Arthur Rank Centre

19/10/2026

Ready to commence with Loverural 2026 here at Yarnfield Staffordshire. Great to be here amongst ecumenical partners from across the denominations and organisations, and to be with all who share the love for rural.

The Church of England The Methodist Church United Reformed Church Baptist Union of Great Britain

14/10/2026

It was so good to share with the rural church leaders on our Arthur Rank Centre Germinate Leadership programme today!

​Our focus this afternoon was on farming and the immense pressures farming families are facing this year, particularly with the challenges of both drought and bluetongue.

​With the wonderful support of The Royal Countryside Fund, we explored how church leaders can offer gentle, practical support to local farmers.

We were also delighted to welcome Revd Richard Wilde – Methodist minister, FCN volunteer, and Midlands farmer – who shared fantastic insights into how farming has changed over the years and the specific pressures agricultural communities face today.

​The rural church has deep roots in the countryside. By working closely alongside fantastic partners like The Addington Fund, FCN, RABI, agricultural chaplains, the NFU, the TFA, Young Farmers' Clubs, and others, we can offer a listening ear and signpost folks to specialist help whenever it's needed.

The Farming Community Network Addington Fund The Royal Countryside Fund Cliff College Agricultural Chaplaincy NFU - National Farmers' Union Tenant Farmers Association National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs The Methodist Church The Church of England Baptist Union of Great Britain United Reformed Church

12/10/2026

We gather this evening in readiness for Germinate Leadership 2026.

Prayers welcomed for all joining the ecumenical programme from across the country as we commence Tuesday morning.

Churches Together in England The Church of England The Methodist Church United Reformed Church Baptist Union of Great Britain Cliff College

05/10/2026

BBC Radio 4 seeking rural clergy for feature on fuel costs and ministry

Are you a minister spending significant time behind the wheel covering rural parishes?

BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme is putting together a feature on how rising fuel costs are impacting clergy and the future of rural ministry. A production team member is keen to record short Zoom or FaceTime interviews this week to discuss:

• Daily and weekly driving routines

• The financial cost of staying on the road

• Your thoughts on how travel costs affect the future of rural church life

If you would be willing to share your experiences of rural ministry on national radio, please drop us a direct message or comment below and we will look to connect you

Thank you

02/10/2026

As rural churches, agricultural chaplains and community leaders, we are connected in many different ways to our farmers. EmpowerAg are running workshops across the country supporting family farmers to hold the important conversations about the issues that often cause huge challenges.

Please would you share these with the farmers and those in agriculture whom you know, as well as on your newsletters / websites / church notices etc.

They write...

The hardest part of farming isn't the work. It's the conversations.

Who does what. Where the money goes. The change one person wants and another won't hear of. Who takes over. It's so common for the same argument to go round for years, and there are practical ways to get it moving.

GRIP is a one-day workshop for farming families with Amy Hughes of EmpowerAg, coming to 10 venues across England this November, from Kent to Northumberland. Small groups, plain English, and you leave with your first steps written down.

Bring a friend or a neighbour along. Book at tickettailor.com/events/empowerag

Supported by AHDB Beef & Lamb.


The Methodist Church Baptist Union of Great Britain United Reformed Church The Church of England The Farming Community Network The Royal Countryside Fund

01/10/2026

Are you involved in rural church leadership...
Are you passionate about seeing your local community flourish?

Applications are now open for our Rural Mission and Ministry Course in Woking from the 10th - 11th November 2026.

Whether you are ordained, a lay leader, or exploring rural ministry for the first time, the Rural Mission and Ministry Course offers space to share experiences, gain practical tools, and reflect on creative ways of serving rural contexts today.

Places are available now - come and connect with a supportive, ecumenical network of leaders.

👉 Find out more and apply here: https://arthurrankcentre.org.uk/ruralministrycourse/

The Church of England The Methodist Church Baptist Union of Great Britain United Reformed Church

Equipping lay and ordained leaders for creative rural church leadership.

30/09/2026

We have spent a wonderful couple of days with friends at the Royal Countryside Fund with the Farm Support Group in Sutton Scotney.

It was a brilliant opportunity to share ideas, offer mutual encouragement, and focus on how effective collaboration helps us best support our farming families and rural communities.

The Royal Countryside Fund The Farming Community Network Addington Fund Warwickshire Rural Hub

Thank you to RCF, and to all who joined together for such a good gathering.

26/09/2026

Two new rural roles have just been added to our Rural Vacancies page!

If you, or someone you know, feels called to serve rural churches and farming communities, do take a look at these latest opportunities:

✝️ Associate Priest (House for Duty) & Agricultural Chaplain - Diocese of Newcastle (Cornhill with Carham & Branxton, North Northumberland)

✝️ Mission Officer: Rural Communities Lead - West Midlands Methodist District (Closing date: 10am, Monday 19 October)

Full job descriptions, application packs, and contact details for informal chats are all available on our website: https://arthurrankcentre.org.uk/rural-vacancies/

Please do share this post to help us spread the word!

19/09/2026

We're delighted to join together at Cliff College, Derbyshire, over this weekend for our brand new Rural and Wild... exploring outdoor mission and ministry.

So good to hear of the tremendous variety of experiences and approaches up and down the country, and even internationally, whilst bringing in a range of speakers to share their stories and the breadth of new possibilities. Please do pray for us in this new venture together.

10/09/2026

Harvest 2026 - A Year Like No Other?

We're seeing tremendous numbers downloading our resource to support the churches for this years Harvest services - Thank you. If you've not downloaded it yet, find it here...

https://arthurrankcentre.org.uk/harvest/

One aspect speaks of a simple act of Ringing the Church Bells, or perhaps a school bell in your Village, Town or City centre...

Anyone joining in with this? An opportunity to show solidarity with our Farmers, and to begin or continue conversations around food, land, stewardship and more within communities...

Let us know, and do send us your photo's to share...

From page 5 of this years resource

RING the bells?

In 2001, at the height of the foot and mouth crisis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Arthur Rank Centre promoted the idea of collectively ringing the church bells from 12pm each Sunday for a month to remind the farming communities that the church stands alongside them...

Time to do so again perhaps? If you have church bells, why not introduce this into your church and community this year, and if not, perhaps the ringing of an old school bell in a public place might serve a similar visible act of solidarity and purpose."

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