Pastor Ryan Mitchell grew up in a rural community in central California. He wasn't raised in church. His father-in-law was the first to invite him.
Rural Pastor: Love your neighbor
When God called him to become a pastor, the Lord equipped Ryan with a fire to love his neighbor. "Everyone deserves love, whether they want it or feel they deserve it," he says.
For much of the day, you won't find Ryan in the church building. Instead, he's out and about, serving on the school board. Working a few hours at the local diner. "I saw they needed help," he says. "I've been there about two and a half years." After the pandemic, Ryan managed the city pool as a way to make sure it was open for the community. "I love on people in practical ways. I show them someone cares for them and the church is for them, not against them."
Dublin, Texas, is a farming and ranching community with about 3,600 residents. He and his wife have served there since July 2020. Church for the Lost and Found has around 40 people on Sundays. Some of which are people he has met and had conversations with while filling roles around town.
Not the biggest rural church, the most impactful
"I don’t want to be in the limelight," Ryan says. "I’m not going to be famous. I don’t want to be the biggest church in town. I want Church for the Lost and Found to be the most impactful. If our church closes, I want the community to be impacted.
"I want our church to go out and love people."
Learn more about Rural Compassion www.ruralcompassion.org.
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