Small Town Summits was formed in partnership with the Gospel Coalition New England in early 2018 with a desire to see all of New England filled with gospel-centered, community- engaged churches and Christian workers, for the glory of God.
New England, the land of the Great Awakenings and the religious seedbed of America, is now largely post-Christian, secular, and the least religious region of the country. It is also largely comprised of small-town, rural, out-of-the-way places. We love New England and the local church, and we believe that a key way to reach our region with the gospel is to serve the churches and leaders already serving in New England’s small places.
Over the past five years God has used Small Town Summits in the following ways:
Summits - We partner with churches and leaders on the ground to host small, regional, one-day gatherings. These Summits are highly collaborative in nature, drawing upon the gifts of local leaders to provide training, encouragement, and connection for those who attend. Over the past five years, we have hosted ten regional gatherings across all six New England states.
Resources - We create gospel-centered, theologically-rich content that speaks to the unique joys and struggles of serving Christ in small places. Our podcast and articles share small-town voices and speak to the particular needs of rural pastors and laypeople. Our own Stephen Witmer’s book, A Big Gospel in Small Places, also grew directly out of the ministry of Small Town Summits.
Trainings - We host one-day Women’s Bible Training seminars. These events seek to equip women in small places with a variety of skills that will help them study and apply God’s Word for themselves. We then seek to empower them to take these skills home to the small places and help others learn to do the same.
Gospel Opportunity: Where God is Leading us
While much of New England lies spiritually desolate, God is at work and his gospel is flourishing through the faithful efforts of his servants in big and small places. While we regularly hear stories of the hardships of pastoral ministry in small-town New England, we also hear stories of how God is continuing his work across our region. He is breaking into hard-to-reach places through the work of his small and scattered church.
There’s an excitement around our Summits because of the training, encouragement, and connection they provide. And yet, in spite of the desire and need for more Summits, the small size of our leadership team has limited their scope and frequency. Because of this, we believe that God is leading us to take the following steps in order to better serve those seeking to reach New England for the gospel:
Assembling our STS Partner Team - We are seeking to leverage the relationships we’ve built with faithful pastors and leaders from across New England to create the STS Partner Team. made up of men from each of the six New England states. This team will help us multiply our regional Summits as well as our online resources.
Pursuing Publishing - We hope to draw upon our growing network of small-town writers in order to pursue new publishing ventures for those serving in the small places.
Hiring our first Executive Director - We’ve hired our first Executive Director, Ben Ruhl, to help oversee the increased programming and operations of our ministry as we seek to multiply our impact in the small places of New England.
Our Roadmap: Timeline and Financial Considerations
We’re seeking the Lord’s direction and his timing for these initiatives. We’ve laid the following timeline at his feet, and offer it here to you so you can see where we’re at and join us in prayer as he leads us on this path:
January – March 2022: STS Partner concept developed and Partner Team formed
April 2022: Ben Ruhl hired as Executive Director to spearhead day-to-day ministry operations and initiatives, and to provide leadership to STS Partner Team for the coordination and implementation of Summits in each region.
Spring / Summer / Fall 2022: A focus on financial and prayer partnership development in order to support increased staffing and an increase in Summit frequency beginning in 2023.
November 2022: STS Partner Team Retreat. We’ll gather the Partner Team for the cultivation of vision for the road ahead, brotherhood for the journey, and a plan for Summits and resources for 2023.
Will you join us?
The work of supporting those serving Christ in the small places is urgent, but we can’t do it alone. Would you and/or your church consider partnering with STS financially as we seek to reach and resource small-town pastors, lay people, and churches throughout New England?
We feel it’s vital to the long-term effectiveness of our Summits to keep registration costs low and affordable for those serving and working in small places. Because of that, we run most of our Summits at a deficit. We need regular, monthly financial partnerships from churches and individuals who believe in what God is doing through the ministry of STS to help us continue to encourage and equip gospel ministers and disciple-makers in New England’s small places. We’d count it a great joy for you to join us in the work.
If God leads you to make a one-time or recurring donation, please make checks payable to “Small Town Summits"; all donations will be tax deductible. Checks can be mailed to Small Town Summits, P.O. Box 8052, Brattleboro, VT 05304. To give online or set up automated monthly giving, visit our website’s giving page: https://www.smalltownsummits.com/give.
Thank you for your partnership in the gospel! (Philippians 1:5)
Want to learn more about what’s next for Small Town Summits and how you can get involved? Listen to the “What’s Next for Small Town Summits?” episode on our podcast: