Ebook: Practicing Care in Rural Congregations and Communities

Pastoral care in rural communities is different from care in other locales. Despite these differences, rural churches and communities also hold a particular wisdom from which the rest of the church might benefit. Small towns and rural areas have particular challenges, and in seeking to live out the Christian life in the midst of those, local churches have unique and useful insights into what it means to care for one another.

Reviews:
"Hoeft, Jung, and Marshall address care in the diverse, changing, and challenging contexts of rural congregations and communities. The authors maintain that rural congregations have insights about care which can inform the entire Church, as pastors and leaders in rural congregations care not only for members of the congregations, but entire communities in which the congregations are located. This book is an excellent resource for those who have served in rural contexts for a time as well as those new to service in rural contexts." --Alvin Luedke, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

"Drawing on sociological, theological and pastoral resources, this insightful and integrative book is an important addition to the discipline of pastoral care. It accomplishes a dual purpose—providing astute proposals about the practice of ministry in rural contexts while at the same time offering significant insights for the more general theory and practice of pastoral care, gleaned from the complex dynamics of rural ministry. It is a very valuable read for all seminary students and pastors." --Christie Cozad Neuger, United Theolgical Seminary of the Twin Cities

"A talented trio of academicians team up with their practical wisdom and personal ties to rural congregations. The fertile theological understandings of life on the farm come not only from this team of scholars but from town and country churches. Who better knows the liturgy of the seasons, communal care in the absence of multiple specialists, and the healing and transformative attachment to God's earth and to a place on the land? If our image of farm life has been shaped by Grant Wood's famous painting called ‘American Gothic,’ the image will now be reshaped by Jung, Hoeft, and Marshall's new ‘American Rural Classic!&rsquo:" --Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Perkins School of Theology

About the Author
Jeanne Hoeft is associate professor of pastoral care at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri.

L. Shannon Jung is Franklin and Louise Cole Professor of Town and Country Ministries at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri.

Joretta Marshall is professor of pastoral theology and pastoral care and counseling at Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, Texas.