Delegates from around the world attending the International Rural Churches Association (IRCA) Conference at Lincoln University last month.
Delegates from around the world attending the International Rural Churches Association (IRCA) Conference at Lincoln University last month.
Rural churches are "a voice for voiceless", a conference has been told.
Speaking at the sixth International Rural Churches Association (IRCA) Conference at Lincoln University last month, IRCA chairman Jerry Marshall, of the United Kingdom, said churches around the world had an important role providing a voice for rural communities.
"We help support each other because rural work can be quite lonely, we share resources and we try to be a voice for the voiceless.
"Often rural people get drowned out by strong urban voices and we can stand up [for] some of the rural issues around the world."
New Zealander the Rev Robyn McPhail played a part in the establishment of International Rural Churches Association in 1993.
The conference was held in the southern hemisphere for the first time in the organisation's 25-year history and had the biggest attendance yet of about 100 people, who came from New Zealand, Australia, the South Pacific, Canada, the United States, Asia, Africa, the United Kingdom and Europe. Mr Marshall said rural church communities around the world faced similar challenges such as resourcing, and ministers served multiple congregations at once.
"Ministers are operating increasingly in oversight roles. That might be one minister supporting eight churches in the United Kingdom or in Malawi it could going around 50 churches and visiting one church a week."
Local organising committee members Joy Kingsbury-Aitken (left) and Linda Cowan, both of Christchurch, were satisfied with the success of the conference.
In many rural communities, churches were the only group remaining "when all the other services have left", giving them an important role to play in bringing people together. In countries like South Sudan, churches were mediating between warring tribes, and in a crisis such as a major fire or earthquake, rural churches were often the first to respond.
"It's the churches out there straight away providing food and support for those affected.
"And it's interesting in today's world, even with the role of faith being diminished, people still want somewhere to place their flowers or to acknowledge a tragic event, so churches have an important service to play."
Prasad Rao is a Bishop in the Rayalaseema Diocese for the Uniting Church of South India, which has 40 million members and is India's second largest Christian church, but represents just 4% of the population.
"I'm really pleased to be here in New Zealand because it's a beautiful country, but it's very cold," Mr Rao said.
Diane Paterson, of Kerikeri in Northland, says she enjoyed the good food and good company at the conference.
Rural communities in India faced similar challenges to New Zealand, such as climate change and water issues, he said.
However, most of the land was owned by a few wealthy people, with most rural families left to provide labour for low wages.
"For most of the rural communities in India, their lives depend on agriculture and their economy depends upon the person for whom they are working."
He said Indian society was divided into a caste or class system, making it difficult for people to support each other and "work for the common benefit" like in New Zealand.
