What an 18th Century Pastor Can Teach Rural Pastors
In his book A Big Gospel in Small Places, Stephen Witmer says rural pastors need historical examples,
Find small-place heroes. Our evangelical culture praises big-place ministers. Find small-place ministers and seek out examples of true greatness and success in small places. Pursue personal mentors you can speak with, and seek mentors you can read (and read about) from the past.
Witmer, Stephen. A Big Gospel in Small Places (p. 134). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
Recently, I discovered a “small-place hero” that encouraged me. His name was Benjamin Francis.
Benjamin Francis had everything against him:
He pastored in England though Welsh was his native language
He was a bi-vocational farmer-pastor
He led a small congregation in a small village
Yet in his ministry, he baptised 450 converted people. Here are 11 lessons from his life for rural pastors:
1. Trust God in Hard Pastorates
Francis was 24 when he arrived in Horsley in 1756. This was not an easy pastorate:
“The Church consisted then of only 66 members, and such was the rate of poverty of the whole congregation that they could not raise for their minister more than twenty pounds per annum. The prospect therefore as to externals was far from encouraging; considering especially the situation of the Meeting-house, built between two hills, surrounded with woods, and a few scattered houses; for at that time the neighbourhood was far from being populous”
Poverty, low literacy rates and small membership. It doesn’t sound like a strategic ministry. But God blessed his faithfulness at Horsley and grew the church from 66 members to 252, with 450 conversions.
Admittedly, 66 members is a sizable church in rural Britain today. Nevertheless, there is a valuable lesson here. How many young pastors would be warned of a place like Horsley as too difficult? Let’s have faith in God to work even in hard pastorates.
2. Prioritise Evangelism
Like all pastors, Francis had a range of responsibilities. Yet he never forgot the priority of preaching to the lost.
He advised a younger pastor: "Let us not forget the need to preach passionately for the salvation of souls.”
Here’s a good challenge for all pastors today. Amidst our many responsibilities, let’s not forget the need to call sinners to salvation, in the pulpit and the community.
3. Persist in Prayer
If you asked Francis where the success came from he'd say prayer. At his church, two prayer meetings were held on a Sunday. The first at 6 am and another before the afternoon service. 50-60 members attended the morning, and the afternoon would overflow.
Sadly, this prayerfulness can never be forced. I imagine most of us arranging a 6 am prayer meeting may find ourselves alone! But certainly, church leaders can set an example in this area, perhaps gathering several prayer warriors to start this ministry.
At my church, several eager church members pray by name for non-Christians we know every Saturday morning over Zoom. Sometimes this can feel like a slog, yet I can also count many times prayers have been answered.
4. God can bless the Bi-vocational
Due to the poverty of his church, Francis was obliged to do some farming for an income. He reared pigs, grew fruit and veg, manned a local school and even dabbled in the wool trade.
Some advocate bi-vocational as a strategy, while others would see it as a necessary evil in some situations. Whatever your perspective, many readers will be in churches where the leadership works in secular employment.
Don’t be discouraged, Francis shows us that these works can bear fruit.
5. Perseverance amidst trials
Francis didn't have it easy in family life. His first wife and 3 children died within 3 months. In his second marriage, 7 out of 10 children died. This deeply affected Francis. But amid trials, he kept proclaiming his saviour.
None of us will get through our ministry without some trials. While these may not be as dramatic as Francis’, they are still a challenge. Don’t let the challenges of ministry cause you to stop. Rather persevere amidst trials.
6. Rural Planting
Like many pastors in this period, Francis didn’t see his responsibilities limited to the borders of his village. On foot, he travelled to many villages in the region, walking miles to do so.
Eventually, this led to what we would call today a church plant. A building was opened in Minchin-Hampton about ten years after he started at Horsley. Francis preached there once a fortnight for 35 years, walking the three-mile journey whatever the weather. The church was never quite as successful as Horsley but it was an improvement on the place George Whitfield visited 21 years earlier and saw a faithful Christian dragged through town and thrown into a brook!
I’ve regularly been challenged reading about men like Francis who had a vision for their wider region. It’s unlikely weekly preaching lectures in nearby villages would be as successful a strategy for us as they were for Francis. Yet for those of us with dispersed congregations, do we see this as an opportunity or a curse? Could we use our presence in various places to witness theirs too?
7. Urban Rural Partnership
Horseley Church needed to be expanded multiple times as well as the building for the church plant in Minchin-Hampton. This poor congregation were generous but could never foot the bill. Francis went on various preaching tours in London to raise money for the buildings.
We’re encouraged by the Rural Project that it’s not just rural churches interested in this work, but urban churches too. There is no competition for the gospel! Wouldn’t it be great to see more urban churches supporting growing ministries in rural areas?
8. The value of good training
Baptists (like all non-conformists) could not attend universities in Francis’ lifetime. However, the Bristol Baptist Academy produced many good pastors. In an era where Baptists were regularly seduced into hyper-Calvinism, Bristol Academy encouraged clear gospel proclamation. Francis wasn’t the only former student who eschewed significant pulpits for ministering in poor and obscure locations. Good training is vital to good pastors.
9. Pursue Deep Friendship
From 1758-1770 Francis wrote Joshua Thomas, as "your most affectionate David" The letters included questions from one to another which Thomas later published in a volume. You can read more about their relationship in the book Pastoral Friendship by Haykin, Croft and Caroll.
In isolated pastorates, friendship is vital. Many pastors from the past made deliberate efforts to pursue deep friendships. We hope our project might be a means of doing the same.
10. Seek Humility
In one letter to Thomas, Francis wrote: "How languid my faith, my hope, my love! how cold and formal am I in secret devotions!" Reading this, you may think Francis struggled with prayers. But far from it! At his death, tributes referenced his "fervent prayers". He was humble enough to always want more in his faith. Humility is a vital characteristic in any pastor!
11. Devoted to Rural Ministry
We read earlier how Francis travelled to London to raise money for his church. However, his gifts soon attracted more than one London church. For example:
For he thus early received an Invitation to remove to a respectable Church in the Metropolis, where his popular talents, in all probability would soon have procured him a large congregation, and a far superior income to what he could expect ever to receive in the country; but though he had then the prospect of an increasing family, and a very scanty provision for them, yet nothing could shake his affection to his beloeved flock, or induce him to think of leaving them.
From his papers “in 1772 spent two sabbaths in London, and preached both days at Dr. Gill’s Meeting-house, and had a call to succeed him, which greatly affected and perplexed me; but I determined to continue with my poor dear people at Horsley.”
Of course, it would not have been sinful for Francis to choose to pastor in London. However, it is a reminder that pastors have not always seen rural to urban as a vital career progression. Francis saw fruit where he was and was convinced to continue. I hope many rural pastors may take his example!
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Tim Wilson
Tim Wilson is pastor of Wheelock Heath Baptist Church in South Cheshire, England. He is part of the Rural Project steering committee, focusing on online content. He graduated from the Union School of Theology, is married, and has three children.
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