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The word “rural” can bring to mind both bucolic and dilapidated images. But the truth is much more complicated! Discover how churches serve as anchors for small-towns, and new metrics for measuring success in this unique environment.

In the first episode of the Rural Renewal Podcast, you’ll hear from Allen Stanton, an ordained pastor who currently manages a large initiative to expand access to dental care in rural areas and is author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations.

Rural Renewal Podcast is a part of the Rural Renewal Summit, an initiative of Fresh Expressions happening April 21-22. The summit is a two-day digital event exploring new possibilities for small-town Churches. Learn more at freshexpressions.com/ruralrevivalsummit.

Allen Stanton is an ordained pastor in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves in extension ministry, managing a large initiative to expand access to dental care in rural areas for the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Allen is the author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). Allen holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Duke University, and lives with his wife and two daughters in Tennessee.

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Related Resources

Rural Renewal Summit: A Two-Day Digital Event Exploring New Possibilities for Small-Town Churches – April 21 & 22, 2023

Dividing Paradise: Rural Inequality and the Diminishing American Dream by Jennifer Sherman

Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations by Allen Stanton Use RLFANDF30 for 30% off. 

Join our Facebook group: Rural Renewal Podcast Community

Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com

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Jeanette Staats
About the Author

Jeanette Staats

Jeanette has over 20 years of diverse experience in collegiate ministry, specializing in general oversight, staff coaching and development, children's ministry, and discipleship. She holds a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Professional Writing from Virginia Tech and a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies from the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. She also serves on the board for The Ecclesia Network. Jeanette is an avid Hokie fan and rarely misses an opportunity to watch a collegiate sporting event.