By focusing on rural congregations, we believe that we will be able to support, empower and equip rural congregations and their leaders in a unique way. As a rural university, we at the University of the Ozarks care deeply about rural life and community, and believe we bring a unique perspective to this work.
Are you Rural?
The first step to attending the conference is to find out if you are rural.
Use this tool to find out if where you are located is considered rural.
Are you a leader in a rural congregation?
Then this is the place for you.
We ask that each congregation send two people to the conference to better share in the work and in communicating the ideas back in your hometown. We welcome pastors, staff, elder, and active congregation members at the conference.
Have you ever wanted to be part of a gathering where every single person lives and works in a rural area or small town? This is your place!
Hosted by the Town Square Collaborative, this event is designed to help your church:
- Embrace its role as an anchor institution in your community.
- Reclaim its identity in Jesus Christ.
- Focus on the unique opportunities and challenges of rural ministry.
To support these goals, we’re bringing together:
- Leaders from across the country who specialize in rural congregations.
- Non-profit partners who can help churches better engage with their neighbors.
- A space dedicated entirely to the rural areas and small towns you love.
If your heart is in rural ministry, this is where you belong!
The First Annual Rural Ideas Conference will be July 16-18, 2025, in Clarksville, AR on the campus of the University of the Ozarks. Once you reach campus, all your expenses will be paid through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment for Religion.
The Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative is generously supported by the Lilly Endowment.
Our Hope
Our hope is not that the conference will solve every problem or create innumerable opportunities for you.
We hope...
Your time at the University of the Ozarks will spark new conversations at home.
We hope...
That you will be able engage the resources we make available.
We hope...
That you will build relationships with other folks from churches that are similar to your own.
In doing these things, we believe you will be in a position to bring all your wisdom, tradition, and pride-of-place to your ministry in new ways, and use all these things to better enrich the lives of your neighbors.
This schedule is subject to change.
Wednesday, July 16:
- 10:30am-12:00pm: Registration/Meet & Mingle:
- Staying in the Dorms? Register at the MacLean Dorms.
- Staying in a Hotel? Register at the Wilson Science Center on campus.
- Meet & Mingle will be in the Seay Student Center RCC from 10:30am to 12:00pm.
- 12:00-2:00pm: Lunch in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 2:00-2:30pm: Welcome to Rural Ideas Conference 2025! in Munger-Wilson Chapel
- 2:30-3:00pm: Plenary 1: Being the Church – The Rev. Phillip Blackburn
- 3:00-3:20pm: Break
- 3:20-3:50pm: Plenary 2: The Calvary is Coming— and it’s You – The Rev. Dr. Heather Kilbourne
- 3:50-4:05pm: Breakout Groups Overview
- 4:05-4:15pm: Move to Breakout 1
- 4:15-5:30pm: Breakout 1 in the Wilson Science Center (WSC):
- 1: Communicate with Your Community – Kyla Cox Deckard WSC 117
- 2: Empowering & Equipping Lay Leaders in the Rural Church – Catherine Neelly Burton WSC 114
- 3: Rural Church & Vocation- Allen T. Stanton WSC 122
- 5:30-6:00pm: Free Time
- 6:00-7:00pm: Dinner in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 7:00-9:00pm: Trivia, Games & Mingle in Seay Student Center RCC
Thursday, July 17:
- 7:30-8:30am: Breakfast in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 8:30-9:00am: Morning Worship in Munger-Wilson Chapel
- 9:00-9:15am: Welcome & Reflection
- 9:15-9:45am: Plenary 3: Meaningful Community Collaborations – Kyla Cox Deckard
- 9:45-10:15am: Plenary 4: Anchor Institutions- Allen T. Stanton
- 10:15-10:45am: Break/Move to Breakout 2
- 10:45am-12:00pm: Breakout 2 in Wilson Science Center (WSC):
- 1: Communicate with Your Community- Kyla Cox Deckard WSC 117
- 2: What if Jesus Meant it When He Said “Love Your Neighbor? by Heather Kilbourne
- 3: Empowering & Equipping Lay Leaders in the Rural Church – Catherine Neelly Burton WSC 114
- 4: Reclaiming Our Identity by Rev. Phillip Blackburn
- 5: Rural Church & Vocation – Allen T. Stanton WSC 122
- 12:00-1:00pm: Lunch in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 1:00-1:40pm: Programmatic Partners Introduction in Munger-Wilson Chapel
- 1:40-1:55pm: Midday Memos
- 1:55-2:15pm: Break/Move to Breakout 3
- 2:15-3:35pm: Breakout 3
- 1: Winthrop Rockefeller Institute & Innovative Poverty Solutions WSC 114
- 2: Arkansas Community Action & Communities Unlimited WSC 117
- 3: What if Jesus Meant it When He said, “Love Your Neighbor”? – The Rev. Dr. Heather Kilbourne WSC 132
- 4: How-To Guide: Mini Program Grants for Faith-Based Outreach and Ministry – Dr. Keneshia Bryant-Moore WSC 122
- 3:35-3:50pm: Break/Move to Breakout 4
- 3:50-5:10pm: Breakout 4 in the Wilson Science Center (WSC):
- 1: Winthrop Rockefeller Institute & Innovative Poverty Solutions WSC 114
- 2: Arkansas Community Action & Communities Unlimited WSC 117
- 3: What if Jesus Meant it When He said, “Love Your Neighbor”? – The Rev. Dr. Heather Kilbourne WSC 132
- How-To Guide: Mini Program Grants for Faith-Based Outreach and Ministry – Dr. Keneshia Bryant-Moore WSC 122
- 5:10-6:00pm: Free Time
- 6:00-7:00pm: Dinner in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 7:00-9:00pm: Johnson County Peach Festival Downtown or Games & Mingle in RCC
Friday, July 18:
- 7:30-8:30am: Breakfast in Seay Student Center Cafeteria
- 8:30-9:00am: Morning Worship in Munger-Wilson Chapel
- 9:00-9:10am: Welcome & Reflection
- 9:10-10:00am: Panelist Conversation
- 10:00-10:30am: Morning Memos & Next Steps
- 10:30-11:00am: Break/Move to meet w/ Programmatic Partners & Congregational Support
- 11:00am-12:00pm: Programmatic Partners Engagement Gatherings & Congregational Support in Wilson Science Center (WSC) or Chapel:
- 1: Winthrop Rockefeller Institute with Shana Chaplin WSC 114
- 2: Innovative Poverty Solutions with Christina & TJ Williams WSC 117
- 3: Arkansas Community Actions Agencies with Tomekia Moore WSC 122
- 4: Communities Unlimited with Michelle Viney & Chantel Poor WSC 132
- Congregational Cohorts with The Rev. Sara Anne Berger Munger-Wilson Chapel
- 12:00-1:00pm: Lunch in Seay Student Center Cafeteria & Depart