This October we’re launching the 2026–27 NWC Rural Webinar Series, From Maintenance to Mission: Re-envisioning the Rural Church for a Changing World.
Rural churches are changing—and so are the communities around them. The message and mission of the church remain the same, but the ways we live out that mission may need to change. Simply keeping the church going isn’t the goal. The goal is to move forward in faithful mission, responding to what God is calling us to become as we seek to reach present and future generations.
We’re starting the series with a conversation about our changing ministry context—rapidly changing rural communities, and what those changes mean for how we engage them.
Just as farmers have adapted their methods to changing conditions, rural churches need to rethink how we engage our communities and fulfill our mission. What might it look like to move beyond simply maintaining what we have and find new ways to faithfully engage the communities God has placed us in?
We’re glad to welcome Glenn Daman to lead this conversation. Glenn has served rural churches in Montana, Oregon and Washington and has written extensively on rural and small-church ministry, including seven books. His latest, co-authored with Jeffrey Clark, is “Retooling the Rural Church for the 21st Century” (2026).
Register now and join us on Oct. 22 as we begin the journey from maintenance to mission—and explore what faithful, forward-looking ministry can look like in today’s rural church.