Charlie Cotherman is the Exective Director of the Center for Rural Ministry. He joins us on today's show to discuss the importance of rural ministry and how they are trying to empower rural pastors and ministries. The newest efforts is to help youth pastors ministering to students in rural contexts through something called Affinity groups.
In 2016 Charlie and Aimee moved back to western Pennsylvania with their young family to found Oil City Vineyard Church in Oil City, Pennsylvania. As they sought to put down roots and be good neighbors in the place God had called them, doors began to open for wider influence in an emerging national conversation about rural ministry. One of these open doors was at Grove City College. Since early 2019, Charlie has served on the Project on Rural Ministry team, first as administrative director and then as program director. Throughout this time he has enjoyed having the opportunity to encourage and learn alongside pastors from across the region.
Charlie has written widely about pastoral ministry, the rural church, and church history. He is the author of To Think Christianly: A History of L’Abri, Regent College, and the Christian Study Center Movement (IVP Academic) and a contributing co-editor of Sent to Flourish: A Guide to Planting and Multiplying Churches (IVP Academic).
The Center for Rural Ministry: https://ruralministry.org/
Affinity Groups For Youth Pastors and Workers:
This a twelve month journey of meeting and sharing ministry together. We'll be meeting four times in the coming year on the campus at Grove City College to talk through ministry vision, struggles, resources, issues and strategies. This will be a small group experience, so your in-person presence for our meetings is critical. But, you'll help to set the agenda. It's unlike any other ministry training I'll be doing this year. Here's the link for more info. Check it out ASAP. We're going to try to have our first meeting in late January.
https://ruralministry.org/affinitygroups
