Pastoring in a rural community: Challenges and triumphs

The minute that Todd Wright, pastor of Midway Church in Carrollton, Ga., walks in the door, it’s not hard to forecast that he loves life and loves doing ministry in his rural community of 26,000 people. From his cowboy hat to his cowboy belt to the farming style of his office, Wright loves Jesus and his rural community of Carrollton. He believes that he was created to do ministry in rural America and isn’t ashamed in sharing that God is at work there. He has been the pastor of Midway church for 22 years, and this is the story of the significant changes he’s seen.

Maina Mwaura: How did Midway Church grow into a large church in a city of 26,000 people? 

Todd Wright: To begin with, I felt the church had a great vision when I got here. However, they were inward focused. When I came to Midway, we were running 200, which is not a bad size for a church. After six months of being here, I made the decision that we were going to be outward focused. The first excursion in being mission-based came when I asked our people to pray and knock on every door in our community. In visiting those homes, it opened our people’s hearts to our community. The nearest community at that time was five miles away. It’s been amazing seeing those same people that we prayed for now are a part of our church….