The Church on the Wild Rivers Coast

The Church on the Wild Rivers Coast: A Research and Survey Project

The Wild Rivers Coast is a geographic area extending from the Klamath River in extreme northwestern California to the mouth of the Umpqua River in southwestern Oregon. It is home to approximately 125,000 people living in small towns and tribal lands spread over 4,650 square miles. Launched in May 2018, in partnership with Global Church Ministries, our research pursued three primary purposes:

• To understand the status of existing churches in this region and explore ideas for the development of mutually beneficial networks and resources.
• To appreciate existing church/community interactions and consider strategies for even greater cooperation and collaboration.
• To make a meaningful contribution to the growing national small-church movement.

The research and survey scope included Evangelical and other Protestant churches only. Our ultimate goal is to create opportunities for networking, collaboration, and other interactions that strengthen and supplement the efforts of individual churches and church leaders to start and maintain healthy congregations and have a positive impact in their communities.

Click on links below for PDF of the:

• Research and Survey Report and Summary
• Survey Data
• Renewed Interest - A Fresh Look at the Rural Church - the 2017 academic paper that preceded this project