Train New Leaders
Rural Ministry Fellowship Program
Rural Ministry Fellowship Covenant
Full merit-based scholarships, sponsored by The Duke Endowment, are awarded each year to Duke Divinity School students who exhibit the gifts, passion, and signs of a calling to ordained leadership in rural United Methodist Churches in North Carolina. Recipients of the award also receive a stipend to serve their ten-week summer field education placements in a partner Thriving Rural Congregation, and participate in an enrichment program that includes retreats, colloquia, a travel experience to encounter the Methodist church in Latin America, as well as an alumni network and various continuing education events upon graduation. Rural Ministry Fellows covenant to begin their ministry in the rural United Methodist Church in North Carolina.
Rural Ministry Fellows at Duke Divinity School
From the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church:
James Henderson Class of 2007
Martha McLean Class of 2008
Ismael Ruiz-Millan Class of 2010
Leah Skaggs Class of 2009
Jodi Lampley Class of 2010
Jonathan Mills Class of 2010
Jane Almon Class of 2011
Dustin Sprouse Class of 2012
From the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church:
Emily Kroeger Class of 2010
Nicole Jones Class of 2010
Duncan Martin Class of 2009
Laura Beach Class of 2011
Rachel Brock Class of 2011
Ken Spencer Class of 2011
Clifford Wall Class of 2012
Rural Ministry Colloquia
Monthly lunch-time gatherings at Duke Divinity School where a pastor, scholar, layperson, or practitioner is invited to address an issue related to rural life or ministry and then lead a discussion on the topic. These events are open to the public.
Recent Rural Ministry Colloquia
- “The Beauty of Rural Ministry” led by Rev. Jeremy Troxler
- “A Dollar General Church in a Wal-Mart World” led by Bishop Kenneth Carder
- “The Easter Evening Church” led by Rev. Jeremy Troxler
- “Reflections on Open Secrets” led by Dr. Richard Lischer
- “Blessing of the Hands: Farmworkers and the Church” led by Melinda Wiggins of Student Action for Farmworkers, Dr. Edgardo Colon Emeric, Dr. Amy Laura Hall, and Rev. Jeremy Troxler, in partnership with Chris Liu Beers and the NC Council of Churches