This is the place to find out what's going on with rural mission and ministry – and join in!
Upcoming webinars
We offer a variety of opportunities to gather online and learn together. Please see the Rural Pathways page for full webinar and network details, or click here to explore the Rural Hope collection.
Upcoming training
Bite-Sized Rural Mission
The Bite-sized rural mission course is an online course over six evenings, aimed at local lay leaders looking to develop mission and evangelism in their rural contexts.
Course runs between 11 Jan – 22 Mar 2027
For full details of content and timings, and to book your place, please click on the button below.
Rural Mission & Ministry
The Rural Mission & Ministry Course is an ecumenical residential two-day course for lay and ordained rural leaders, hosted with the Arthur Rank Centre.
Content covered includes:
- mission
- agriculture
- leadership
- community
- pioneering
- working with all ages.
Dates for 2026/2027:
- 10–11 November 2026 at Woking
- 12–13 May 2027 at Wydale Hall
- 13–14 October 2027 at Yarnfield
We offer a £275 bursary for all lay and ordained Methodists on this course.
Rural & Wild
Rural & Wild is a brand-new course for 2026, gathering at Cliff College for a weekend of experiential learning outdoors. For lay and ordained leaders wanting to explore what outdoor community, mission and church can look like in the wild.
18–20 September 2026 at Cliff College, Derbyshire
[Provisional dates for 2027 are 24–26 September 2027]
We offer a £275 bursary for all lay andordained Methodists on this course.
Rural Mission Alumni
Rural Mission Alumni is a termly online gathering for previous 'graduates' of all the ARC rural training courses. Contact the Rural Officer for details.
Each session, we will delve further into a current rural mission and ministry topic, exploring together as leaders through a rural and ecumenical lens. There will also be space for mutual encouragement and updates.
Dates for 2026/2027 are the following Thursdays, at 7.00pm:
- 8 October 2026
- 28 January 2027
- 10 June 2027
- 18 November 2027
Signpost to Rural Chaplaincy
For rural and agricultural chaplaincy networking, training and resourcing, please visit our Methodist Chaplaincy pages.
Rural learning communities of practice
The Learning Network host ecumenical rural communities of practice. Click here to view our forthcoming topics and watch previous content here.