Country Churches

A blog written my Kristin Charles (in ministry-to-children.com) describes the transition from her city life near Seoul, Korea to ministry in a small country church in the United States. She offers advice about serving in that environment.

At first glance the common characteristics of small country churches near Athens appear to be the simplicity and historical significance of the buildings. Kristin's blog provided another point of view. Although the photos offered here speak for themselves, the church is not the building; rather, it is the people. How do you define a small country church? As communities, what are its characteristics?

Kristin offers insight based on her experience. Her summary: "A close-knit community; everyone knows everybody else; often very traditional and conservative; multiple family generations are represented; little to no budget allocated for ministries; fewer programs (and similar advantages); fewer volunteers; little diversity; likely has deep roots in the community; church members are a hard-working and generous people; wary about change."

You'll have to decide for yourself whether Kristin accurately describes small, country churches that you know. Regardless, her focus on people and organization, as opposed to structures, helped inform the approach taken in this section. The goal is to feature both buildings and people. Consider submitting photographs and information about country churches in the Athens area and don't forget to include photos of the people who attend them. Contact us here.