The Center for Rural Ministry

08/28/2026

As Eliana can testify, “One of the greatest gifts of being in a smaller church is that you’re not just another college student passing through for four years. You’re known. People notice when you’re missing. They ask about your exams, pray for you by name, invite you into their homes, celebrate your victories, and grieve your losses.”

Read the latest blog article by CRM Fellow Anastasia Brown! Link in comments below.

"Rooted" is a student-produced short film highlighting the impact o...

08/25/2026

Stories matter... especially in a rural context! Garrett Heath is a professional filmmaker and photographer, the owner of Okiejoke Media, and the Director of Media & Communications at the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College.

08/21/2026

Our CRM Student Fellows are back on campus and it was great meeting some new incoming students at the Campus & Community Resource Fair today!

08/20/2026

In an age marked by social media, AI, and deepfakes its becoming increasingly hard to know what's real. Strip Mine Jesus offers an example of an alternative way of living faithfully right where our feet are. This book is an invitation to look a little closer at the people and places that mark your history and your everyday life. It is also an invitation to remember that God inhabits every place and every moment of our stories with his life-giving presence. No place is too remote or too insignificant to warrant God's attention. Strip Mine Jesus is one story--rooted in a real place and real relationships--that invites all of us, no matter where we live, to look at our own stories with hope and clarity rooted in the faithful presence of God.

08/18/2026

The CRM Conference is less than a month away!

We’re grateful to welcome Grove City College Professor Jeff Hubbard as one of our workshop speakers. Jeff will be leading a workshop as part of our “Creating a Rooted Community” track.

We hope you’ll join us September 11–12 for a rich time of learning, conversation, and fellowship!

👉 Register for the conference today! https://ruralministry.org/conference-main-page-2026

08/17/2026

A new book by Charles Cotherman, executive director of GCC's Center for Rural Ministry and assistant professor of Biblical & Theological Studies, guides Christians to find the goodness of God in the places they are, no matter how small, out of the way, or left behind they may seem. Read the full story ➡️
https://www.gcc.edu/Home/News-Archive/News-Article/strip-mine-jesus-finds-gods-goodness-right-where-you-are

08/17/2026

08/11/2026

We are just one month away from the Center for Rural Ministry’s Annual Conference!

We are thrilled with the lineup of speakers, workshops, and events that we have planned and look forward to gathering with pastors, partners, students, campus ministry leaders and others who care about ministry in rural and small-town communities.

We hope you’ll join us September 11–12 at Grove City College!

Register here: https://ruralministry.org/conference-main-page-2026

08/11/2026

We've been anticipating this conversation for a long time! Hear from our Executive Director, Charlie Cotherman, on the release of his new book, "Strip Mine Jesus: Hope for the Rural Church, Small Towns, and Overlooked Places".