Appalachia

Appalachia is a geographic region that stretches along the Appalachian mountain range from southern New York to northeastern Mississippi. The region contains all or part of 13 states – New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The Appalachian region is officially defined under federal legislation that established the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Appalachia has a population of over 25 million, with more than 40 percent classified as rural compared to only 20 percent nationally. The region is rich in cultural traditions and environmental diversity. Nevertheless, there are unique issues that impact Appalachians. These issues present specific challenges to the United Methodist Church, including:

• a growing number of churches that are served by part-time pastors or personnel hired by the district superintendent;
• a lack of resources in rural and urban churches for development of ministry to address issues of the community;
• growing problems of society: violence and crime, homelessness, substance abuse, workforce development, and community and economic development;
• irreversible damage to the air, water, and way of life from the harvesting natural resources of the region and the polluting processes that accompany the harvesting of those resources; and
• unfair tax structures that benefit absentee landowners.