Rural and Small Town Mission

Rural-church leaders invited to ‘Engaging Your Community’

The outreach event sponsored by LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission and the Synod’s Kansas District is planned for March 21 in Nortonville, Kan.

RSTM conference discusses ‘backbone of Church in America’

Conversations center on farming, faith and finances at the LCMS Rural and Small-Town Mission conference, Nov. 6-8 in Kansas City, Mo.

LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission: Engaging Your Community (KFUO interview with Rev. Todd Kollbaum)

Rev. Todd Kollbaum discusses how rural and small town churches can engage their communities.

Registration opens for Rural, Small Town Conference

Congregational leaders from rural and small-town settings are encouraged to attend the Nov. 6-8 conference in Kansas City, Mo.

‘Immersion’ event equips seminarians for rural ministry

Four students from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., participate in LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission’s first “Rural Immersion” event Feb. 25-March 4 at Concordia, Mo.

Kollbaum installed as Rural, Small Town Mission director

“You’re here today because our church has said, ‘We’re not giving up on rural America,’ ” says Missouri District President Rev. Ray Mirly at the installation of the Rev. Todd Kollbaum, new director of Rural and Small Town Mission.

Rural, Small Town Conference set for fall

Registration opens April 1 for the 2013 National LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission Conference, Oct. 31-Nov. 2 in Kansas City, Mo.

Kollbaum named Missouri Synod’s ‘Rural and Small Town Mission’ director

The Rev. Todd E. Kollbaum has accepted the call to serve as director of Rural and Small Town Mission for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). He will begin serving in this role April 1.

Events aim to engage rural congregations

By Roland Lovstad The Rev. Mark Nebel recalls that when he began serving his first call at a small congregation in Southern Illinois, there were no children in the worship services. “The mentality was ‘We’re too old, we’re too small,…

Leaders stress partnerships for rural, small-town ministry

By Roland Lovstad Craig Pankow refuses to accept the notion that his small-town congregation in North Dakota will close for lack of members. In fact, he wants to encourage other rural and small-town churches to visualize outreach as a viable…

Conference looks at reaching rural America with the Gospel

By Roland Lovstad Rev. Todd Kollbaum admits there were times when he prayed God would send him a call or derail the effort to build a regional ministry among three congregations in rural Cole Camp, Mo. “Time after time, God…

‘Catalyst’ to advance rural, small-town ministry

By Roland Lovstad LCMS ministry in rural areas and small towns can be summarized with a couple of 50 percent statistics:  Slightly more than half of the 6,000-plus LCMS congregations are in communities with fewer than 15,000 population, and about…