Summit will return to ACU’s campus for this year’s fall session.
The event is geared toward people who serve in a church, whether as a volunteer or a formal minister. It has taken place for over 100 years and this year’s theme is Abide With Me.
Summit will begin at lunch on Oct. 13 and wrap up with Praise Day Friday on Oct. 14. The event will also feature a dinner in downtown Abilene where attendees will get to listen to speaker Andrew Root, author and professor of theology and youth ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Summit is put on by the Sibert Institute for Church Ministry, which is located on campus and focuses on partnering with churches to help them through difficult times.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Summit was a four day event featuring different classes attendees could visit. Summit is now held twice a year for two days, once in the spring and once in the fall. The dates correspond with Homecoming and Sing Song.
“The idea is you’ve got people coming to campus for these major ACU events and they’ve got this opportunity to add a day onto their trip and be able to attend Summit as well,” said Jennifer Schroder, Summit director and instructor in the bible, missions and ministry department.
Summit attendees are broken up into different groups based on their interests. These groups include children’s ministry, Hispanic ministry, preaching ministry, recovery ministry, small church ministry, youth ministry and a general interest group.
“All of those areas are going to be really dedicated pathways, dedicated tracks,” Schroeder said. “Or, if they want just kind of the general overview then you’ve got the general interest one.”
David Kneip, associate director of the Sibert Institute and instructor in the bible, missions and ministry department, said a lot of work has gone into making Summit possible.
“Summit happens every six months but we start planning well before the other six months,” Kneip said. “We had our first post-COVID one in the spring but we were already thinking about the fall.”
Kneip also expressed that one of their main goals is to help encourage people involved in ministry along with providing them with community.
“What we want to try to do is equip and encourage, because we always need more training and we always need encouragement,” Kneip said.
Registration for Summit will close on Sept. 28. To register visit acu.edu/summit.
