by Stephen Suffron | Apr 12, 2018 | Carroll Community, Leadership, Ministry
Small towns in the United States are in decline. Most of the population and economic growth in the country has been located near urban centers. If you are called to pastor in a small town, you are likely going to have to deal with poverty. National politics paints...
by Stephen Suffron | Mar 8, 2018 | Carroll Community
When people learn the size of my town and church, they are usually surprised that I am full-time. Thanks to our parsonage and the generosity of our people, we are able to live on my salary alone, despite our low numbers. I view this situation as a blessing. In recent...
by Stephen Suffron | Dec 7, 2017 | Carroll Community
This Christmas season, our church and a local African-American congregation are trying a sort of experiment. It all started some time in the summer, when I ran into the pastor of one of the larger black congregations in town. Our churches (and a few others) had a...
by Stephen Suffron | Nov 9, 2017 | Carroll Community, Ministry
I have thought a lot about longevity over the past seven years. During these years, I have dedicated myself to remaining persistent in the task before me as pastor in my small town. These are also the years where I have learned to run long distance, and with those...
by Stephen Suffron | Oct 26, 2017 | Carroll Community, Leadership, Ministry
I didn’t set out in the beginning to be a small-town pastor. I grew up in the suburbs, and I expected that I would stay in that context throughout my life as I fulfilled my calling. The first time I was looking for a pastoral position, I did not even seriously...
