Dear CNC Family,
We want to express our deep appreciation for your partnership with us during this interim period. Your participation in our “Under The Hood” webinars, your involvement in the regional team network, your additional giving to CNC, and your willingness to provide valuable feedback on important topics is so important. Thank you.
Two quick updates:
First, the search team is going full throttle and interacting with candidates for the regional president role. Please continue to lift them up with prayer as they meet at least once a week during this busy interview time.
Second, several churches and individuals have asked to move to electronic giving to CNC. We highly recommend this because it is:
- Easy to setup
- Safe and secure
- Auto recurring donations reduce cost and time (particularly for treasurers)
Click here to setup your online giving. If you need assistance to setup online donations, please contact Dawn at 651-842-9343 or dPauley@ConvergNorthCentral.org.
May Jesus bless you during these summer months and we look forward to seeing God work in the lives of people in your churches and Trout Lake Camps.
In Christ,
Wick
Interim Regional President
We just welcomed hundreds of students to the first week of summer camp!
- What’s New?: We’re always doing new things at Trout. This year we’ve added to our sprawling waterfront obstacle course and added a third level to our high ropes course.
- Ministry kickoff: For all the high-flying adventure, Trout is ultimately a ‘meeting place with God.’ Pray with us that students would be impacted by the message of Jesus this summer.
- Still time for Trout: If you have families still looking for something for their kids to do this summer, we still have some openings. Tell them to register now.
We’re so grateful for another year of camp. Thanks for partnering with us.
Expanding Our Capacity Through Stronger Networks
A while back, I was at a gathering of church planting leaders from across the country—folks from all kinds of evangelical backgrounds. The big question on the table was this: How do we start—and actually sustain—a real movement of church planting?
Everyone in the room agreed on one thing right away: At the end of the day, we’re dependent on the Holy Spirit. And our hope is rooted in Jesus, who promised He would build His Church.
But practically speaking—organizationally—how do we do our part? Especially for those of us who believe church planting is one of the best ways to make disciples and spread the Gospel?
How do We Build More Capacity to Plant More Churches?
Networks.
Networks are the backbone of a movement.
At Converge North Central, we’ve seen that firsthand. For years, we’ve had strong church planting networks that have kept our church planting movement alive and growing. These networks have grown, multiplied, and even launched new ones. It’s been encouraging to watch—and even more exciting to be part of.
What Makes a Healthy Church Planting Network?
There are a few key values that help keep a network strong and aligned:
Relationships – It all starts with people who are in it together and moving toward the same mission.
Reproducing – A mindset of multiplying leaders, ministries, and churches at every level.
Releasing – A focus on identifying, investing in, and launching the next generation of leaders.
Resources – Sharing what we have so we can accomplish more together than we ever could alone.
Things That Can Get in the Way
Of course, it’s not always smooth sailing. There are some real barriers that can distract and trip us up:
Castle vs. Kingdom – Is your church focused on building its own thing, or are you playing for the bigger team?
Pride – Let’s be honest, sometimes we rely more on ourselves than on God or others.
Individualism – The “we’ve got this on our own” approach rarely works long-term.
Scarcity Mentality – When we focus more on what we don’t have than what God’s already given us.
A Final Consideration
At that gathering I mentioned earlier, the speaker wrapped up with a simple but powerful illustration:
Most of us are familiar with the Great Commission—Jesus’ call to go and make disciples. And we try to live out the Great Commandment—to love God and love people.
But what if we added a third circle to that mix? What if we lived this out together—in unity—just like Jesus prayed in John 17?
What if we embraced the Great Collaboration?
That’s a solid foundation for doing the kind of ministry that reflects the mission and heart of Jesus—in our churches, in our networks, and in our movement.
Here at Converge North Central, we’ve been building church planting networks for a long time. And now, with the addition of our regional teams, we’re adding another layer—networks that are helping to develop healthy pastors and healthy churches.
If you want to explore how you or your church can team up with others to plant and strengthen more churches, reach out to Joel Nelson.
Let’s not just say Better Together—let’s actually live it out.
When I was in seminary, the reason I missed the class on finances, operations, budgets, and HR issues was simple—such a class didn’t exist. I’m guessing I’m not the only one with that experience.
Most small to mid-sized churches don’t have the resources needed to ease the burden of church administration from the pastor. They also often lack the knowledge or tools to apply best practices and modern solutions that strengthen the administrative side of ministry in ways that support the mission of the church.
That’s where SynergosXP might be able to help.
Converge North Central has recently partnered with SynergosXP (SXP), an organization that comes alongside churches to help align their “executive ecosystem to reinvigorate mission and vision.” They work directly with your church—not only to identify administrative best practices, but also to help implement them.
Think of it this way: partnering with SXP provides churches the support and expertise that a dedicated executive or operations pastor would bring—but at a fraction of the cost.
This one-on-one relationship is offered through a month-to-month subscription. It’s not a video library or Zoom webinar. You work with a real person who is committed to helping the pastor, the church, and the leadership be as healthy and effective as possible.
Currently, several CNC churches—ranging from church plants to mid-sized congregations—are working with SXP. Because of this partnership, CNC churches receive discounted pricing.
If you’re curious how SXP might serve your church for a short or longer season, check them out at www.synergosxp.org/about, Contact Joel Nelson to learn more.
June 26, 2025 CNC – Under The Hood Webinar Meeting ID: 899 0789 1733
Passcode: 261908
October 23-24, 2025 Fix The Finances 2.0 St. Paul, MN
October 29, 2025 Retired Pastors and Missionaries Event at Bethel (save the date)
Lake Sarah Baptist Church Director of Family Life Ministries Slayton, MN (job opening)
City Church Pastor of Worship Arts & Formation Mpls, MN (job opening)
Calvary Baptist Church Lead Pastor Madison MN (job opening)
Community of Nations Lead Pastor Roseville MN (job opening)
Jesus,
Thank you for our faithful pastors, staff and volunteers of Converge North Central who serve your people with courage, conviction, and compassion. As summer unfolds, we ask that you would refresh our spirit and point us to the light of Christ. Renew our hearts with fresh joy in the gospel. May times of rest, family, and fellowship restore our strength. Give us clarity in preaching, creativity in outreach, and deep intimacy with you through prayer. We pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.