STS Vermont
Our Extraordinary Christ
On Thursday, May 23rd, 2024, Small Town Summits will host a Summit at Cornerstone Church in South Royalton, VT. Pastors and lay leaders from small places across Vermont will explore the riches of the book of Hebrews in order to revel in the incomparable greatness of Jesus.
More information coming soon.
Our Extraordinary Christ
May 23rd 2024
Small-town New England churches and pastors are used to feeling ordinary – and that’s because we are. We stumble, struggle, and sin. We get discouraged. We’re often weak, weary, and uncertain. What we most need is not someone to tell us we’re impressive. We need a truly impressive Someone. We need to be reminded of our extraordinary Christ.
From the very first lines of the book of Hebrews, Jesus is declared superior to every created being. And Jesus’ greatness is meant not just to be marveled at, but to motivate us to persevering love and obedience. In our 2024 Small Town Summits, we’ll explore the riches of the book of Hebrews in order to revel in the incomparable greatness of Jesus. We’ll see that the supremacy of Christ is rocket fuel for a joyfully tenacious life and ministry. The small places of New England desperately need pastors, laypeople and churches who don’t flame out, who doggedly and delightedly go on. The small places need people who care more about the fame of Jesus than their own. The greatness of Jesus will propel us forward and be our all-satisfying prize when our race is complete.
8.30 – 9am - Arrival and registration
9 – 10am - Welcome, singing, introductions and the vision of Small Town Summits
10 – 11am - Session #1: ‘Our Extraordinary God’ (Hebrews 1:1-14) and group discussion (Michael Badger)
11 – 11.30am - Coffee break
11.30am – 12.30pm - Session #2: ‘Our Extraordinary Brother’ (Hebrews 2:5-18)and group discussion (Tim Counts)
12.30 – 1.30pm - Lunch
1.30 – 2.30pm - Breakout sessions
2.30 – 2.45pm - Break
2.45 – 3.30pm - Session #3: ‘Our Extraordinary Priest’ (Hebrews 10:19-25) and group discussion (Ben Ruhl)
3.30 – 4pm - Prayer
In our main sessions, Michael Badger, Ben Ruhl and Tim Counts will exposit select passages in the book of Hebrews, in order to revel in the incomparable greatness of Jesus and to consider how that motivates a faithful endurance for those of us ministering in small-town New England.
Michael is an elder of Redeemer Church in St. Albans, VT. Before moving to Vermont two and a half years ago, he and his wife, Kayla, spent time in various ministry roles in Tennessee, Germany, and Ireland. Michael and his wife have two wonderful children; Rowan and Arna.
Ben Ruhl is the lead pastor of BeFree Community Church in Alton, NH and the Executive Director of Small Town Summits. He's a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. He is husband to Olivia and father to Davie and Cal.
Tim Counts is the pastor of Northshire Baptist Church in Manchester Center, VT. He's a graduate of The Master's Seminary. He and his wife Melanie have two sons and one daughter. Tim writes regularly at He Must Become Greater.
Craig Combs
The only preaching that is effectual to save the lost and sanctify the saints is the kind that holds forth Jesus Christ as he is truly found in the Scriptures. If we fail to preach Christ we fail to preach what the Bible truly teaches; we have depart from the message that God the Holy Spirit uses to build the church, and we may very well drift over into preaching our own mere opinions, or outright doctrinal error. Christ alone from the Bible alone by the Spirit's power alone is the answer!
Craig was born and raised in Cave City, Kentucky. He came to faith in Christ in the Cave City Baptist Church (SBC) in 1972 and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University (1978) and Westminster Theological Seminary (MAR 1985; MDiv 1986, DMin 2015). He was ordained to gospel ministry by First Baptist Church of Newtown Township, Pennsylvnia in 1988, and served churches in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont. Craig partnered on the pastoral team that planted Redeeming Grace Church in 2005 and has served as Preaching Mentor for the NETS Center for Church Planting & Revitalization from 2008-2022. Currently Craig is serving as the Associate Pastor for Education at Christ Memorial Church in Williston, VT. He has been married to Betsy for over 35 years and has five children, five grandchildren with two more coming any minute!
Aaron Sellars
Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why do the days seem long, yet the years short?" After working so hard, the project list always seems to grow. The world God has created for us is finite, yet we are called to labor within those limits. In this breakout session, we will explore the stewardship of leading a church in a small place. Church leaders in small places have a unique role, as we tend to have fewer volunteers and scant resources. We will spend some time surveying Scripture together to then wisely apply biblical principles to our ministries. Even with little margin, there is hope for leaders in small places to be productive.
Aaron Sellars is the pastor of Cornerstone Church, in Royalton, VT. He, his wife of 19 years, and his four children, moved to Vermont having grown up in Southern California in 2020. He is a graduate of Talbot School of Theology.
Josh Moore
What is the goal of our Lord’s Day worship? Certainly, we want to bring honor and praise to our Triune God. But how? Is it purely through proclamation? Or is there a participatory and formative aspect to our gatherings? In this breakout session we are going to explore how a worship service is no mere information transfer, but participation with the holy angels and the historic church triumphant across the ages in the worship of heaven. We will discuss what this means for planning and organizing our worship services in small places.
Josh Moore has been the pastor of The Red Door Church in South Royalton, VT, for over 10 years. He's a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). Josh and his wife Megan have four children ages 14 to 10.
Deborah Shofstahl
Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “This is not the life I signed up for!” Being a travel companion, assistant, and nurse to Sue Thomas FBEye sounded glamorous, but I quickly realized that real life in the small town can be very mundane. In this breakout session we will talk about catching the vision that our God is intimately involved in the tiniest details of everyday life in the small places. We will see how He is using those details to shape us into His likeness, give us purpose, and even incredible joy in the ordinary!
Deborah Shofstahl is a registered nurse and was the travel companion and personal assistant of Sue Thomas for 19 years. Together their speaking ministry of encouragement gave them opportunity to travel extensively throughout the USA, and the world. Since Sue’s home-going to Heaven in 2022, Deborah's heart is to continue encouraging people in all walks of life, and to point the hurting to the Divine Healer. Her interests include writing, music, tea times, and gourmet cooking for family and friends. She divides her time between Columbiana, OH, and Tunbridge, VT, at the WaterBrooks Prayer Sanctuary, the heartbeat of Sue Thomas Ministries
Meet the Team
Josh is the pastor at the United Church of South Royalton in South Royalton, VT. Josh recieved his Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte campus) and is currently studying for a Doctor of Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his wife have four children ages 13, 11, 10 and 9. In their free time they take walks, visit coffee shops, read good books, watch movies and enjoy the occasional hike.
Marty has pastored the East Randolph Baptist Church since 2002 and has enjoyed seeing the church growing and understanding the truth and application of the gospel. Marty has four kids and was married to Julie in 1998. He grew up in New England and after a few years in Kentucky came back to serve in Vermont. Marty enjoys serving his small town and the way of life in rural Vermont.
Michael is an elder of Redeemer Church in St. Albans, VT. Before moving to Vermont two and a half years ago, he and his wife, Kayla, spent time in various ministry roles in Tennessee, Germany, and Ireland. Michael and his wife have two wonderful children; Rowan and Arna.
