The general trend in urban areas is that as the density of the population goes up, the presence of the church goes down. In response, many churches are being planted in some of the most densely populated parts of the Twin Cities. For our Urban Church Planting Q & A series, we interview pioneer church planters who, having firmly planted churches in urban areas of the Twin Cities, look back and share their wisdom and reflections. Here we interview Chris Wachter, Lead Pastor at Hiawatha Church in South Minneapolis.

For our "Thriving and Growing Rural Churches" series, Paul Jorgensen, Lead Teaching Pastor at Cornerstone Church shares how God is at work in Litchfield, a small town of 6,700 people. Amazingly, Cornerstone Church welcomed more than 1,200 people to their five Easter services this year. Over the past five years Cornerstone Church has more than doubled its attendance, with 120-180 people per year choosing to put their trust in Christ. Read more about what is drawing people to drive from all over the 5-county region to be a part of Cornerstone’s worship services.

For our Pastor’s Column series we are focusing on thriving and growing rural churches. We asked Marlin Mohrman the lead pastor at Morris Evangelical Free Church to share how Morris EFC overcame a season of conflict, distrust and hurt to achieve reconciliation and health. As well as how when church membership was flat-lining, Morris EFC managed to double its members within a decade by focusing on worship style, ethnic outreach, and defining roles in leadership.

For our Pastor's Column series we are focusing on thriving and growing rural churches. We asked Jim Johnson the pastor of Motley Free Methodist Church to share how Motley FMC has grown from less than a dozen attendees to averaging nearly 300 in worship.