‘Grow-your-own’ helps rural churches find more leaders, pastors

Six years ago, pastor Matty Towse heard three little words that sparked creativity and started changing lives and churches. 

Towse and Steve Krier discussed how more people could know Jesus if there were more pastors and churches. But, instead of strategizing how to recruit out-of-town pastors, Krier suggested the idea of ‘grow your own’ leaders. 

Ever since, Towse and fellow pastor Pete Lee have been identifying and developing local believers into pastors or church planters. The two Converge North Central pastors have trained and released three residents in the last four years. 

“If the gospel is going to be preached in these small towns, it needs to be those of us who are already here to take responsibility for that,” Towse said. 

Like Paul with Timothy and Titus, the program empowers one pastor to find and grow other believers into servants who spread the knowledge of Christ. A residency includes a year of systematic theology education, ministry skills training and personal growth experiences. 

A unique strength of a residency is local believers can do the ‘cultural exegesis,’ Towse said, with little effort because they’ve lived here long enough to have roots. So they can become strong pastors and church planters more quickly than transplants from college towns or big cities.  

Northwest Minnesota needs such leadership: Thief River has Minnesota’s highest rate of suicide per capita, a large jail and significant social isolation. However, local churches shaped and spurred by the gospel, like Epiphany Station, where Towse is pastor, offer people a new view on life. 

Inside the purpose-built pole shed where Epiphany Station gathers, people worship and find love and strength through Christ. Many of these Minnesotans started as people who never imagined themselves in the church. 

“We’ve got a lot of hope to offer,” Towse said. “We want to share the gospel with people.” 

Through the gospel, God draws those he loves, transforms them and sends them back out as shepherds to find the one lost sheep. 

Those sheep are here, hardworking people in a harsh place, doing the best they can. And the Lord is with them, calling again to come and follow him and become fishers of men.  

God has done it so far with three disciples, and Towse is confident he can come alongside a dozen or more in the next 20 years. 

“I just want these guys to be more prepared than I was and more prepared than most guys are,” he said. “We’re just doing our part in raising up new pastors.” 

Learn more about how you can participate in a church planting residency.