Dear CNC Leaders,
Join a Regional Team. It’s your built-in ministry support network.
Who are your people? At Converge North Central, we believe we are better with others by our side. Connect with your regional leader, keep your pastor and church healthy, and reach more people with the gospel.
Your Converge North Central regional leader is available for wisdom, support, and practical help. When you connect with your leader, your pastor can join a cohort of 10–12 others for peer support, and your church gets a third-party mentor who can help with a variety of needs.
Energizing pastors
Pastors meet with a cohort at least four times per year for refreshment, education, and support. Your regional leader facilitates connections and helps your pastor reflect on their ministry and personal health. Most cohorts are geographically based.
Hone your church and board leadership
Your regional leader can help your church set the course for healthy ministry, course-correct when issues arise, and find vetted resources. Leaders help with conflict resolution, pastoral searches, board and leadership training, and more.
Over the next several months, we will increase your awareness of the powerful impact of being an active member of a regional team. Also, we are looking for a couple more regional leaders so if you are interested in leading in your area, I highly recommend it.
To join a team, become a regional leader, or if you have questions contact Joel Nelson.
In Christ,
Wick
Executive Director of Trout Lake Camps
Interim Regional President of Converge North Central
Camping
Ground Breaking At Trout Lake Camps
During the month of August we began construction of a cottage on the shores of Trout Lake. This project was made possible by a family who has a decades-long relationship with God’s ministry at Trout and a deep passion to reach the next generation for Jesus.
The estate planning program we put into place at Trout almost 8 years ago was used to help the Caskey family setup a charitable remainder trust and leave a legacy that will bless many CNC pastors and their spouses for decades. “Our family is thrilled to fund this unique cottage at one of the most impactful ministries we have ever known. May Jesus get the glory and may pastors/spouses enjoy the shores of Trout Lake – Steve Caskey.”
In order to maximize the donation to Trout and reduce labor costs, we have called on our core volunteers to help make this cottage a reality. Doug Carlson, Marty Walker, Mark Welty and Mark Grindahl are “first up” to build the foundation. Thank you so much and may Jesus keep our volunteers safe!
Starting
Church Planting Assessment Center (2 min read)
Recently, the Converge Church Planter Assessment Center took place in Converge North Central, hosted by Renovation Church in Blaine, MN. Nine couples from all over the U.S. (including four from CNC) came together for a jam-packed four-day event with trained assessors. During this time, they got to preach, share their visions, work in team settings, and meet with counselors and assessors. This assessment gives a personalized and thorough look at a candidate’s readiness to plant a church successfully.
Every church planter in Converge North Central goes through this process, which is based on research by Dr. Charles Ridley, a leading pioneer in church planting assessments. The whole assessment revolves around Ridley’s 13 Church Planter Building Blocks:
- Visioning capacity
- Intrinsically motivated
- Creates ownership of ministry
- Relates to the unchurched
- Spousal cooperation
- Effectively builds relationships
- Committed to church growth
- Responsive to community
- Utilizes the giftedness of others
- Flexible and adaptable
- Builds group cohesiveness
- Resilience
- Exercises faith
Key to the assessment is that it’s all about looking at real behavior, not just what you say you believe.
If you ask someone if evangelism is essential in a pastoral role, they’ll likely say yes. If you ask if they value discipleship in their ministry philosophy, they’ll probably agree. And when asked about the importance of developing leaders within the church, they’d rate it highly.
But the assessment center wants to see this in action. How many spiritual conversations have they had in the past three months? Who have they led to faith in Christ over the past year? Can they give an example of a discipleship ministry they’ve been involved in? Who are they discipling, and who’s discipling them? How have they spotted and developed potential leaders?
Take a moment to pray for these nine couples and the churches or regions that sent them. They’ve received their outcomes, and some might be facing disappointment, while others are feeling encouraged and affirmed on their church planting journey. No matter what, they’re all seeking God’s guidance and reassurance for their next steps.
Maybe you’re interested in church planting or just curious about it. Maybe it’s been on your mind for a while. Or maybe you’re a lead pastor whose church is interested in planting a new one, and you have someone on your team who could be a fantastic church planter. If that sounds like you, reach out to Joel Nelson at jnelson@convergenorthcentral.org. He’d be happy to chat about what it takes and the systems, processes, and resources CNC has for planters and parent churches.
Strengthening
Bright Lights and Bugs (4 min read)
When I was in seminary, I worked at a big church in the Twin Cities. It wasn’t just a great place to learn about ministry—it was a place where I got to see how it’s done in real life. It was the perfect complement to all the stuff I was learning in class.
Funny enough, some of the most memorable moments from that time weren’t the big events or even the week-long college ministry houseboat trip to Lake of the Woods (although that was pretty unforgettable). What really stuck with me were the weekly staff meetings. They offered this behind-the-scenes look at how a large church really works—not just in terms of operations, but also the genuine care and concern that was so evident. When we planned or reviewed events and ministries, everything was filtered through the church’s mission, purpose, and values. Every staff member gave a report, and there was a real spirit of teamwork and support. And even in a big church, we took time to share the needs of individuals in the congregation and cover them in prayer. We celebrated with those who were celebrating, and we grieved with those who were grieving.
Events & Opportunities
Sept 17-19 Retired pastors and spouses retreat Trout Lake Camps
Sep 20-22 Women’s Fall Refreshment retreat Trout Lake Camps
This year at the Women’s Fall Refreshment Retreat, American Sign Language interpreting services will be provided for women who want to attend the retreat who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.
Oct 5 ENGAGE Crystal, MN
Oct 25-26 EBA cohort Eagle Brook Minneapolis campus
Nov 10 Fall Youth Rally 2024 Bethel University
Nov 12-14 S2 West Phoenix, AZ
City View Church Director of Operations Mpls, MN (job opening)
Livingwaters Church Director of Student/Youth Ministries Lakeville, MN (job opening)
Prayer
The Peace of Wild Things (3 minute read)
“It’s hard to believe it’s mid-August already.”
I’ve heard this statement many times. Often, it’s come out of my own mouth. It seems we express this sentiment every year. You would think we would get to the point where the speed of summer passing is not just anticipated but expected.
For me, my summer has been good, but there’s too much on the “Summer 2024 To-Do List” that remains. I know time is running short.
But it’s not just about time slipping away; it’s about what’s coming next. It’s not the weather—I love the crisp air and colors of fall. But I’m talking about the tension we feel in the world. The dream of the world coming together on the fields of athletic competition was quickly replaced by ongoing conflicts in our world. And let’s not even start on the political climate. It’s only going to get more heated, louder, and chaotic. Add to that the faster pace that comes with the fall season, and I find myself wishing I could hit rewind to Memorial Day.
My house backs up to a pond that is on the edge of a wetland. Ducks and geese are plentiful. Herons and egrets are regular visitors. At night, the crickets and the frogs put on a concert while the fireflies dance around the reeds.
I recently came across a poem by Wendell Berry called “The Peace of Wild Things.”
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
I don’t know about you, but the more time I spend following the news and checking my calendar, the more time I need to spend on my deck observing and enjoying all that is happening in the water, weeds, and woods of my backyard.
Let me remind you, in these times when we look around and can so easily get discouraged and anxious, that…
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Our prayer for our pastors:
- A safe and refreshing end to summer
- A renewed focus on God first amidst all that is happening around us
- Energy and a strong start to the fall ministry season
- Whether it be a sunrise or sunset, a beautiful flower or nature in our backyard, a powerful storm, or a sky full of stars, may you draw encouragement and hope in the steadfastness and goodness of God’s presence
- May we live and see the world around us, knowing the Creator of all things holds us in his hands.
Whenever the moon is extra bright or the sky is full of stars, I often find myself thinking of this song by Ellie Holcomb, “Constellations. I hope you enjoy it.
Blessing in the next season,
Joel
