Dear CNC Leaders,

During this time of transition it is good to remember the essence of CNC and our core values will not be changing. They provide the bedrock on how we live out the mission within our region. As you read each value, would you pray with us – that we would live these out with fervor.

Gospel centered: Scripture is foundational, churches are instrumental, and the gospel is central. All of our work is focused on expanding God’s kingdom by encouraging people to have an active, growing relationship with Jesus.

Cooperative engagement: We want to come together with churches in a spirit of cooperation. We work side by side, arm in arm, tackling the toughest challenges. That means we focus on relationships, build trust, and communicate in a personal, casual style. We’re ready to dive in with you. Let’s work together.

Wise counsel: We help people make good decisions. We’ve been in the trenches and faced complex, overwhelming situations—and we’ve found a way through. We take the time to listen and understand, helping leaders process complex issues before offering helpful direction. We value practical experience, clear processes, and tested advice.

Humble servanthood: We’re ready to step in and help no matter what. We listen, care, and engage, offering our advice, counsel, and help graciously. We’re not here to take over—we’re here to serve. That means building relationships, respecting expertise, and working for your success.

Bold generosity: We offer incredible value and make the most of what we have. We’ve all been helped by tremendous blessings in our lives, so we go above and beyond in giving back. Whether it’s our time, energy, or budget, we want to be abundantly generous.

Let’s be a group of pastors/leaders that help the “large C” church move forward. The reality is we can go farther and be better when we work together. So let’s partner to build healthy leaders and congregations so they can more effectively share the gospel.

I’m so thankful for each one of you and may Jesus give you strength, joy and wisdom during this fall ministry season.

In Christ,

Wick
Executive Director of Trout Lake Camps
Interim Regional President of Converge North Central

Camping

We said goodbye to the last group of campers and another summer at Trout Lake Camps is history.

Summer Recap

We had record summer attendance once again. But more importantly, lives were changed at this meeting place with God:

1. 456 campers said yes to Jesus for the first time.
2. 1,386 campers rededicated their lives to Christ.
3. 146 campers said they want to go into full-time ministry.
4. 6 summer staff were baptized in Trout Lake.

More than numbers, we’ve got a few thoughts from staff and volunteers who help make summer camp happen:

1. No words: “I want to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this amazing experience. I have enjoyed every second. I have no words to express how thankful and blessed I feel.”
2. Best job: “It’s a great place, great people, best job I have ever had in my life.”
3. Summer highlight: “I wanted to thank you and the entire staff at Trout Lake Camp for the wonderful experience that my family and I had at camp! My husband and children also thoroughly enjoyed the week and are already talking about next year. It was definitely a highlight to our summer!”

Thanks for being a valuable partner with God’s ministry at Trout.

Starting

S2 West is Coming!

For years, Converge has been a strong partner in a conference to start and strengthen churches. These are two of our core values for CNC, as well as our national movement. 

Known as S2CON, this conference brings together Converge pastors and leaders from across the country to gather as a network of churches. It’s a time to worship, hear from inspiring speakers and workshop leaders, and recommit to the mission of starting new churches and strengthening existing ones. Ove the years, a strong contingent of CNC pastors and leaders have benefited from S2.

Last May, S2 East was held in Indianapolis, where several CNC churches were represented.

If you missed it because the timing didn’t work for you and your team, or perhaps Indy in May just wasn’t your jam, you have another opportunity.

S2 West is happening in Phoenix, AZ, on November 12-14! Many of the speakers and workshops from S2 East will be featured again at S2 West. (On an unrelated note, the high temperatures in Phoenix in mid-November are around 75 degrees.)

In addition to a number or practical workshops, speakers include Matt Chandler, Priscilla Shirer, Miles McPherson, Nate Hettinga, along with MC’s, Andrew Stanley and Joseph Sojourner.

Here’s the link to the conference with schedule, details and registration info: S2 West.

If you and others on your team are planning to be in Phoenix for S2, please the CNC office know you’re coming. We’d love to gather those from CNC together for dinner one night.

Together,

Joel

Strengthening

Building a Solid Foundation for Discipleship

At the Converge Church Planters Assessment Center, candidates often present their ideas based on their philosophy of ministry and how they plan to structure their new church. One big topic they usually cover is discipleship. They need to think about things like: What role will discipleship play? How will it happen? What’s the pathway look like? What outcomes are they aiming for? And how will they measure success?

These are important questions for any church, and they’re worth revisiting regularly.

In his book Desizing the Church¹, author Karl Vaters² has a chapter called “Discipleship Fixes Everything.” In it, he argues that if your church is facing a problem, focusing on discipleship can be the solution. If you’ve got biblical goals you want to hit, discipleship is the way to get there.

At the end of the day, who would say that having more and better disciples isn’t a good thing?³

Vaters then shifts the discussion on the “how” of measuring the success or failure of a church can be found in the question, are we making disciples?

He mentions a podcast⁴ where Skye Jethani chats with David Kinnaman from Barna. They talk about how one way to measure discipleship is by seeing how regularly people engage with Scripture. The idea is that the more someone reads their Bible, the more they tend to grow in their faith. And when people are more involved with the church community, it boosts discipleship and outreach.

So, how can you measure this? It could be as simple as running a survey in your church. You might even do it anonymously to ask folks how often they’re reading their Bible or using a Bible app each week.

Vaters⁵ also references a study from the Center for Bible Engagement. This study looked at Christians who read or listen to their Bible at least four days a week versus those who do it less often. They found that reading the Bible four days a week made a huge difference in spiritual growth. Basically, if people read the Bible more days than not, they’re more likely to show mature Christian behavior.

Dave Adamson⁶ backs this up with stats from YouVersion. Here’s what they found for people engaging with the Bible four or more times a week:

• 57% less likely to get drunk
• 61% less likely to look at pornography
• 74% less likely to gamble
• 30% less likely to feel lonely

And they’re also:

• 228% more likely to share their faith
• 231% more likely to disciple others
• 407% more likely to memorize Scripture

This makes total sense.

The Bible says that hiding God’s word in our hearts helps keep us from sin (Ps. 119:11). Paul also says we should really commit to Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13) and that it’s good for teaching, rebuking, and training (2 Tim. 3:16-17)!

If you want your church to excel at making more and better disciples, start with getting people into the Word. Preach about it, teach it, and provide plenty of ways for people to dive in. Check in with them regularly, and share their stories to inspire others.

You can definitely make your discipleship program as detailed as you want. Just start with the basics.

————————

[1] You should really read this book.
[2] Karl will be joining us for the CNC Biennial Meeting in early March, 2025. More info will be coming shortly!
[3] Not me.
[4] If podcasts are your jam, consider adding The Holy Post Podcast to your list. It’s hosted by Skye Jethani and Phil Vischer (ya…he’s the creator of Veggie Tales!)
[5] Did I mention Karl Vaters will be speaking at our biennial meeting…twice!
[6] If you are on Twitter or X or whatever you want to call it, @aussiedave is a worthwhile follow.

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 15 or 17 The Healing Leader, Pleasant Hill or Coralville, IOWA

Oct 25-26 EBA Cohort Eagle Brook Minneapolis campus

Nov 10 Fall Youth Rally 2024 Bethel University

Nov 12-14 S2 West Phoenix, AZ

Jan 6-9, 2025 Pastor’s Study Break Trout Lake Camps

City View Church Director of Operations Mpls, MN (job opening)

Livingwaters Church Director of Student/Youth Ministries Lakeville, MN (job opening)

Strategic Partners

Converge North Central Pastors are invited to two exciting events at Bethel this fall: the Pastor’s Coffee and Youth Rally. 

On October 14th, pastors are invited by the Office of Church Relations and Bethel Seminary for a morning of prayer, coffee, Bethel updates and a message from Dr. Denise Kjesbo! Dr. Kjesbo will share findings from her recent book, Partnering Church and Home, and will focus on the topic of How the Church Is Investing in Children’s Ministry and Discipleship. 

November 10th, Bethel invites Pastors, Youth Pastors, Volunteers and Teens to worship in the Benson Great Hall and hear from special guest speaker Joelle Hassler at our Youth Rally!  Joelle’s passion is to help students connect with Jesus through stories, Scripture, and lots of laughter and fun. She hopes to help students learn how faith in Jesus can make a huge impact on the pressures we face

Prayer

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised! Psalms 96:3-4

We want to extend to you an invitation to put your faith into practice. This September 20, Converge will be hosting 24 hours of prayer. Starting at 6pm E.T., Christians from all around the globe will gather to pray for a gospel movement among the least-reached people groups. Will you put your faith into practice and join me for 24 hours of prayer?

Sign up using the form below!