Finding a mission in rural America

Lutheran, The, Oct 2004 by Sevig, Julie B

My friend Andrea's holiday letter gave details about work, children and grandchildren, but this annual greeting also included a description of her congregation's first worship in their new space Sept. 17, 2000. The congregation of 166 managed to build the church-with 70 percent pledged-in an area and at a time when others might not see growth and potential on the plains of South Dakota.

"The part of the kyrie in our Sunday worship liturgy when I get to say, 'For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord,' still makes me feel like crying-tears of joy," she wrote.

When members of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Faulkton, S.D., dedicated their church, Pastor Hoslett wasn't the only one choking up. They knew they were experiencing somewhat of a miracle on the cusp of this new century.

You know these folks, or maybe you're one of them. They aren't so different from anyone else who lives a rural life: in towns once dominated by a grain elevator, or those nestled in New England villages or Pennsylvania hills, among the orchards in the great Northwest or the oilfields of the Southwest.

They're people who love their communities, the land and, yes, their churches. And in some of these places, their churches are merging or closing. The emotions are as diverse as the land itself-from the despair of a lost farm or a closing church, to the joy of a successful building project or a weekly event that attracts many, yes many, youth.

Of the ELCA's nearly 5 million members, 1.7 million live in rural communities. They're the people who Kenneth Inskeep, director of the Department for Research and Evaluation, has said "will be there until the last person turns off the lights" (January 2004, page 32).

Identity, statistics check

For study and statistical reporting, the ELCA defines these communities as:

* Rural farming;

* Rural nonfarming;

* Small city/towns (population 10,000 or less).

Of our nearly 11,000 congregations, 2,450 are in rural farming areas, 625 are in rural nonfarming (where the emphasis is sometimes on recreation), and 2,068 are in small cities or towns. That's 3,075 congregations in rural communities-28 percent of our congregations, Inskeep says.

In those congregations, worship attendance is reported as:

* Fewer than 50 in 1,244 congregations.

* Between 50 to 150 in 1,548.

* Between 150 to 350 in 270.

* Between 350 to 800 in 16 congregations.

The last major study of the ELCA's rural congregations was done in 1996, but Inskeep says the trends haven't changed much. "The rural areas are becoming more rural," he says. "The population is declining."

Rural areas that experience growth, he said, are usually near a metropolitan area, such as Fargo, N.D., or Sioux Falls, S.D. Children continue to leave when they reach 18, Inskeep says, so rural areas are filled with older people who keep getting older. "Doing ministry in those areas means respect and dignity for people who still live there," he says. "It's just hard for them to face [the decline]."

But hope floats

Enter Sandra LaBlanc, director for rural ministry resources and networking in the ELCA Division for Outreach. LaBlanc says "the myth about rural ministry is that churches are closing left and right. The percent that are closing is pretty small."

But it's not a myth that economic difficulties continue. "One-in-five rural children lives in poverty," LaBlanc says. "Twenty-five percent of homeless people are in rural areas. We have some dire and hidden poverty that exists in rural areas."

A current crisis is the drought in Western states, now in its seventh year. The Colorado River is the lowest it's been in years. "Walking on the grass is like walking on potato chips," LaBlanc says.

Another concern is the increasing consolidation of farming. It's not happening as rapidly as in the mid-80s and early 90s, but it is still happening, LaBlanc says.

Suicides, drug and alcohol abuse, and domestic violence are on the rise due to the economic pressures on rural people, she adds.

Immigrant hope

Latino farms are one area of hope, LaBlanc says. These farmers find their niche by growing chilies or raising goats, she adds-not so different from the Scandinavian and German Lutheran immigrants who settled in the United States more than a century ago.

The most recent Census of Agriculture report indicates a 51 percent increase, from 1997 to 2002, in the number of farms operated by Latinos.

"The Spirit is alive and well out there, and we need to tell that story," LaBlanc says.

Rural America is a mission field opportunity, but a challenge, LaBlanc says. A concern, she adds, is that 80 percent of ELCA seminarians are from urban or suburban areas and 70 percent end up in rural and small towns. Many pastors experience culture shock, she says.

Shining star... alliance

More than 100 people from throughout the ELCA gathered June 24-26 in Newberry, S.C., for the first meeting of the Small Town and Rural (STaR) Ministry Alliance. There, affinity groups were formed to address areas of concern.