Spreading God’s Glory, One
Rural Church at a Time
Our Purpose
Our Simple Mission
The Brainerd Institute exists to equip the saints to lead healthy churches.
We believe rural churches matter because God’s glory is meant to shine in every place—not just the crowded ones. That’s why we train and support leaders to strengthen churches where they’re often overlooked.
Everything we do centers on four key pillars: Sufficiency of Scripture, Leadership Cultivation, Gospel Saturation and Pastoral Health. Our aim is the demonstration of God’s glory in rural places through the faithful churches.
Sufficiency of Scripture
Leadership Cultivation
Pastoral Health
Gospel Saturation
What We Do
We invest in people so rural churches can thrive.
Through hands-on training, deep encouragement, and gospel-centered relationships, we’re raising up a new generation of leaders for hard-to-reach places.
Here’s how we do it:
Pastoral Residency – A twelve-month, boots-on-the-ground training pathway for men preparing to lead in rural churches.
Cohorts – Ongoing support and sharpening for pastors, church leaders, and ministry wives, grounded in the Word and rooted in friendship.
Regional Gatherings – Events that strengthen rural churches through preaching, instruction, and relationships.
Resource Development – Articles, podcasts, and tools to help rural Christians lead faithfully, wherever God has placed them.
Every effort is designed to serve the local church and spread God’s glory into the forgotten corners of the map.
Residency
Train where most won’t go—because God’s glory is meant to shine everywhere.
The Brainerd Residency is a full-immersion training experience for men discerning a call to pastoral ministry in rural places. Over the course of twelve months, residents live in the community, serve in real churches, and receive personal, theological, and pastoral training from seasoned leaders.
This isn't a theory. It’s preparation for real life in overlooked places.
You’ll study, preach, shepherd, and serve alongside those God has called you to love—so when the time comes, you’re ready to lead with courage, conviction, and clarity.
God’s mission reaches to the ends of the Earth. Come train for the places everyone else forgets.
Podcasts
Biblical encouragement for life and ministry in overlooked places.
Rural Church Renewal
A podcast for rural pastors, by rural pastors. Join TJ Freeman, Joe Wagner, and Josh MacClaren as they tackle the joys and challenges of leading churches in forgotten places—with practical wisdom, theological clarity, and a touch of humor.
Back to Rurality
Life in a small town comes with unique challenges. In Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman helps everyday Christians rediscover why rural life matters to God. Each episode speaks to real struggles like suffering, spiritual apathy, and battling sin—all through the lens of biblical truth and rural faithfulness.
Articles
Upcoming Events
You weren’t meant to do ministry alone.
Throughout the year, the Brainerd Institute hosts gatherings that bring rural pastors, church leaders, and believers together for training, encouragement, and worship.
These events—like our Equip gatherings, regional retreats, and leadership intensives—strengthen gospel partnerships and equip the saints to lead healthy churches in hard-to-reach places.
And this is just the beginning. As more people partner with us, we envision these events multiplying across the country—until every rural community has access to strong, faithful, Word-centered churches.
Come be sharpened. Come be encouraged. Come together for the spread of God’s glory!
