Thriving Rural Communities
Rural Ministry Fellowships
Each year, Thriving Rural Communities awards full merit-based scholarships, sponsored by The Duke Endowment, to Duke Divinity School students from the two North Carolina United Methodist Annual Conferences who exhibit the gifts, passion, and signs of a calling to exceptional ordained leadership in rural United Methodist Churches in the state.
Recipients of the scholarship receive a stipend to serve their ten-week summer field education placements in a partner Thriving Rural Congregation. They also participate in an enrichment program that includes retreats, colloquia, a travel experience to encounter the Methodist church in Mexico, as well as an alumni network and various continuing education events upon graduation.
In return, Rural Ministry Fellows agree to begin their ministry in the rural United Methodist Church in North Carolina and serve in this setting for at least five years.
Criteria and Selection Process
Candidates are selected based on a review of Duke Divinity admissions materials and nominations from the annual conferences and from within the divinity school community. While the Rural Ministry Fellowship is predominantly awarded to prospective or first year full-time students, student pastors may also be nominated to receive an award.
Interviews for the Rural Ministry Fellowship are held in two rounds, usually in late January and mid March, with awards made soon after these dates. The interview committee is composed of representatives from Duke Divinity School and from the North Carolina and Western North Carolina Conference cabinets.
Once a student has been awarded a Rural Ministry Fellowship, his or her continued participation in the program is contingent on the maintenance of satisfactory academic progress and continued prayerful discernment of service to the rural church.
If you would like to nominate or recommend someone to receive a Rural Ministry Fellowship, or if you have questions about the program, please contact us.
Rural Ministry Fellows
Class of 2011
Jane Almon
Jane is from Wilmington, N.C. She studied biology at Wake Forest University and wetland ecology at N.C. State University, and has worked in rural areas in Colombia, South America, as well as the southeastern U.S. Since enrolling at Duke, she has served small-membership churches in Fremont, Hayesville, and Cedar Grove, N.C., and looks forward to a life in ministry that shares and strengthens the gifts of rural communities.
James Jones
Jim was born on base at Camp Lejeune and grew up in Jacksonville, Gastonia, and Greenville, N.C. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Zoology. After working in sales, he launched his own rental equipment business in Siler City, N.C., and operated it for 13 years before entering seminary. Jim and his wife, Susan, were members of First UMC in Siler City, where he taught Sunday School, served as lay leader, and participated in many of the church’s committees. He also frequently served as a lay speaker at the church’s sister Latino congregation and other churches. Jim currently serves as a student pastor at Lea’s Chapel UMC in Roxboro, N.C. He feels most at home in the rural areas of the state, which he sees as filled with incredible blessings and potential. It is his desire to show them in some small way how they can join God in transforming their communities.
Class of 2012
Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy is from Elizabethtown, N.C. He has a B.S. in psychology and religion from Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. Growing up in the rural church and living through the many experiences this provides allowed him to answer God's call to ministry. Guided by his experience in the Thriving Rural Communities initiative, he hopes his ministry will bring rural communities together by addressing their specific needs under the ministry and love of Jesus Christ.
Dustin Sprouse
Dusty was raised in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Va., where he was baptized and confirmed at Salem UMC. He worked in sales until he was 30, when he became a student pastor. He served several churches in the Elizabeth City District in N.C. while he went to Elizabeth City State University. He graduated in May 2008, and he currently serves Mt. Tirzah UMC in Person County. He has been married for fifteen years to his wife, Kimberlee, and they have four children.
Class of 2013
Howard James
Howard James was born in Bloomington, Ind., and grew up in Alamance County, N.C. He graduated in 2003 from the Bryan School of Business at UNC-Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in information systems and operations management. He has served in several areas of lay ministry at his home church including youth ministry, Sunday school teacher, and the church’s van ministry, and currently serves as a student pastor at the New Hope-Purley Charge in the Burlington District. His passion for rural ministry comes from his experiences leading youth mission trips to rural counties in southeastern N.C. He is thrilled to be a part of the Thriving Rural Communities initiative, which he believes can help transform rural ministry one church at a time.
Alumni of the Rural Ministry Fellows Program
Class of 2009
Leah Skaggs
Leah is a former N.C. public school history teacher. She has lived in the state for nearly 30 years. She feels joy that she is now able to fulfill her life’s calling by teaching the people of rural North Carolina about the love of God. Leah serves in Rose Hill, N.C. as pastor of Rose Hill UMC in the Goldsboro District.
Class of 2010
Jodi Lampley
Jodi was born and raised in Raleigh, N.C. She received her B.A. in Music Performance before responding to the call to seminary at Duke. During her first year, she discerned a call not only to ordained ministry, but also to rural ministry. Over the past two years, she has pursued her desire to serve the rural church in North Carolina and better serve our growing Hispanic population by making two trips to Central America to learn Spanish and experience the culture. Jodi currently serves as the Worship and Youth & Childrens’ Ministries Coordinator at Shiloh UMC in Lexington, N.C. She is excited about the possibilities of ministry in our state and can't wait to see what God has in store for us.
Jonathan Mills
Jonathan was born in New Bern and raised in Aurora, a small town on the N.C. coast. He received his B.A. from North Carolina State University in interpersonal and public communication. He has a lovely wife, Sarah Stormer Mills, and two "children" (aka cats--Chuck and Norris). Jonathan enjoys the close relational ministry found in the rural church. He likes getting to know people’s stories to see how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Jonathan serves in Robbins, N.C. as pastor of the Fair Promise-High Falls Charge in the Sanford District.
Ismael Ruiz-Millán
Originally from Sonora, Mexico, Ismael has lived in North Carolina since 2003. In April of 2004, he responded to God’s call by serving Unidos por Cristo UMC in Greenville, N.C., which eventually led him to Duke. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a provisional elder in the North Carolina Conference. Ismael says that his experience as a fellow in this program has taught him how God uses small congregations to an impact on the community as a whole. Ismael serves in Roxboro, N.C. as pastor of the Brookland-Brooksdale Charge in the Durham District
Class of 2011
Laura Beach
Laura grew up in Ferrum, Va., and studied international development at Davidson College, focusing on sustainable agricultural development in Africa. She has served as a ministerial intern at Maggie Valley UMC, Cherokee/Olivet UMC, and Cedar Grove UMC/Anathoth Garden. She says that these experiences helped her grow into her calling. Through ministry, she wants to follow Jesus’ radical teachings about how to live together justly, honor creation, and love God.
Ken Spencer
Ken is from Charlotte, N.C., where he is a member of University City UMC. He received his B.A. in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He served as a ministerial intern at Tyro UMC in Lexington, N.C. Ken looks forward to building strong relationships and investing in the lives of the members of the congregations he will serve.
Class of 2012
Bradley Hinton
Brad Hinton grew up in the small town of Mebane, N.C., and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in religion and a minor in Appalachian studies. During the last two years of college, he worked with the youth group at Boone UMC and all the while was being formed by God for ministry and growing with passion for the rural church. He volunteered and worked with emergency services in Watauga County and loves helping people physically and spiritually. He hopes to continue to grow and learn about the rural church throughout this program.
Kevin Miller
Kevin graduated from Pfeiffer University with a B.A. in Christian Education. In the three years prior to coming to Duke Divinity School from Concord, N.C., Kevin served at an outdoor therapeutic center counseling “at-risk” youth and also taught at Arborbrook Christian Academy. While active in these ministries, Kevin served as the part-time youth leader at Harrisburg UMC. During that time, he discerned a call to ordination and to rural ministry, and feels honored and blessed to be a part of the Thriving Rural Communities initiative. Kevin, his wife Katie, and his two children Eliana and Malachi are excited for the opportunity to learn from, be a part of, and witness to all that they know God is already doing in the rural church.
Lucy Robbins
Lucy is originally from the Asheboro area, but spent the last nine years in Greensboro. While there, she worked as an administrator at UNCG's Bryan School of Business after earning her B.S. in Business Administration in 2000. She also holds a M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from UNCG. Presently, Lucy is a member of Christ UMC in Greensboro, where she has participated in leadership programs, mission trips and fundraisers, and volunteered with the UMY. An internship at Shiloh UMC in the summer of 2009 affirmed her call to rural ministry. While there, she was able to visit with members of the congregation, lead worship, and preach on a few occasions. Lucy also is passionate about Hispanic ministries and hopes to incorporate her Spanish language skills and knowledge of the culture into her ministry upon graduation.
Clifford Wall
Cliff is a graduate of East Carolina University, and prior to coming to Duke Divinity School, he served for six months as an associate pastor part-time on a three-point charge in the Pilot Mountain area of the Western N.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he is a student pastor at Banks UMC in Granville County. He feels that being in rural ministry has been a tremendous blessing, bringing him closer to the people he prays with when he delivers firewood to them, and while they make Brunswick stew together.
Alumni of the Rural Ministry Fellows Program
Class of 2009
Duncan Martin
Duncan grew up in Newton, N.C. and studied government and religion at Wofford College. After graduating from Duke Divinity in May 2009, he was commissioned for ordained ministry and is currently serving Antioch and Oak Grove United Methodist Churches in Rural Hall, N.C. Through the Thriving Rural Communities initiative, he was able to learn that our rural communities are not just places with great needs, but they have countless gifts to offer the larger church and the world.
Class of 2010
Nicole Jones 
Nicole is originally from Charlotte, N.C. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in sociology and family development. From 2005 to 2007, she lived in Jefferson, N.C., with her husband, Stephen, and worked at Jefferson UMC as the Director of Christian Education. Her time in Jefferson fueled her passion for rural ministry, and she feels blessed with each opportunity to participate in the story of the rural church. Nicole serves in Peachland, N.C. as pastor of the Gilboa-Peachland Charge in the Albemarle District.
Emily Kroeger
Emily earned a B.S. in sociology from Appalachian State University in 1999, with minors in political science, sustainable development, and business. She served as a volunteer in Boone, and then worked and volunteered in New York City and Charlotte, N.C., before taking the time to raise two young sons. She is looking forward to participating in God’s work in rural North Carolina. Emily serves in Misenheimer, N.C. as the pastor of Matton’s Grove UMC.