Rural North Carolina Churches Published New Book
The NC Rural Center launched a book featuring projects from nine churches that completed its coaching program.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Christianity
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The NC Rural Center has published a book detailing innovative community projects created by nine rural churches across North Carolina. These initiatives were developed by congregations after they finished the organization's Connect Church coaching program.
Why it matters
The book serves as a resource for other congregations by highlighting how churches can effectively identify and address local community problems. It demonstrates how teams use internal assets to solve external issues.
Nine rural churches are featured in the publication, chosen from the more than 100 congregations that have finished the Connect Church curriculum. Participating churches that successfully complete the program become eligible for a $10,000 grant.
The players
NC Rural Center
This organization promotes the economic and community development of rural regions through programs like Connect Church.
Northwestern University
This private research university in Illinois is the origin site for the asset-based community development methodology.
The details
Church teams inventory their internal assets to address community needs, a method adapted from Northwestern University's 1990s framework. For example, three Methodist churches in Sanford created a project targeting youth and senior loneliness.
Timeline
The asset-based community development framework was developed at Northwestern University in the 1990s.
The article was published on October 13, 2026.
Culture Shift
This effort marks a pivot toward asset-based community development, moving churches away from traditional charity models toward internal resource utilization. It reflects a broader trend of leveraging local institutional capacity to address specific community gaps.
Local congregations may benefit from the guide if they are looking for scalable models to address issues like social isolation. The resource offers practical examples that teams can implement to secure potential grant funding.
The takeaway
Rural churches can successfully address community needs by systematically inventorying their internal resources. Interested congregations should review these case studies to better align their local outreach efforts with available funding programs.
What happens next
The NC Rural Center plans to produce a second volume to highlight future community projects developed by congregations.
Further reading
Discover how local congregations are adapting to modern challenges in the Christianity section.
More information
To see the featured examples and project details, Read the book.
Source note: This article includes information reported by EdNC.
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