Are you part of a small church? Have you felt like the resources and ideas offered to deal with COVID-19 are not possible for you? Do you have some ideas that have worked for your small church you would like to share with others? Small membership and rural churches have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. During this webinar, we’ll talk about how they can utilize their strengths to overcome these challenges and lead in unique and creative ways. Our guest is Rev. Allen Stanton is the Executive Director of the Turner Center at Martin Methodist College. Before coming to Martin Methodist College, he served as the pastor of a small United Methodist Congregation in North Carolina. Prior to serving in the local church, he served as the Rural Church Fellow at the Institute for Emerging Issues, a non-partisan public-policy think tank at N.C. State University. At the Turner Center, Allen focuses on how rural churches can become leaders in economic and community development and building strong community partnerships. Allen has written for a variety of publications, including Practical Matters, Faith and Leadership, and Ministry Matters. He is currently completing his first book, Reclaiming Rural, for publication in late 2020. Our host is Rev. Melissa Drake, currently Associate Director of Congregational Excellence of the Iowa Annual Conference. The Good Idea Webinars are a joint effort of the Office of Congregational Excellence, Office of Leadership and Clergy Excellence, the cabinet, lay leaders Lynn Calvert and Angela Hansen-Abbas and the Communications team.