PODCAST · religion
Rural Advancement
by Rural Advancment
Rural Advancement's mission is to provide resources to equip pastors and churches to reach their communities with fresh approaches for sharing the good news of a loving Lord. Provide resources for existing rural churches and identify, equip, and deploy 10,000 leaders for the rural church.
Episodes
-
Revitalization: Do’s, Dont’s, and Practical Tips with Sam Rainer
Join us today as host Joe Epley interviews Sam Rainer, rural pastor and author, on the topic of revitalization. In this interview Sam breaks down what it takes to build a revitalization culture, talks about the right attitudes and mindsets in relation to a rural church, and ultimately provides…
more -
Rural Resource: The Church Revitalization Checklist by Sam Rainer
Join our host Joe Epley as we dive into another rural resource. The Church Revitalization Checklist by Sam Rainer is an incredibly practical guide to the ins and outs of bringing a congregation back to health. On today’s episode, Joe flips through the pages covering topics of culture, practical...
-
Hospitality, Addiction Ministry, and Finding God in Tough Times with Dave Phillips
Join Pastor Dave Phillips as he recounts his journey through multiple rural church settings, highlighting the importance of hospitality, practical thoughts on doing addiction ministry well, and what to do when tough times come. His wisdom and experience speak very well to the issues rural pastors...
-
Rural Resource: Recognizing Rural Ministry by Carl Greene
Join our host Joe Epley as we dive into the resource Recognizing Rural Ministry: Moving From Anecdotal Assumptions to Data Derived Opportunities by Carl P. Greene. This book makes a compelling case for looking at an older demographic of people as a source for real rural growth, instead of…
more -
Pastoring Transient Populations, Church Planting, and Preaching Schedules with Sheldon McGorman
Join Pastor Sheldon McGorman as we talk about what to do when a large part of the population of the small town you pastor is made up of transient workers. His insights on hospitality, community engagement, and salvation are encouraging. He also speaks about days off, the importance of preaching...
-
Rural Resource: The Homilies of John Chrysostom
Join our host Joe Epley as we dive into a resource written 300 years after the resurrection of Jesus! In the recorded Homilies of John Chrysostom, bishop of one of the largest cities of the time, are insights and admonitions that speak indisputably to the presence and importance of the rural…
more -
Churchplanting, Board Dynamics, and the Power of Prayer with Drew Becker
Join us this week as we talk to Pastor Drew Becker about his time as a church planter, and best practices related to it. He also covers the power of prayer and fasting, as well as the dynamics of church boards, and how to navigate them! As always, if you would like to reach out to the show for...
-
Ordinary Faithfulness by Olivia Meade
This week, join our host Joe Epley as he pulls insights from the book Ordinary Faithfulness by Olivia Meade. She talks of the importance of worship, discipleship, and mission in the mundane and ordinary places we live. She really emphasizes the importance of finding God in our everyday lives. As...
-
Persistence, Potential, and Public Spaces with Jonathan McDaniel
Join us this week on Rural Advancement as we interview Pastor Jonathan McDaniel! Tune in as he shares insights on the importance of persistence, what it takes to see God’s potential in people, and the importance of allowing the community to use the church facilities! As always, if you would like…
more -
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters
Join us this week on the podcast as discuss another resource. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker talks about the importance of putting intentional thought into our “get togethers”. Often times, getting together and having fellowship can be the life blood of a rural church, and our host Joe…
more -
The Heart of a Pastor with Stephen Schaible
Stephen Schaible has spent his entire ministry career pastoring or helping others pastor. His heart is to love people and build relationships with them. Tune in to this conversation today to be encouraged in living pastorally and relationally! As always, if you would like to reach out to the show...
-
A Big Gospel in Small Places: Should I Pastor in a Small Town?
Join us this week as host Joe Epley dives into Stephen Witmer’s book A Big Gospel in Small Places. Together, we’ll explore standout insights on the beauty and complexity of small-town life, rethink what true fruitfulness in ministry looks like, and wrestle with the compelling question: “Should...
-
Resilience in Rural Ministry with Winston Titus
Join us this week for an interview with Pastor Winston Titus, who grew up in, and eventually pastored in, the state of North Dakota. Pastor Winston talks about his insights from growing rural, pastoring rural, and eventually helping others to pastor in rural places as well. He has a heart that...
-
Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church: A Thought on Revitalization
Join our host Joe Epley as we look at the book Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church by Michael Beck and Tyler Kleeberger. This book is an accessible guide to revitalization, full of practical tips, good culture, and real time examples that equip a pastor and their team in a healthy way. As…
more -
Fall Update: Heading in a New Direction!
Join host Joe Epley as we talk about a slight shift in the direction of the podcast. Our goal is to continue to provide great content, great interviews, and great resources, but to move to a format that works better for our host even as life gets crowded! Stay tuned to hear some new episodes in...
-
Summer Reflections 2025
Join our host Joe Epley as he shares brief thoughts on the Summer, highlighting the need to take advantage of God’s “interruptions” to our normal rhythms in order to sense His direction for our lives. This episode will mark the beginning of our summer break, and we will return with regular…
more -
Stewardship, Marriage, and Pastoral Care with Randy McPherson
Randy McPherson is a Christian businessman, an ordained minister, and grew up in a ministry household. He has found his calling in stewarding God’s resources as well as caring for and coming alongside pastors as they do the work of vocational ministry. Tune in today for his insights. As always…
more -
A Personal Reflection on Church Health with Joe Epley (Karl Vaters Part 3)
Join host Joe Epley as he takes some of the principles of church health found in the works of pastor and author Karl Vaters and shares how they have applied in his life. Join him as he speaks of the struggles of measuring success apart from numbers. You can check out Karl Vaters works at...
-
De-Sizing the Church Part 2 with Karl Vaters
Join us as we have a discussion with Pastor and Author Karl Vaters. In the second part of this episode, we will discuss how to measure success in the church apart from numbers, how to create healthy churches, and how we as leaders can focus on discipleship in the midst of doing church. Pastor...
-
De-Sizing The Church Part 1 with Karl Vaters
Join us as we have a discussion with Pastor and Author Karl Vaters. Over the next two weeks, we will discuss how to measure success in the church apart from numbers, how to create healthy churches, and how we as leaders can focus on discipleship in the midst of doing church. Pastor Karl’s books,...
-
Evangelism, Generosity, and Pentecost Part 2 with Joe Girdler
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…
more -
Evangelism, Generosity, and Pentecost Part 1 with Dr. Joe Girdler
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...
-
Christianity Now Interview with Josh Ziefle
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…
more -
The Dirt Roads Network Part 2 with Steve McVey
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…
more -
The Dirt Roads Network Part 1 with Steve McVey
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...
-
Rural Resource: Small Church Essentials by Karl Vaters
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...
-
The Litany of Humility with Joe Epley
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...
-
Leading a Youth-Friendly Church Part 2 with Dereck and Gail Owen
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...
-
Leading a Youth-Friendly Church Part 1 with Dereck and Gail Owen
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...
-
Prayer, Revitalization, and the Faithfulness of God with John Murdoch
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…
more -
Rural Youth Ministry: Next Gen Leaders Podcast Interview
This week we get a chance to listen in on a conversation between Holly Davis and Julie Pratt, hosts of the Next Gen Leader Podcast and employees of the national office of the Assemblies of God, and our host Joe Epley as we discuss principles of effective rural youth ministry! You can check out…
more -
Handling Ministry Transition Part 2 with Bill Lanes
Pastor Bill Lanes is passionate about walking through pastoral transition. Last week we began a conversation around the topics of how to handle pastoral change as a minister, as a congregation, and as believers in general. Tune in this week to hear the final conclusions! If you would like to…
more -
Handling Ministry Transition Part 1 with Bill Lanes
Pastor Bill Lanes is passionate about walking through pastoral transition. Join us over the next two weeks as we discuss how to handle pastoral change as a minister, as a congregation, and as believers in general. If you would like to access some resources for conflict resolution click here! As...
-
Pastor the Town and You’ll Pastor the Church Part 2 with Nick Rogers
Pastor Nick Rogers jumps on Rural Advancement to share his experience in small town ministry. In two parts, we will cover everything from community and economic development, the importance of county museums, church reputation, ministry transition, and benevolence. Tune in this week to hear the...
-
Pastor the Town and You’ll Pastor the Church Part 1 with Nick Rogers
Pastor Nick Rogers jumps on Rural Advancement to share his experience in small town ministry. In two parts, we will cover everything from community and economic development, the importance of county museums, church reputation, ministry transition, and benevolence. Tune in this week and next for...
-
Churches Working Together with Andy Addis
Pastor Andy Addis is the pastor of a rural multisite church in Kansas and the host of a podcast called The Rural Pastor Podcast. Join pastor Andy and host Joe Epley as they discuss what it looks like to collaborate with other churches in small town settings. Also, check out Pastor Andy’s podcast…
more -
New Year’s Reflection 2025
Join our host Joe Epley as we look back at 2024 and reflect on how to apply wisdom to our lives. Hopefully you are inspired and encouraged to continue pastoring in your rural context. As always, if you would like to reach out to the show for encouragement, or with feedback or ideas, please…
more -
When Rural and Urban Collide with Dr. Martin Giese Part 2
Pastor and Dr. Martin Giese has spent 40 years in rural pastoral ministry, and has served the last 8 years as the president of Oak Hills Christian College. Dr. Martin has a passion for helping rural pastors understand the ways in which different cultures affect the rural church. Tune in today to...
-
When Rural and Urban Collide with Dr. Martin Giese Part 1
Pastor and Dr. Martin Giese has spent 40 years in rural pastoral ministry, and has served the last 8 years as the president of Oak Hills Christian College. Dr. Martin has a passion for helping rural pastors understand the ways in which different cultures affect the rural church. Tune in today to...
-
Moving to Rural, The Call of God, and Working Through Trauma with Keith and Samantha Jones Part 2
Join us today as Keith and Samantha Jones talk through the second part of a conversation on what it is like to move to rural setting. They will also highlight the biblical and practical outworkings of following the call of God, and ultimately Samantha will share on her book God and Trauma: The...
-
Moving to Rural, The Call of God, and Working through Trauma with Keith and Samantha Jones Part 1
Join us today as Keith and Samantha Jones talk through the first part of a conversation on what it is like to move to rural setting. They will also highlight the biblical and practical outworkings of following the call of God, and ultimately Samantha will share on her book God and Trauma: The...
-
Statistics, Sunday School, and Church Health with Mike Clarensau Part 2
Pastor Mike Clarensau has had a diverse ministry career, serving as pastor, Sunday school director, church health director, church consultant, and statistician. Tune in this week and check out last weeks episode to hear insights from his ministry journey! As always, if you would like to reach out...
-
Statistics, Sunday School, and Church Health with Mike Clarensau Part 1
Pastor Mike Clarensau has had a diverse ministry career, serving as pastor, sunday school director, church health director, church consultant, and statistician. Tune in this week and next week to hear insights from his ministry journey! As always, if you would like to reach out to the show for...
-
Serving Well, Men’s Ministry, and Book Recommendations with Austin Epperson
Pastor Austin Epperson talks about rural ministry, highlighting how to have an effective men’s ministry, the importance of having serving as a foundation, and some of his favorite book recommendations! Tune in! As always, if you would like to reach out to the show for encouragement, or with ideas...
-
Church Systems and Why They Matter with Anthony Caiola
Pastor Anthony Caiola has a passion for creating church systems that work! Tools and systems that help the church thrive are a key building block for a healthy church. Anthony especially cares about seeing rural contexts integrate healthy church systems that can empower them to do effective...
-
Rural Resource: Flyover Church by Brad Roth Part 2
This week is part 2 of our discussion of the book Flyover Church by Brad Roth. This book is yet another insightful take on rural ministry, arming pastors and leaders with both the right mindsets and practical tools to continue doing rural ministry well. Today we will hear from the author as he...
-
Rural Resource: Flyover Church by Brad Roth Part 1
This week and the next we will be discussing the book Flyover Church by Brad Roth. This book is yet another insightful take on rural ministry, arming pastors and leaders with both the right mindsets and practical tools to continue doing rural ministry well. Today begins with reflections on the…
more -
Fervency, Self Pity, and Spiritual Warfare with Tim Rust
Pastor Tim Rust has sent 50 years in business and ministry learning many good lessons through the low seasons of frustration and spiritual warfare. He currently pastors in Nebraska and runs the Nebraska Cowboy Churches Association. As referenced in this episode, here are links to both of the…
more -
Leadership Development, Boundaries, and Best Buy with Tony Vietti
Pastor Tony Vietti talks in this episode about healthy culture, developing leaders well, and adjusting to the pace of rural life as someone coming in from the outside. Pulling from a long tenure at Best Buy and his own spiritual journey, tune in to hear some awesome insights! As always, if you...
-
Walmart, Team Ministry, and Grandma’s House with Andrew Jergenson
Pastor Andrew Jergenson started his career within the structure of the Walmart corporation and has since transitioned to pastoring. Tune in today to hear how these two worlds have influenced one another as pastor Andrew shares insights on culture, team building, and church hospitality. As always,...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Rural Advancement's mission is to provide resources to equip pastors and churches to reach their communities with fresh approaches for sharing the good news of a loving Lord. Provide resources for existing rural churches and identify, equip, and deploy 10,000 leaders for the rural church.
HOSTED BY
Rural Advancment
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Rural Advancement have?
Rural Advancement currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Rural Advancement about?
Rural Advancement's mission is to provide resources to equip pastors and churches to reach their communities with fresh approaches for sharing the good news of a loving Lord. Provide resources for existing rural churches and identify, equip, and deploy 10,000 leaders for the rural church.
How often does Rural Advancement release new episodes?
Rural Advancement has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Rural Advancement?
You can listen to Rural Advancement on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Rural Advancement?
Rural Advancement is created and hosted by Rural Advancment.
URL copied to clipboard!