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Rural Churches Are Growing, and the Rest of Us Should Pay Attention
Sixty percent of rural churches saw at least five commitments to Christ per 100 attendees last year. Nearly a third saw more than ten.
The 2025 Rural Churches Today study from Lifeway Research surveyed over 1,000 pastors serving towns under 10,000 people, and the findings challenge the narrative that small-town churches are dying. Co-sponsored by the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center's Rural Church Institute, the study found that many rural congregations are quietly producing strong evangelistic fruit. Deep relational connections and consistent community presence are driving real growth in places most church conversations overlook. At the same time, 40 percent of rural churches reported fewer than five commitments, a reminder that intentional outreach, not geography, determines health.
What this means for your church: Whether you're in a rural town or a growing suburb, the principle is the same: relational depth drives growth. The churches seeing the most commitments are cultivating the kind of trust and belonging that makes people want to explore faith. If your church feels too small to make an impact, this data says otherwise. Disconnection is the greatest barrier to growth, not size. Three steps to act on this week:
Measure what matters beyond Sunday morning. Count the relationships, not just the attendance. How many newcomers had a real conversation with a member this month?
Identify your church's relational advantage. Smaller congregations often know their neighbors better than they realize. Ask your leadership team: where are we already trusted in this community?
Share the good news about the good news. Your congregation needs encouragement. This Sunday, tell them that churches their size are leading people to Jesus at remarkable rates and that what they're doing matters more than they think.
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Ministry Intel
What Is Spiritual First Aid and Why Churches Need It | ChurchLeaders
Churches seeing real growth are also the ones showing up when people are hurting. Spiritual First Aid is a practical, faith-centered framework that equips pastors and volunteers to respond to trauma and crisis in their communities without burning out the people doing the caring. Jamie Aten, co-founder of the approach, shares how churches are already using it to strengthen both their outreach and their teams. For churches building deep relational roots (especially smaller congregations where every volunteer matters), this is worth a look.
This week: Listen to the episode with your leadership team and ask: do our people know what to do when someone in our community is in crisis?
Two in five senior pastors report higher engagement among Gen Z and Millennials over the past year. But the trend isn't uniform, with larger, non-mainline churches led by younger pastors seeing the strongest gains and other congregations reporting declines, especially among young men. What stands out: the churches gaining ground are able to convert curiosity into participation, whether that’s serving, small groups, or just deeper involvement.
This week: Ask your team “what does a young adult's first 30 days at our church actually look like?” If there's no clear path from visiting to belonging, that's your next project.Growth Toolkit
A free, plug-and-play resource from Cru with sermon outlines, small group questions, and social graphics to help your church turn this summer's World Cup into a relational outreach moment. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Church texting platform with automated visitor follow-up workflows, keyword sign-ups, and two-way messaging. Turns a Sunday handshake into an ongoing conversation, which is exactly how relational churches keep people connected. Free trial available; free for one year for church plants.
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