The word "rural" can bring to mind both bucolic and dilapidated images. But the truth is much more complicated! Discover how churches serve as anchors for small-towns, and new metrics for measuring success in this unique environment.

In the first episode of the Rural Renewal Podcast, you'll hear from Allen Stanton, an ordained pastor who currently manages a large initiative to expand access to dental care in rural areas and is author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations.

Allen Stanton is an ordained pastor in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves in extension ministry, managing a large initiative to expand access to dental care in rural areas for the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Allen is the author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). Allen holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Duke University, and lives with his wife and two daughters in Tennessee.

Rural Renewal Podcast is a part of the Rural Renewal Summit, an initiative of Fresh Expressions happening April 21-22. The summit is a two-day digital event exploring new possibilities for small-town Churches. Learn more at Rural Renewal Summit - Fresh Expressions

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