Rural Bitesize: New Online Training for Rural Lay Leaders Launches January 2026

The Arthur Rank Centre is pleased to announce the return of Rural Bitesize, a joint initiative delivered in partnership with The Methodist Church. This six-session online course offers accessible, practical support for rural lay leaders who want to explore mission, deepen confidence, and engage more widely with their communities.

Rural Bitesize begins on Monday 12 January 2026, running fortnightly from 7–9pm on Zoom. Designed around small, manageable steps, the course introduces key themes in rural mission and discipleship, grounded in real rural experience and shaped by the challenges and opportunities of the countryside.

The programme is ideal for those who are:

• seeking to connect more deeply with their local communities

• encouraging others in faith and discipleship

• wondering how to “give things a go” in rural settings

• questioning what mission and growth might look like where numbers are small and resources are stretched

Across the six sessions, participants will explore:

• connecting with the agricultural community

• rural margins and unseen hardship

• intergenerational rural mission, including schools work

• small-group discipleship in rural contexts

• rural festivals, community events and co-created traditions

Rural Bitesize is open to all denominations, reflecting the breadth of rural mission across the UK.

Thanks to specific funding, the course is free for leaders in the Methodist Church and associated Local Ecumenical Partnerships (lay or ordained, paid or unpaid). Ecumenical friends from other traditions are warmly welcome; a small charge applies to cover resources, payable via The Arthur Rank Centre.

Course Dates (7–9pm on Zoom):

• Monday 12 January

• Monday 26 January

• Monday 9 February

• Monday 23 February

• Monday 9 March

• Monday 23 March

Participants will receive joining details by email after registering. Those signing up are encouraged to commit to all sessions to gain the full benefit of the course.

Booking

Places are now open for registration. Click here to book your place