Rural Chaplains Support Communities Facing Hate Groups, Isolation and Labor Shortages

'It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. We get our wellies muddy ... We don’t wait for them to come to us, we go to them,' said a rural chaplain in Suffolk, England.

On any given day, the Rev. Bob Klingler, a rural chaplain in Northwestern Pennsylvania, might be cleaning a flooded basement, facilitating an anti-racist workshop or leading worship from the bay of a livestock auction barn. Meanwhile, in Suffolk, England, rural chaplain Graham Miles could be answering a midnight phone call or helping a ewe give birth. To Miles and Klingler, it’s all ministry.

“It’s not everybody’s cup of tea,” said Miles. “We get our wellies muddy, and we’ll cross a field to talk to a farmer. We don’t wait for them to come to us, we go to them.”

According to Klingler, rural chaplaincy offers a different approach than other forms of chaplaincy. “We tend to work on a more practical level,” said Klingler. “We’re helping people to find new ways to make money, we’re educating people, we’re trying to advocate for things like rural health care or transportation in rural areas.” Read More

Image Credit: Bob Klinger