Matt Stieger

It is no secret that many rural communities are slowly shrinking. Young professionals move away, and an older generation begins to pass away. As the town shrinks, often, so does the church. Does it have to be this way? What causes our kingdom view to get smaller while the town does? From my experience, there […]

Walking into a new job can be exhilarating and exhausting. You have so many hopes and dreams as you are expectant of what God is going to do. With fresh eyes on the scene, it is easy to see everything that you think needs to be fixed. You notice all of the changes you want […]

Imagine if you woke up one day and everyone you saw was walking backward, and every car was driving backward. The insane ridiculousness of this thought is hard to imagine. What a mess! Accidents would be piling up while people tripped around you. Yet, in so many, churches, this is the reality. Why are we […]

As an avid sports fan, I always enjoy it when each sport approaches draft season. Draft season is a time when professional teams assess which young players they can add to their roster to improve their team. Athleticism, talent, attitude, work ethic, and sports IQ are measured and evaluated. Throughout the process, there is one […]

If you drive down the street in just about any town, you are sure to see a church or two or thirty. As you pass each of these buildings marked by stained glass, steeples reaching up to the sky, and a sign out front with Sunday service times, you wonder to yourself, “I wonder who […]

In ministry, there is the constant pressure to wear every hat of every role that people expect you to fulfill. In smaller and rural churches, this can be especially true and exhausting. One day you are the preacher; the next day, you are the plumber. You read, study, write, mow the church grass or clean […]

In a rural church where the pastor feels he should shoulder the needs of so many, it becomes crucial to guard the mind. Ignorance, in many ways, is bliss when you don’t know everyone. I remember growing up in the city and seeing so many people but only connecting with a few. You didn’t know […]

As a leader in a small-town church, you ever wonder if what you’re doing matters? You need these 3 reminders.  You Matter! In a day when everyone is connected, the comparison game is strong. We can see the successes of other people and defeat ourselves. In a rural community, it can become lonely as one […]