What's Happening in Rural Iowa with Shane Rothlisberger

In this episode, Mark sits down with his friend and fellow pastor Shane Rothlisberger to tell the story of how the Acreage Church, a church plant in northeast Iowa, came to life in the most unexpected way. What began with a sick father, a family in need of community, and a living room livestream became something neither of them saw coming. Shane and Mark also discuss the spiritual state of rural Iowa and why it matters deeply for the future of the gospel.Episode Highlights00:26 — Introducing Shane Rothlisberger, pastor of the Acreage Church01:39 — How a family crisis and a move to northeast Iowa set everything in motion02:33 — Streaming Cornerstone from a living room03:17 — Wrestling with whether to call it what it was: a church plant04:26 — A moment in John 21 and Shane's calling to shepherd this flock05:33 — Cornerstone's role as the sending church for the Acreage06:00 — What a typical Sunday looks like at the Acreage Church today07:17 — Using Cornerstone's teaching series, one week behind, and how Shane contextualizes it09:31 — The spiritual landscape of rural Iowa: overchurched but unreached, and how that's shifted11:06 — A generational turnover: from cultural Christianity to irrelevance13:22 — The decline of mainline denominational churches in rural communities15:16 — Faithful pastors in rural Iowa stretched thin across multiple congregations16:13 — Easter at the Acreage: 175 people, four baptisms, and lives changed17:26 — Running out of room, and what a glorious problem that is18:28 — What Cornerstone is praying about next: rural church planting as a growing vision19:16 — "We didn't even pray for this", and what that stirs up for what God might do intentionally20:00 — A call to pray for rural Iowa and the harvest waiting thereResourcesCornerstone Sermons: Listen OnlineAsk Mark a Question!Suggest a topic or question for Mark to discuss on a future episode of the Equip Podcast!