What We Do

A man with glasses and a plaid shirt sitting on a chair, holding papers, speaking and gesturing with his hand in front of a wooden stage background.
A man in a checkered shirt giving a presentation to a group of five people in a conference room with large windows, trees outside, a TV screen displaying a slide, and various beverages on the table.
A man in a checkered shirt and glasses speaking at a wooden podium with a microphone in a church or chapel, with stained glass windows and organ pipes in the background.

The Solution is Rural.

Every rural community is different, and so each collaboration we build is unique. We partner with faith communities, universities, and non-profits to find new ways to help rural communities flourish. Bringing more than a decade of experience in higher education, community development, fundraising, and strategic partnerships, we most commonly work in three areas:

We work with denominational agencies, seminaries, church-related colleges, congregations, and church-related colleges to design programs that support current rural leaders and train the next generation of rural pastors.

  • Strategic Planning & Organizational Development

  • Curriculum Development for Degree & Certificate Programs

  • Leadership Cohorts & Continuing Education

  • Retreats, Workshops & Webinars

  • Church & Community Analysis

Faith-based institutional consulting

Rural health & education infrastructure

We help healthcare systems, educational institutions, and community organizations build sustainable infrastructure in rural areas. Drawing on experience managing multi-million-dollar rural health and education initiatives, we provide:

  • Program Design & Implementation Support

  • Partnership Development

  • Accreditation Planning

  • Needs Assessment & Population Analysis

Grant development & administration

We partner with organizations to secure funding and implement complex grant-funded initiatives. With a track record of successful grants totaling millions of dollars from federal, state, and major philanthropies, we provide:

  • Grant Strategy & Grant Planning

  • Proposal Development & Writing

  • Project Management & Implementation

  • Compliance & Reporting

  • Budget Development

  • Partnership Coordination for Multi-Institutional Grants

But this is just where we start. We know that your needs might be different. Let’s talk about what thriving looks like in your rural community, and build a plan grounded in your unique strengths.

The solution is rural.

What People Say

  • Allen’s life and work bears witness to his deep faith in God’s presence and movement in places most of us tend to overlook, like rural America. As a scholar, writer, and pastor, Allen is familiar with facts and stories of the challenges faced by rural churches and their communities, but he is also full of stories of possibilities and hope. I’m grateful for his clear-eyed, hope-filled leadership.

    Whitney Kimball Coe, Vice President of National Programs, Center for Rural Strategies

  • Seminary does not prepare you for rural churches. This cohort does.

    Rural Cohort Participants

  • Along with the tools to re-think what is most important in today’s faith community’s existence, Allen began to introduce us to tools that helped us better identify current needs in our congregations of any size and situation, pinpoint the main stakeholders, investigate potential initiatives that would address these needs, then begin crafting the imperative communication around all this.

    Rev. Dr. Susan Arnold, First Presbyterian Church, Springdale

Let’s Work Together