Barney Wells 

Few leaders understand the mindset of the smaller rural church like Barney Wells. While studying for the ministry, Barney served as youth minister in the rural village of Solsberry, Indiana. He later preached at the Mt. Pleasant Christian Church, an open-country church in Hancock County, Illinois. From 1981 until 2006 Barney served as minister of the Walnut Grove Christian Church in Arcola, Illinois. Barney has earned several ministry degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry degree in Town and Country Church Leadership from Bethel Theological Seminary. Barney co-authored Leading Through Change: Shepherding the Town and Country Church in a New Era (ChurchSmart Publishers) and regularly teaches courses in rural ministry in several Bible colleges and seminaries.