Why the focus on rural lay leadership?

Over sixty percent of our priests surveyed in the pilot groups, indicate finding the support of lay leaders is their greatest challenge.  The purpose of CRL’s Thriving Rural Congregations (TRC) ministry is to train rural parish teams of lay women and men in collaboration with their pastors, equipping them to be competent, confident and courageous leaders in their faith and in the face of a rapidly changing rural culture. These lay leaders will be supported by a national Catholic Rural Life Advisory Group and will form a national network of learners who walk with each other in faith and sharpen each other through sharing best practices and creative ideas for evangelization and discipleship in their rural communities.