The Rural Voice, 1992-03, Page 22chan.ges
in the
church:
The role of
rural churches
changes with
the times
by Bob Reid
At one time, the country church
was a one-stop centre for dealing with
nearly all the concerns of its parish-
ioners — spiritual, political, financial,
philosophical and even physical. But
rural society has changed so dramati-
cally it is hard to say which, if any, of
those roles are still being filled by the
House of God.
The church was once the focus of
every rural community, perhaps as
recently as 40 years ago. By now,
much of the authority it wielded has
slipped or been stripped away, along
with the infrastructure of rural On-
tario.
A senior position in the church —
an elder or deacon — carried a lot of
impact when decisions regarding the
future of the community were made
(often on the church steps following
the service). High-priced consultants
in conjunction with politicians have
assumed those decisions, neither of
whom may darken a church doorway
on a regular basis.
In fact, those church appointments
may now be looked on as something
to be avoided, an annoyance in in-
creasingly busy schedules dominated
"There is a struggle to understand how the church can best serve the community
it lives in," says Reverend Neil Lackey. (photo by Bob Reid)
by other activities. Some may even
choose the anonymity of larger urban
churches to avoid what they regard as
eternity here on earth: election to a
church position that no one else
wants.
Reduction of authority and finan-
cial stability in rural churches can be
tied directly to the depopulation of
agriculture itself. It was inevitable
that the church would be affected by
the painful transformation going on
around it. It has been forced to deal
with not only the struggle against sin
but the same worldly dilemma facing
the faithful few still seated on the
wooden pews each Sunday: survival.
"The church is the soul of the
18 THE RURAL VOICE
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