Skip to main content
Institute for Emerging Issues

Rural Faith Communities as Anchor Institutions

Moving forward together.
Wrestling with realities.
Building capacity for the long haul.

About RFCAI

The RFCAI Program at IEI has existed in partnership with The Duke Endowment since 2015 to fold rural North Carolina faith leaders into local and state-wide leadership on emerging issues. Through data, appreciative inquiry, and leadership development, IEI invites rural faith leaders to our Emerging Issues Forums, a faith-centered annual event (our RFCAI conference), and provides technical assistance on community-congregation partnerships throughout the year. Our network is over 400 clergy, lay leaders, and partners.

duke endowment logo
RFCAI is made possible through the generous funding of the Duke Endowment.

Lunch Club is BACK!

Join us weekly on Thursdays at noon for a relaxed and informal open space with no agenda for faith leaders to connect and support each other! Feel free to invite your friends to join us as well!

Ask Ellen for the Zoom link 

news

“Think & Do” with Rural Faith

As a “Think & Do“ tank, we’re always learning from and with North Carolinians. Here are two ways to dive into what’s happening in rural North Carolina with faith communities this summer. 

Engage!: Collaborative Community and Organizational Capacity Building for Mutual Learning

IEI’s rural faith team supports faith communities for increased community engagement and collaboration through a process that assists them with identifying and understanding the root causes of community issues, developing community action plans, and implementing those plans. 

3 Things You Can Do as a Rural Faith Leader to Address the Digital Divide

We’ve been talking about faith leaders and digital inclusion for a while at IEI, and there’s been even more exciting opportunities (and funding!) to help you as a faith leader help folks connect to each other, to services they need, to jobs, and more. 

Connecting in Crisis

The Rural Faith Communities team at IEI (Ellen, John, and Kylie) are trying to figure out ways to do something about the COVID-19 pandemic. Somedays that’s collecting stories from pastors, other days it’s listening to statewide leaders trying to figure out what the next week of the pandemic might look like for North Carolina. Connect with us as we continue learning.

Reach out to the team 
NC Staff volunteers work to communicate the importance of wearing masks with students and provide free protective masks to students while working with the “Protect the Pack” initiative on campus. Photo by Marc Hall

Faith & Community Podcast

Listen to Peer Networks podcasts around issues that matter to faith leaders—the hard and good conversations we are, or should be, having.

pathways to engage

Close up African American male hands typing on laptop keyboard

Peer Networks

IEI’s Peer Networks are issue-based informal resource groups around topics rural faith leaders care about.

Learn more 
PILOT21 virtual meeting

RFCAI Conference

IEI hosts an annual gathering for faith leaders passionate about community engagement and collaborative partnerships in rural North Carolina.

Learn more 

Emerging Issues Forum

Rural faith leaders from around North Carolina gather at the Emerging Issues Forum each year, along with statewide leaders in business, education, non-profits, government, and more.

Learn more 
Close up African American male hands typing on laptop keyboard

Resources

Making your impact a little easier by connecting you to the best resources.

Read more 

Questions?

Contact:
Kylie Foley, Rural Faith Communities Program Manager
kdfoley@ncsu.edu

John Parker, Rural Faith Communities Senior Fellow
jdparke8@ncsu.edu

Ellen Beasley, Rural Faith Communities Program Assistant
mebeasl2@ncsu.edu