A major role for the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) is the provision & distribution of important resources for the use of the rural church – whether for use by lay people, ministers or training providers. Many of the resources here are actually produced or commissioned by the ARC, but others are not; and a significant part of what we do is to point rural church practitioners to where they can find what is best or most appropriate for their own situations.

Amongst others you will find here resources useful for worship in rural contexts (i.e. Worship Resources), resources related to the whole range of rural mission and ministry (e.g. Signposts), and resources related to providing help for others (i.e. Where to Turn for Help). You will also find case studies and examples of good resources or training in practice (i.e. A Library of Rural Good Practice) – which also focus on how the important elements of these examples can be adopted in other situations.

And there are a series of in depth guides on how to use some 10 different resources which are key for rural churches (incorporated in How Best to Use ...). These include some of our own workbooks (e.g. Seeds in Holy Grounds and Making Connections) or publications (e.g. Country Way). Also included are less well-known materials from elsewhere (e.g. Welcoming Small Congregations), and some well-known materials considered in detail from a rural perspective (e.g. Messy Church).

You can go to any of the major resources we provide by selecting from the menu to the left of this page.

Also being developed are some major resource modules that focus on important needs identified by rural churches in many locations and representing various denominations. These include:

  • Resources and training tools to encourage lay people in rural churches to get involved in local mission and evangelism
  • A central hub of resources related to the use and adaptation of rural church buildings for a variety of community-related purposes
  • Training tools to equip lay people – especially in small churches – to lead, design and adapt worship for the local context
  • A training framework and content for the local & regional delivery of training for rural ministry

If you want to know more about our work resourcing local rural churches and church practitioners, contact us by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .