Article: OUR TOWN: OLIVIA; Church rolls shrink; church roles remain vital; Declining membership doesn't mean a decline in need. So much of what happens in small towns is built around their churches. Olivia's churches feed off (and sometimes feed) one another, while modern-day pastors sometimes serve several churches as a matter of economics.(NEWS)(SERIES: OUR TOWN: OLIVIA)

Byline: Chuck Haga; Staff Writer

Olivia, Minn. -- Editor's note: This is the 11th in a 12-part series about life in Olivia (population 2,570). The final part will appear Friday. Go to http://www.startribune.com/olivia/ for more from "Our Town: Olivia," including a gallery of Brian Peterson's photographs, an audio diary by Chuck Haga and previous installments of the series.

Virgil and Sylvia Prahl, married for 53 years, listen attentively as the Rev. Joel Luetke leads six members of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in a morning Bible study class.

The lesson has some of Jesus' disciples, disappointed by setbacks, questioning whether God really ...

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