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Allen T. Stanton is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. He currently serves as a consulting fellow with the University of the Ozark’s Thriving in Rural Ministry initiative and as director of strategic initiatives for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Stanton is the author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and The Gift of Small: Embracing Your Church’s Vocation (Fortress Press, 2024).
Pastors in small-membership churches often face frustration when trying to implement change, but these churches also possess unique adaptability. Allen Stanton notes that small churches…
In small-membership churches, spiritual formation thrives when it is intentionally embedded in the community’s life. Allen Stanton writes that while church size doesn’t determine the…
Allen Stanton says rural churches need better indicators of what it means to thrive. He outlines three characteristics of vital rural congregations able to lead…
In this in-depth interview Allen Stanton explains how small congregations can be surprisingly nimble in the face of change and effective in spiritual formation due…
Podcast Episode 166 Do you lead a small church? In this episode Allen Stanton shares how small congregations can be surprisingly nimble in the face…
How can rural churches break free from the false narratives and unrealistic metrics that obscure their potential vitality? Allen Stanton lays out a new vision…
Allen Stanton says rural churches are uniquely positioned to be agents of change within their communities. Most are trusted long-term community stakeholders, and on any…
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.