Connect Church Hub Partnership
Help Launch a Regional Movement of Thriving Rural Churches
Connect Church is a proven model that equips rural churches to deepen their community connections and lead lasting, asset-based transformation in their local context. Since 2018, the program has empowered more than 90 churches in North Carolina through a yearlong process of coaching, learning, and relationship-building. Now, we are expanding this work nationally through strategic partnerships with denominations, regional church networks, and faith-based organizations. If you're interested, please review this page, ask us any questions you may have, and apply.
Our Vision
We believe rural churches are vital institutions with the potential to lead powerful change in their communities. The National Connect Church initiative supports regional partners — hub partners — to launch and sustain localized versions of Connect Church. With training, support, and investment, hub partners help churches build authentic relationships with neighbors, develop missional engagement plans, and cultivate long-term sustainability.
What Hub Partners Do
Hub partners serve as the lead organization for Connect Church in a defined region. Each hub oversees three church cohorts over three years and plays a critical role in shaping the program’s local success. As a hub partner, you would:
- Provide Program Leadership – Guide the strategic vision, oversee implementation, and serve as the main point of contact for your region.
- Offer Monthly Coaching – Recruit and support a team of coaches who will walk alongside participating churches through structured coaching sessions.
- Recruit Churches – Identify, vet, and onboard churches that are ready to engage in asset-based ministry and community listening.
- Administer Grants – Support churches in launching or expanding ministries that respond to community-identified opportunities.
- Support Long-Term Impact – Help churches navigate challenges and sustain their efforts beyond the grant period.
- Lead Evaluation and Learning – Collect feedback, track outcomes, and collaborate with the national team to refine and grow the program.
What We Want
We are looking for regional partners who are:
- Passionate about equipping rural churches and committed to their long-term vitality.
- Experienced in community collaboration, leadership development, and faith-based work.
- Positioned to recruit and support up to 25 churches over three years.
- Ready to manage program operations, provide coaching, and steward financial resources.
- Aligned with our values of asset-based community development, ecumenical collaboration, and relational trust-building.
Application Timeline
The path to partnership is rooted in mutual discernment and intentional relationship-building. Here’s what to expect:
- July 1, 2025 – Pre-screening and exploratory conversations with interested organizations
- September 2025 – Application opens
- January 2026 – Hub partner selections announced
- April 2026 – Orientation for new hub partners
- August 2026 – First cohort of churches launches
Ready to Learn More?
We’d love to connect. The pre-application is open until August 31.
Click below to start your application.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, reach out to:
Darren Crotts, Senior Program Manager, Faith in Rural Communities at dcrotts@ncruralcenter.org.
IMPACT STORY
Church Reading Program Changes Lives of Children in the School Next Door
“The Connect Church process forced us to look at our assets and our needs, as well as the assets and needs of the community. The information we got was really revealing. We found that our county, our congregation and our team had loads of assets that we had not even thought about, and education was one of them.”
Jeanne Murray, co-director of Sharon UMC’s Literacy Enrichment Tutoring Program
Want to learn more?
Dr. Heather Kilbourne View Biography
Senior Director of Faith in Rural Communities
Dr. Darren Crotts View Biography
Faith in Rural Communities Senior Program Manager