

As always, if you would like to connect with the show for encouragement, or to give ideas or feedback, please contact our host Joe Epley at [email protected]