The Story of Summit

I love reading stories. Not just surface-level books with a few characters and a bit of description, but deep and complex stories about people, places, and events. Stories that illuminate the root of who someone is. Stories that speak to the significance of a place in a way that offers clarity. Stories that shed light on the heritage of an event and how its past informs the present. Stories . . . because ultimately, there is much that can be uncovered through story. 

Such is the case with Summit.

Summit has a long, rich history that spans more than a century. It has been called Special Lecture Series, Preachers’ Meeting, Lectureship, and now Summit, and it has undergone significant transformation through the 20th century and into the 21st. However, while the name and the format have changed over the years, the intent has always remained the same: to bring together the broader Christian community in order to examine the word of God, to build up and support each other, and to bring about opportunities for renewal. Those are what define Summit’s story.

I recently read a book by Kat Armas entitled Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2021). It is a beautiful work from a Cuban-American perspective on how the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters in the Bible teach us about the power of faith, the weight of love, and what it looks like to follow God. It is a story built on the past of Scripture that speaks to the future of the Christian faith, and in many ways, it mirrors our present story—the story of a church that has had to survive a pandemic and find resiliency throughout its struggles.

As we embark on this new year in the Summit journey, we live in a world that looks much different than it did only two-and-a-half years ago. And we attend churches that have had to reimagine ministry in ways that they were undoubtedly not prepared for. But despite these challenges, we still walk alongside a God who embraces us, loves us, and fights for us. A God whose story is the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. An ever-faithful God calling out to us, “Abide with me.”

Therefore, we invite you to participate in the larger God-story with us at Summit this fall. We will meet Oct. 13-14, and we will seek to discover what it means to abide with God not only amidst the challenges of life but also through the joys and hopefulness that emanate out of that relationship. Our general interest community will explore this theme by pulling from 1 Peter and examining how this text remains as relevant to the church today as it was to the ancient church through discussions on teaching, preaching, and spiritual formation.

We will also have communities centered around other areas of ministry, including children’s ministry, Hispanic ministry, preaching, small-church ministry, and youth ministry. In each of these areas, the facilitators will invite their presenters and panelists to delve into this theme of “Abide with Me” through the uniqueness of that particular area. In children’s ministry, one of the topics of conversation will be the spiritual formation of children—in other words, how children come to know God. In small-church ministry, the community will examine the beauty that is found in smaller churches and the banding together of those bodies to serve the kingdom. The Hispanic ministry will examine the biblical text through the lens of Latino perspectives and focus on the impact those cultural lenses have on the Word. The youth ministry community will seek out new and reimagine old ways to connect to Christ in order to foster healthy ministry practices, and the preaching community will address the challenges of ministry while also giving one another hope as they seek to lead in their churches.

Additionally, a ministry community that is new to Summit this year is recovery ministry. Whether a church has a recovery ministry or is considering starting one, the recovery community will help its community members understand ways of discipling people who have experienced addiction in order to find freedom and healing in the arms of Christ.

There is much that contributes to the overall story of Summit this year. However, it is foundationally framed in an understanding that this event has long been a place for everyone. Whether you are a paid minister on staff, a person in church leadership, or a volunteer who desires to serve God in whatever capacity you are called, Summit is for you. And as you think back to the rooted history of Summit, the blessing of having a multitude of voices present and participating remains an integral part of the story.

Therefore, we invite you to be a part of this story. We invite you to join us as we listen to God say, “Abide with Me.”