Give

Central Plains EFC

Welcome to Central Plains Evangelical Free Church

  • about us / contact us
  • current Sunday school and sermon series
  • Kids for Truth and Teens for Truth
  • Online Giving
  • our pastor
  • statement of faith
  • Weekly Bulletin
Welcome to Central Plains Evangelical Free Church

book review: A Big Gospel in Small Places

January 8, 2020 by Leigh Warmbrand

I live in a small town in South Dakota. A popular country song by Rodney Adkins goes, “Miles and miles of John Deere green, freedom as far as I can see, a road to run and room to breathe,” and that sounds a lot like where I live. Kathleen Norris writes about South Dakota, “To attach oneself to place is to surrender to it, and suffer with it” and, “Maybe that child was right when he told me that the world is upside-down here, and this is where angels drown.” Small town life can be trying and Stephen Witmer addresses these and other aspects in his book A Big Gospel in Small Places (Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters).

I have several “small town ministry” books on my shelf from small-town pastors such as Bierly, Klassen, Griggs, and Daman, but Witmer’s book is a welcome addition. It is not a practical book in the sense “do this, not that.” You won’t find “3 steps to take for this issue” or “5 steps to take for that.” It is quite unpractical and more theory and reason-based than other books I’ve read. But it is practical in the sense it provides a theology and foundation for why to do this, and “why” (being) precedes “what” and “how” (doing). Witmer, a small-town pastor himself, devotes two thirds of the book to “why,” and that’s the first and most important issue to consider before “what.” His focus is on stable, slow, seen, significant, serving, and celebrating churches in the small town and local context. He advises us to pray and long for “big and fast” but need it less, and cherish what you have.

He takes a good look at statistics and demographics, defining what a “small town” is. He surveys the historical landscape and celebrates those small-town pastors who have preceded us, such as Tom Carson, George Herbert, William Grimshaw, and John Brown. He spends time sharing his own story and insights. He weighs positives and negatives and writes to be an encouragement to both small town and big city pastors, appreciating all who would serve in the settings God has placed them, and especially in the small towns.

Witmer concludes, “At the heart of every successful ministry, in communities of every conceivable size, is love: love for Christ and for the places where He has called us. When we truly love a particular place and the people who live there, we won’t seek to transcend it – instead, we will gladly give our lives to it. Perhaps we can learn to love our small places the way Jesus does. Perhaps in losing our lives there, we will find them.”

Stephen Witmer’s book is a welcomed addition to any small-town pastor’s library and any church-going folk would enjoy reading it. It is helpful to process the “why” of doing small town ministry. It is also helpful for suburban or big city people to better understand small-town brothers and sisters. He provides notes and brief information on Small Town Summits, a helpful ministry.

I received this book at no cost for the purpose of review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: book review

Tags

Bible book review books Charlottesville China Christmas church Coronavirus creation death Easter eclipse evangelism faith forgiveness glory God gospel grace graduation Hindu homosexuality hope hurricane Jesus Jonah love Luke marriage mercy missions money Muslims praise prayer Proverbs Psalms racism salvation sermon audio Sudan suffering thanks weekly update worship

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017

Copyright © 2023 Central Plains EFC.

Church WordPress Theme by themehall.com