Some random jottings
For / from a conversation on ‘Inspirational Breakfast
with Michael Fanstone’
on Premier Christian Radio (Fri 30th
Jan 2026 - 7:30am ish to 8am)
a Rural Dean to talk about rural ministry through
storms, literal and figurative
https://www.premier.plus/inspirational-breakfast-with-michael-fanstone/audio-series/clips/audio-items/the-storms-and-challenges-of-rural-churches
C of E vocab: Rural Dean
are called Area Deans in some diocese (not always rural)
Cf. Dean of the Cathedral
A deanery is the unit
between a parish or benefice and the diocese
So our diocese of
Chichester basically covers Sussex and is made up of 21 deaneries
Our deanery of Dallington
– 12 clergy – 23 church buildings
Government definition by
population destiny
Semi-rural
Rural
Deeply rural
Connected rural / isolated
rural
A large town or city next
door or not?
Storm
Road flooded and closed
Electricity went off very
briefly
Church boiler room had to
be bailed out
FB groups and WhatsApp
groups pinging away about the driving conditions
My little car was fine –
someone with a Landrover did kindly offer me a lift if I needed it
Townies
Excited by pheasants in
the garden or spotting a deer
Peacock on the roof
A very beautiful place
we’re privileged to live in
Kipling was right about
Sussex!
Especially lovely in
Summer – rather wet and muddy today
Quite often a stream
running down the road
Pot holes!
Infrastructure a bit more
fragile
Trees down
Power cuts – shower at
church members houses
The Christmas Turkey in
the garden as we wondered about how to cook it with no electricity
Water main burst the other
day
Water sometimes
interrupted or brown
Cost of living in rural
areas 25% greater
Cars
No gas
No mains sewage
Farmers
Isolation
Financial pressures
If the farm has been in
the family for generations, you don’t want to be the one to lose it
People in rural areas are
still people!
Jesus
Doesn’t spare us storms
With us through the storms
If we build our lives on
Jesus and his word, our lives will stand through the storm
Often we can’t solve their
problems – weep with those who weep
Pray!
Ministry everywhere has
its challenges.
It would be easy to speak
at great length about the challenges of rural ministry, some of them
distinctive and some of them shared with other contexts.
What too of the
opportunities?
Smaller churches
People know one another
well and are good at looking out for one another
WhatsApp group – people
share prayer needs and encouragements – feel more connected
Someone brought cake to
church the other day to mark 2 years of her involvement in the church and to
thank people for the welcome and kindness
Supporting one another
e.g. in the face of difficult medical diagnoses
Small is beautiful!
Sometimes people are used
to things being smaller in the countryside.
They love the village shop
as it is – everyone accepts it is not and can’t be Tesco Extra.
Likewise your church is
unlikely to become the cathedral or Holy Trinity, Brompton or St Helen’s,
Bishopsgate or…
Are there ways that small
can be okay, or even an advantage?
What could you do with
ones or twos or in a small group?
Stable population
The real locals have three
generations in the churchyard
Evangelism slower?
Cf. outer estates
A particular opportunity
when people move house
Very grounded in a place
What will people travel
for or not?
Co-operation between
parishes?
People often have a hands-on,
can-do attitude
Used to getting on with
things and helping one another out
More connected to our communities than in
towns
The boundaries between
church and village are more porous
People have a tremendous
attachment to their parish church, even if they only come at Christmas (and
Easter – Remembrance very well attended)
Sometimes it’s the same
people keeping the church, the village hall and the pub going
Challenge of church
buildings
The countryside has
cleared out over the centuries
Don’t really need 3 church
buildings for a population of 2000 in my three villages
Sometimes smaller older
congregations
Financial pressures (asset
rich, cash poor?)
More connected to creation
and the seasons
Harvest!
Plough Sunday etc.
Vicar of Dibley
understated!
Three lunches one Sunday –
which was fine by me!
Pet Service – rates of dog
ownership! Very important to many
Tradition
Being there for people –
to listen and pray
No silver bullet or secret
programme
Friendly consistency
Intentionality offering
Jesus
Ready to speak good news
Crossing that pain line to
speak – not just being nice people
Also interviewed was Bob
Goody, CEO of Rural Missions https://ruralmissions.org.uk/
He talked about showing up
consistency, building trust etc.
Serve your community with
Jesus’ name at the forefront
Our Rural Officer in East
Sussex in the Diocese of Chichester is The Revd Canon Gary Cregeen - https://www.chichester.anglican.org/glitter_news/2021/06/24/new-rural-officer-appointed/
https://www.ruralministries.org.uk/
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