July 2024
Each month, the LCMS Northern Illinois District designates a particular ministry topic as its focus. Previously highlighted themes include the Priesthood of All Believers, Intercultural Ministry, and Hearts for Jesus, among many others. This month’s selected theme is Rural Ministry.
Our District is made up of more than 200 congregations which serve a wide variety of communities: from urban – to suburban – to small town – to rural. Although there may be differences in what day-to-day ministry looks like, or the activities and outreach programs available, or even the size of the buildings which are owned, the core of the mission and ministry in each of these settings is the same: to bring the truth of God’s Word and the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus to all. Each of these ministry settings provide unique challenges and incredible blessings to the church leadership, individual congregation members, and the community-at-large.
This month’s Rural Ministry theme led to a conversation with Pastor Matthew Rosebrock about his congregation (Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lindenwood, Illinois) in particular and his experiences with rural ministry in general. Pastor Rosebrock has had a varied and interesting life experience in living with and serving different communities and groups of people.
Pastor Rosebrock grew up in a rural community near Napoleon, Ohio. He was baptized at St. John Lutheran Church in Napoleon and attended their parochial school. He felt quite comfortable growing up in that rural setting and, at one point, thought he would likely stay local and work as a mechanical engineer for a manufacturer in the area. However, as he puts it, “God had other plans, and I soon found myself on the way to Concordia University in River Forest.” He completed the pre-seminary program there as an Art major and graduated in 2005. He then attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
During his time at Concordia Seminary, Pastor Rosebrock was able to participate in an exchange program to Seminário Concórdia in São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil, which he credits as a formative experience. His vicarage was at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hayward, California, a very diverse East Bay community that, at the time, had at least 63 different language groups. He then graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in 2010.
He and his wife, Kim, met during his last year at Concordia, and they moved to Pasadena, California after completing his seminary studies. He began a graduate program at Fuller Theological Seminary, and then was ordained and installed in 2012 as part-time pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Sunland-Tujunga while continuing to work toward his additional degree.
This particular area was known for a large Armenian population. Economic changes, including the closure of an aviation plant, led to a reduction in church membership at Faith. A once thriving congregation was reduced to worshiping about 25 members on a Sunday in a large and beautiful sanctuary. Despite their seemingly insignificant numbers, they still maintained a presence in the community: offering English conversation classes, hosting VBS and outdoor movie nights, and heading up roadside cleanup efforts.
Pastor Rosebrock served at Faith into 2015, when he received a call to the Northern Illinois District to serve as part-time pastor at Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Byron, Illinois while finishing up his PhD program. At the time, Risen Savior was a recent mission plant which, unfortunately, was struggling to be financially self-sustaining. The congregation ended up closing in 2017, and he then served as vacancy pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois for six months.
Since 2018, Pastor Rosebrock has served Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lindenwood. He also teaches online “Introduction to the Bible” classes for Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He shared that he enjoys the many ministry opportunities to share the joy of Jesus and offer pastoral care to students from differing backgrounds.
Lindenwood itself has population of a little over 500 residents, and the community is home to a grain elevator, a salt spreader manufacturing plant, an elementary school, and just one other church. A good number of the residents have a long-time family connection to the community, but many choose to live in the area in order to enjoy a slower paced life, despite the need for them to then commute for work.
Immanuel is located in the West Region of the Northern Illinois District, just a bit south of Rockford. The congregation celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2022. For being a small congregation in a rural setting, some may be surprised to learn that there are a handful of younger families all the way up through the older generation represented in her pews. There is also a wide range of educational experiences represented, from high school diplomas to PhDs. Many Immanuel members hail from multiple other nearby villages and hamlets.
Members are able to engage with the community in a number of ways: VBS, an Easter egg hunt with a telling of the biblical Easter account, roadside cleanup, and participating in local parades and public events. For the last 15 years, Immanuel has served numerous families from Ogle Country as home to the “Good Samaritan Christian Food Pantry.” They have also hosted events and benefits to contribute to local families and causes.
When asked what particular challenges rural ministry presents to a pastor and congregation, Pastor Rosebrock replied, “…many of the same larger cultural challenges that the Church in urban and suburban communities faces affect rural communities as well. There are many unchurched people living in rural communities…Number one is bringing God’s Word of Law and Gospel to bear on people’s lives. People need Jesus and His forgiveness, whether next door or miles down the road.”
He added, “Some congregations are situated within thriving and very active communities where the places of ministry outreach are clearer. However, other congregations may be situated at a country road intersection with a smattering of houses (like my hometown church) or in a very small town like Lindenwood while members commute from several other small communities. Sometimes, the question of geography and where the congregation should focus in making itself known can be difficult. When you bring in factors like congregation size and its resources, you can see how not all rural ministry is exactly the same. I was reading recently that smaller rural congregations often have a wider variety of uniqueness to them because certain personalities of members create a distinct dynamic more than a larger congregation where governance structure, leadership, etc. tends to hold greater sway. I have definitely found that to be the case in the different congregations that I have served. A one-size-fits-all ministry mindset falls even shorter in a small rural congregation.”
Pastor Rosebrock also briefly mentioned comparisons: a small congregation feeling looked over or looked down upon, or seeing the kinds of things a larger congregation with more financial resources and more manpower might be able to accomplish, etc., “…But it does no good for a congregation or pastor to look upon one faithful ministry as inferior or better. Those two paths always lead to despair or sinful pride, neither of which are at the heart of the Gospel. Wherever forgiveness in Christ is preached makes it the most beautiful place on earth.”
All types and sizes of ministry require patience from the pastor and the people in the pews, a period of learning and getting to know each other, and an understanding of one another’s personalities and life experiences. Taking the time to genuinely show love and care and build relationships is crucial.
Specific to rural ministry, Pastor Rosebrock commented, “The congregation will more than likely be very welcoming of a new pastor into its family of faith (as was the case with Immanuel!). But in the surrounding community, without family ties, it takes time—sometimes much more than you realize—to wear off the label of the ‘new guy.’ It can be overcome, but it takes genuine care for people, a desire to learn about them, and presence. So, the congregation needs a pastor who will be with them in the midst of life and not be gone after a couple of years.”
When asked what specific blessings he feels rural ministry offers, he replied, “At the end of the day, people are people. Rural ministry makes you realize the big picture of the Lord’s work is not only ‘out there’ but ‘right here.’ It is the people and the families that are right in front of you. Those vocations that the Lord has given for you to do right in front of you are always the most important. People in rural communities tend to see that very clearly.”
He continued, “You never know what kind of wider impact that the Lord will have upon many more people by someone who grew up in a small rural congregation. There are ways that our little congregation in Lindenwood has and will have an effect on people in big ways. Those who have grown up in this community of faith take it with them wherever they go. It is home. Whether near or far from Lindenwood, whatever vocations the Lord has for the children of this congregation later in life, the formation of this closely knit family of faith will stick with them. Greater still, God is always with them (Immanuel) in Christ.”
Pastor Rosebrock was also asked how rural ministry has changed him as a pastor. He said, “It has taught me to not take myself too seriously. Above all, people want a pastor who listens, preaches the Word of God to their lives, and truly cares about them. If anything, people in rural communities tend to be very guarded against anyone who is too polished. They want a pastor who is not afraid to get his hands dirty. All of this is to say, is that it helps me to focus on what is most important. It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus crucified, died, buried, risen, ascended, and coming again for us. The more that I am in God’s Word and share Him with the people, I find that the rest tends to fall more easily into place.”
Thank you to Pastor Rosebrock for his willingness to share about his background and ministry. We thank him for his service to the Lord’s people. We pray for God’s blessings on his family and for his continued ministry at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
