Church Dynamics and Rural Development: The Case of the Baptist Churches in Romania

ABSTRACT: Holistic development of a society can also be defined as the study of the relationships between urban and rural sociologic contexts. This paper asserts that one of the contemporary imbalances that exist in the Romanian society is related to the difference between fairly large urban setting and the rural one. This imbalance manifests itself both in social, economic, emotional and religious aspects. In general, Romanian village has been affected by all these changes that took place in Romania during the most recent years. Therefore, a holistic development of the national society would mean the narrowing of this gap through a combination between foreign investment in the villages and the existing resources provided by the inhabitants of the villages. As an intervening variable, this paper analyzes what the Church is able to do to support rural development. What should be done to change the dynamics of rural Churches? In answering these questions, this article focuses exclusively on the presence of Baptist Churches in rural areas, based on my own research and personal involvement. The article will also outline some of the most influential factors that affect the rural development; particularly the strategy for revitalization of the Baptist churches in order to bring a positive contribution to social rural development. KEY WORDS: Rural Development, Church Dynamics, Baptist Churc