Faith & Community

About Faith & Community

The Rural Faith Communities as Anchor Institutions 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.

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.

• Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations with Rev. Allen Stanton
• Talking Rural Aging
• Talking Rural Food Ministries
• Talking Rural Clergy Mental Health

pathways to engage

Peer Networks

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

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Faith & Community Conference

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

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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.

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Resources

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

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Questions?

Contact:
John Parker, Faith and Community Initiative Leader
jdparke8@ncsu.edu

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