I CAME across an interesting study from the Arkleton Institute for Rural Development Research in Aberdeen, Scotland.
A research team there studied the impact of rural churches on Scottish communities. They discovered what many of us know – that “churches play a central role in the religious, cultural, political and social life of many rural communities.”
They found that “ministers were often identified as the only remaining on-site professional that rural people could easily approach for advice or assistance.”
It was the church hall that most often housed community meetings. It was often the church’s rituals, especially weddings and funerals, that brought the community together.
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The authors insisted that sustainable development can’t take place in rural communities unless churches are factored into the research and planning. However, they noted with some dismay that this is generally not the case.
In fact, the sort of research the Arkleton Institute did is relatively unparalleled in Europe. In the last 30 years, for example, the leading European rural sociology journal has published only two articles that have anything to do with religion.
In Canada we’ve followed suit. Substantial federal research money has recently been designated to study rural social life. Yet few of the projects (I’m not aware of any) are looking at the role of churches.
Somehow churches are off-limits. Perhaps they are seen as too “heavenly minded” to be any earthly good. Yet they are key institutions in rural communities.
Churches know how to recruit volunteers and organize projects. They provide gathering space. They celebrate the community’s gifts and bring hope that powers greater than the world market care about their future.
An ad hoc group in Western Canada has decided to do something about it. They want to explore ways in which rural churches are involved with reviving rural communities. A harvest conference is being held at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Sask., on Oct. 13-16, under the theme “Faith Community as Catalyst for Rural Renewal.” More details can be found at www.ruralchurchcanada.net.
People from the Prairies and beyond will be sharing stories of new life in their communities. Trevor Herriot, author of Jacob’s Wound and River in a Dry Land, will tell how spirituality shapes his relationship to the land. I will explore ways in which congregations can help to “de-shame” farm bankruptcy. A marketing group from Earl Grey will share its story. Two panel presentations will tell how media and the arts can be vehicles for rural revitalization.
The Vibrant Rural Churches Project, EarthCare (and a 22 foot, see-the-world-from-the inside globe), Heifer International and the Genesis Land Trust will tell how faith perspectives have opened up new ways of living and working in rural Canada. One group will look at Bible stories through rural eyes, asking questions like “what are 2,000 hogs doing in a community that doesn’t eat pork?.
Lessons from native spirituality, tools for discovering community assets, insights from the Doepker immigration project, some great keynote speakers and much more will round out the conference.
I hope this will be the start of a deeper, more intentional partnership between the churches and communities of rural Canada.
Cam Harder is associate professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Western Producer.
