Rural church tensions between newcomers and long-term residents
Newcomers and long-term residents of rural communities may misunderstand and disagree with each other. When this happens, the local church suffers.
- This issue examines why agrarians and cosmopolitans sometimes clash and suggests how to ease the friction.
- Leaders can help both cultures understand and value each other’s way of thinking.
- Demographic change can expose cultural differences and create both challenges and opportunities for ministry.
By Barney Wells, Ron Klassen, and Martin Giese
Newcomers and long-term residents of rural communities may misunderstand and disagree with each other. When this happens, the local church suffers.
This issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD examines why the two groups sometimes clash—and suggests how to ease the friction. After the introduction on these pages, you’ll find an extended article examining the differences in perspective usually held by those in these two groups. For the purposes of this discussion. Agrarians are those who have always lived in the country. Cosmopolitans are newcomers moving into rural areas from diverse walks of life.
The articles in this issue are adapted from Leading Through Change: Shepherding the Town and Country Church in a New Era, by Barney Wells, Martin Giese, and Ron Klassen, available from ChurchSmart Resources in St. Charles, Illinois (http://www.churchsmart.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=1116 or 800-253-4276).
Resolving the Tensions (a sidebar)
Leaders who find themselves in the midst of agrarian/cosmopolitan differences would do well to continually remind themselves and their congregation that neither way of thinking is necessarily wrong. Rather, each way of thinking is just different from the other. Each is a reflection of its culture. Leaders can go a long way in diffusing tensions simply by helping each culture understand the other and by helping each value the other’s way of thinking.
Leaders may want to address these differences through informal discussions. Agrarians are more likely to accept newcomers and adapt to some of their ways if, in dialogue, they wrestle with questions like, “Why do you suppose newcomers who visit aren’t staying in our church? How would God view the spiritual needs of these newcomers? What do you suppose he would want us to do to reach them? What will eventually happen to our church if we don’t open our doors to newcomers?”
Similarly, a lot can be gained through informal discussions with cosmopolitans: “Try to put yourself in their shoes. How do you think long-term residents might feel about having newcomers moving in? What kind of attitude would the Bible encourage us to have toward the old timers? What are the characteristics that attracted you to this community?”
In more public contexts, as in Sunday school classes or from the pulpit, it would be good for leaders to help people in the church understand the demographic changes that are happening around them and help people see it is these changes that are exposing cultural differences. Use basic principles from Cultural Anthropology 101: “How do you suppose the [name a missionary family known in your church] had to adapt when they went to Africa? Now that the mission field is moving in here, what might God want us to do to reach these different people for Christ?” There are endless texts to share from God’s Word that can help: texts that encourage us to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), to “become a Jew in order to win Jews” (1 Corinthians 9:20), to do all we can to live at peace with others (Romans 12:18), to have new and flexible wineskins to accommodate new wine (Matthew 9:17), to have the kinds of attitudes that enable us to live in unity with each other (Ephesians 4:2, 3). These kinds of teaching will help people posture themselves differently. Many honestly don’t realize they are wrestling with cultural differences; they think they are defending the faith or dealing with obstinate people.
In communities that are growing, the arrival of newcomers brings its set of challenges. The arrival of newcomers presents new opportunities for ministry. Leaders should be thankful for this new mission field and tackle the challenges with eagerness and wisdom.
But while some communities are growing, others are not. In fact, some are experiencing considerable decline.
