Suburban and Rural Congregations:
EMS asks "What are the differences?"

by Laura Lehman Amstutz

A tale of two congregations, both mid-sized, both with pastors who have been there almost the same amount of time, but one is a rural congregation, described as located in the middle of corn and soybean fields, and the other is located in a suburb of Chicago. What are the differences between a rural and suburban congregation? What are their similarities? We spoke to two EMS alumni who helped us answer these questions. Doug King is the pastor at Prairieview Mennonite Church in Flanagan, Ill. and John M. Stoltzfus is associate pastor at Lombard Mennonite Church in Lombard, Ill. Here is what they say about their congregations.

What is unique about ministry in your context?

John- I am not convinced this is unique to a suburban setting, but I have been struck by how the church competes with wide variety of other social networks and organizations for the time and attention of our attendees. Partly because we are such a dispersed congregation, the church community does not function as a primary gathering place throughout the week. At the same time, I am amazed at the commitment our members make to travel from such far distances to be fully engaged in congregational life.

We are also a highly transient congregation as people move in and out of the area largely because of job turnover. This also means that we have few generational families.

Doug- Our congregation is located in the middle of bean and corn fields. We are located between two primary communities, Flanagan & Gridley…but people come to worship from 9 or 10 different towns in the area with some driving 30 minutes or more. Probably the most unique thing about ministry at Prairieview is that the congregation is a relatively new congregation. In 2001 the Flanagan Mennonite Church (General Conference); and the Waldo Mennonite Church (Mennonite Conference) merged together to create Prairieview Mennonite Church. I was the first pastor this new church had. This unique situation brought with it many challenges, but by God’s grace we have made great strides in how we work and worship together!

Where do you spend most of your time in your ministry?

John- It depends on the week. My main responsibilities include youth ministry, preaching, worship leading, small groups, and pastoral care. On the weeks I am preaching or worship leading, a good portion is spent on preparation. Otherwise, administrative and pastoral care duties involving emails and phone calls, along with youth ministry take up most of my time.

Doug- Much of my time is spent preparing for weekly worship services which includes planning the worship and sermon prep. In addition to worship is visitation of the elderly, the hospitalized and the those who are not able to attend worship. I spend a considerable amount of time in prayer for the congregation and the community; I put significant effort into making ecumenical connections with local pastors and churches.

What do you enjoy about your context?

John- I enjoy the variety of people that come through our doors. While there are some who may be described as “cradle Mennonites” there are also a significant percentage of persons who represent a variety of denominational backgrounds. This lends richness to our worship practices and fellowship while at the same time challenging us to be clear about who we are as an Anabaptist Mennonite congregation. The suburban context is ripe for what Mennonites have to offer in a message of Christ-centered discipleship integrating being and doing, along with peacemaking, justice, and community. We have a significant presence in the Wheaton College community and enjoy the resources and student presence it offers.

Doug- We are a small enough community that everyone knows everyone. I appreciate the close knit community that will band together, rise up to meet the needs that exist. For example…the past two years, we have had persons from our congregation who experienced prolonged (months) hospital stays as a result of rare infections. The past two summers we have had fundraisers for these two individuals and these fundraisers were coordinated by all the area churches together.

Another thing I enjoy is the wide array of church background our congregation is made up of. We have many people who are attending that come from the Lutheran tradition. Several from Catholic background as well as Baptist, Methodist, and several “other than Mennonite” backgrounds (this at times can be a challenge).

What challenges does your context bring with it?

John- Challenges include the hectic pace of life and the high cost of living. In addition the high turnover makes it a challenge to maintain continuity and a sense of community. Since many persons move from the area after they retire, we deeply miss their contributions to the life of the church.

Since we are a dispersed congregation, it is a challenge to have significant local community involvement. There is also a growing presence of poverty and homelessness in the suburbs moving out from the inner city.

Doug- The number one challenge for rural congregations is the lack of young adults in the congregation. We are blessed with many young people (Jr. High and High School aged students) but once these students go off to college, they do not return home. There isn’t much work that draws them back home (unless they inherit the family farm – not many students are looking to get into farming, nor can they afford it.) To give you an idea of what I’m talking about – we have 4-5 people attending right now that are between the ages of 22-40 – this results in a lack of babies and young children in the congregation as well. In 6 years, I’ve performed 15 funerals and no weddings.

While this is a challenge, we as a congregation have been challenged to reach out into the community and invite children and adults to consider worship at Prairieview. We do have a vibrant and growing youth ministry (reaching out to students who have had little or no church experience and many of the students we are reaching come from broken/dysfunctional home situations. But we are constantly faced with needing to think beyond ourselves.

The other ministry opportunity that we have is ministering to the elderly.

If you knew someone who was just starting in ministry in your context what advice would you give them?

John- Since we have few opportunities to gather, learn to make every gathering in the life of the church significant. With this in mind, routine church meetings become opportunities for worship, pastoral care, and community building. Get out of the office and meet people in their places of work and home. Become involved in the local community seeking ways to collaborate with other churches in mission. Be clear about the particular vision and core identity of the church while not neglecting the call to be invitational and welcoming to all persons.