Paying Attention to the Margins in Rural America
A Review of
Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry In Rural Places Is Good New Everywhere
Brad Roth
Paperback: Herald Press, 2024
Buy Now: [ BookShop ] [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]
Reviewed by Jeff Kennon
When I was in college, I spent a summer in Miami, Texas. At the time there were 898 people in the town and 1100 people in the county. There were more cows than people. I was there as the summer youth minister at First Baptist Church. Now I had grown up in what I thought was a small town of about 20,000 people, but Miami redefined what I thought about small. Regardless of size however, I enjoyed that summer in Miami. No regrets! But to live there and serve the church long-term? Who would want to do that?
Since that time, I’ve matured some. Both in age and thinking about where and how God works. This growth has happened in many ways but for the sake of brevity I will just mention two. First, for the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as an interim pastor in various small towns in the West Texas area. At first, I went into each church thinking that I, as a big city boy of Lubbock, Texas, could really teach those folks some things. But just the opposite happened! Needless to say, I was humbled.
Second, I read the story of the Bible. Actually, I let the story of God sink in a bit more to my heart, mind and soul. And in doing so, I discovered that many times God begins his work on the margins. It’s in the least likely of people and places where God moves to impact the rest of the world. Remember Abram? Why choose him to be the beginning of the nation to bless all peoples? His wife Sarah was barren. How do you start a people who will number in the thousands with a couple who can’t even have one child? And the narrative of God continues throughout Scripture with many other Abram-like stories. God does the miraculous in the people and places where sometimes we think nothing much can happen. As was asked about Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Thankfully, Brad Roth, in his book Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry In Rural Places Is Good New Everywhere, gracefully and convincingly invites us to open our eyes to the places that many be considered dying and outdated. These places are the small rural towns of America. It’s the places we “flyover” as we jet from one big city to another seeking to make a big impact. For those of us who are pastors, are we not called to the masses? Is this not why we are trained? Surely our gifts and education deserve more exposure. Sadly, Roth laments that “too many pastors and leaders dismiss rural people as second-rate, a poor return on their considerable investment of blood and treasure in pursuing a seminary education” (29).
Yet though Roth’s writing is convicting at times—as evidenced above—he is not bitter nor judgmental about those who pastor in the bigger cities. Obviously, God is calling and must call folks to urban and suburban areas. There’s no denying this. However, we must be careful not to forget God’s call for some to go rural. And not that this is a greater call per se, but for Roth, “the church will always go rural, because that’s where Christ himself goes” (79).
Roth continuously emphasizes that God dwells with those who live in small towns. God walks with those who encounter the problems of rural living. I don’t think anyone would denounce such thinking though some of us might view the problems that small towns have as more backwoods type of issues. Roth appropriately points out that rural is not a “backward, embittered, monochrome, children-of-the-corn kind of place where people cling to their guns and religion” (18). Believe it or not, the folks who live in these small communities are every bit as diverse and educated as those in the cities.
If you are reading this review and serve Jesus in the city, you might be tempted not to grab a copy of this book. It’s easy to think by reading the title that it has nothing for those in the metropolises of the world. But I would encourage you to reconsider. Why? First, this book will help you do a bit of self-reflection. We must be aware that pride awaits us at every turn. The attitude that says smaller town churches are just a place to start one’s ministry only to move up must be that of which we repent (29). And along the same train of thought, the idea that we have nothing to learn from small town pastors must be reconsidered. Thus is my second reason that Roth’s work should be considered by all. He has something to teach both large and small churches in regards to ministry.
One chapter that I seemed to be drawn back to more than any of the others was Chapter 3: Proclamation and Calling Disciples. I needed this chapter. The wisdom that Roth shared in regards to evangelism and making disciples should be considered by all. Whether big city or small town, thinking through this chapter would do any community of faith some good. Let me share just a couple of his thoughts from it that I found both encouraging and challenging.
First,
“Part of my challenge in evangelism, the part that I fear, is coming off fake. Sure, starting a conversation around ultimate beliefs and values with perfect strangers is difficult for me. But more than anything, I don’t want to come off as that guy, that plastic preacher, that evangelist who knows not a thing about another’s life but is ready to upsell the gospel” (51).
Secondly,
“The evangelistic habitus is a habitus of humility. We have the humility to speak gently, the humility to not have all the answers, the humility to take our time. It’s a humility born of long walking with the God who takes his time and who doesn’t give up on people” (61).
I’m grateful that Flyover Church came across my radar. If not for my opportunity to review it, it might have been a “flyover” book for me. I hope it’s not that way for you. Grab a copy! I believe it will challenge your thinking and warm your heart towards the love of God for all people. As Roth writes in his last chapter, “Jesus’ ministry in rural places, society’s far ends of the earth, is good news everywhere because it means that God really does love the whole world. If those little steepled specks on the horizon matter, then everywhere does” (145).
Jeff Kennon
Jeff Kennon lives in Lubbock, Texas where is the director of the Baptist Student Ministries at Texas Tech University. He is also the author of The Cross-Shaped Life: Taking On Christ’s Humanity, published by Leafwood Press. You can find him online at www.jkennon.com.
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
