An exciting new chapter for Rural Missions

Recently, we have reached a significant moment in the life of Rural Missions as we have held interviews to recruit four new Mission Enablers.

It has been an incredibly encouraging process. We received applications from people across the country, each bringing different experiences, gifts and perspectives. During the interviews, candidates shared their understanding of mission and why they believe it matters. We also explored their experience of churches and communities, their hopes for rural mission and the ways they might support local Christians to help people find and follow Jesus.

Recruiting four Mission Enablers represents a big step of faith for Rural Missions, but it is a step firmly rooted in our vision.
Over the coming years, we want more churches to receive the encouragement, support and practical help they need to become increasingly missional. We know that rural ministry can sometimes feel isolated and that leaders can be stretched across several churches and communities. Yet we also see enormous opportunities. Rural churches are often deeply connected to the places they serve and are wonderfully positioned to demonstrate and share the love of Jesus.

Our growing Mission Enabler team will help us strengthen those churches and relationships across different parts of the country. They will spend time listening to local leaders, offering Tailor Made support, connecting people through Missional Networks and sharing practical resources, training and ideas.

This growth will also help us remain local and relational. We do not want to offer rural churches a one size fits all programme. Every village, market town, church and community is different. Our role is to come alongside people, ask good questions and help them discern what mission could look like in their particular context.

The interviews themselves were full of hope. It was exciting to hear people speak with passion about the local church, rural communities and the difference the gospel can make. Appointing a team is never simply about filling posts. It is about discerning who God may be calling to join us for this next chapter.

There is much more ahead for Rural Missions. We are continuing to develop our work with children, young people and families, expand our Missional Networks, create new resources and training, and build partnerships with churches and organisations across the UK. We also want to ensure that churches in more parts of the country can access support from someone who understands their region and its particular opportunities and challenges.

We are enormously grateful to everyone who is helping to make this growth possible. Every Friend of Rural Missions, supporting church, partner, funder and individual donor is part of this story. Your prayers, encouragement and generosity are enabling us to take these important steps.

If you are excited by what God is doing through Rural Missions, you can join us by making a single gift or by becoming a Friend of Rural Missions and giving monthly. Every gift, whatever its size, helps us come alongside more rural churches, develop practical resources and equip local Christians to share God’s love within their communities. You can find out more and give through the Rural Missions website.

Please pray for us as we complete the recruitment process and make some significant decisions. Pray for wisdom, clarity and sensitivity for everyone involved. Please also pray for those who will be appointed, that they will settle quickly, build strong relationships and bring encouragement to rural churches and leaders.
These are exciting days for Rural Missions. We do not yet know every detail of what lies ahead, but we remain confident in our calling: enabling rural churches in God’s mission and helping them to think and be more missional.

Thank you for being part of the journey.