The Sticks Conference - Shannon O'Dell

The greatest opportunity for spreading the gospel is in rural America.

God works in obscurity. I don’t want to grow a congregation, I want to grow congregants. Then the congregation shows up.

Working in rural America is not sexy and glamorous but it is contagious. We have our work cut out for us. You have to figure out if you are really called to the sticks.

If you are called to rural America you better get some tough skin because it is tough.

Galatians 2:1-6

If you have no dream or revelation for your place you are missing out. In rural America they need a vision.

Rural churches are enslaved to the seemed to be leaders because they are afraid that they will offend somebody.

Is your organization thriving or surviving. Until you step out in obedient leadership you won’t make a difference in your community.

We have made the large church glamorous.

We have the God of the universe living within us and we don’t even believe it.

“We had a lady who had a problem that the coffee pot said, “Bunn”, she read Left Behind and she didn’t have a problem with that.”

Whatever God is calling you to do – Go Big. When it happens in obscurity is only God.

We are crippled by the seemed to be leaders in our churches.

Six most difficult decisions of a rural pastor desiring to go to the next level.

1. Your church composition. Your church structure. You have to have a system that will allow you to go to the next level. If you want a healthy church you need a healthy system. Acts 6 there was no one leading the church except for the called leader. The pastor is the shepherd not the dictator. People that think they are called are not giving the lfie for the church. Staff are the elders. You have to get accurate structure.
2. Fire and replace volunteers and staff that are not cutting it.
3. Protecting your family.
4. Ask yourself if you are truly called to it. Make certain that you are called. If you are not called to rural America you are always going to dream about the other church.
5. Dedicate yourself to a red hot marriage. If your marriage is not red hot than your salvation is not red hot. Get out of the ministry if you don’t have a red hot marriage.
6. Must be willing to be hated.
All things are possible with God. Ask and you will receive. You will do even greater thing than these.