The Diocese of Iowa’s Regional Mission Initiative (RMI) is an immersive program to support and strengthen our lay and clergy leadership in small churches to address the challenges facing our shrinking, rural communities. We divided the state into 3 regions. Members from 8-9 small churches in each of those regions will gather in a cohort of mutual learning and support over 3+ years. The three cohorts will engage with rich theological formation and spiritual practices, alongside community organizing methods, and asset-based community development, led by a Regional Missioner and supported by other regional clergy. They will draw on data-driven research and learning modules developed at Iowa State University as part of the Rural Shrink Smart Initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and other tools to build new partnerships to strengthen the networks of relationships, interactions, and resources within the community. The prophet Jeremiah told the people, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (29:7). The need and opportunity we seek to address with this initiative is this: How can our faith communities, working alongside others, seek the welfare of the city and sustain a thriving and vibrant community in the midst of depopulation realities in rural Iowa? The Regional Mission Initiative is hope-filled path to meeting a real and pressing need for our small and rural churches. Most of those already had been living into a primarily lay-led, clergy-supported model of church, and more are moving in that direction quickly out of necessity. We believe that the RMI will support our congregations' ability to thrive and to be vibrant and vital participants in the mission of God in their communities into the future.