Rev. Ben Ingebretson, director of new church development for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area, greets the attendees at REACH. Ingebretson was the leader for the two-day event at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls.

Nearly 500 church leaders gathered at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, SD for REACH 2018. The two-day event inspired and equipped attendees to reach the next person for Jesus with new passion, in new places. Here are links to news articles, videos and photos from REACH, October 5-6, 2018.  If you are looking for presentation materials from a specific speaker you will find it here on SCHED — sign up for a free account to access presentation materials. 

News articles: (latest at the top)

Rev. Adam Weber: Be real, point people to Jesus —Rev. Adam Weber, lead pastor of multi-campus Embrace Church, Sioux Falls, SD, recounted a recent experience as a first-time visitor at an MMA fight and drew a connection between it and what first-time visitors are yearning for when they come to church: “People are looking for the real deal,” he said. In the final keynote address on Saturday afternoon, Weber shared three key ideas around what it means to reach authentically: Know your “why,” be the real you, and connect Jesus to reality.

Rev. Jacob Armstrong on reaching adaptively — “We can no longer assume that we can do church like we’ve done it,” Rev. Jacob Armstrong, founding pastor at Providence UMC in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, told nearly 500 people Saturday at the REACH conference. Since seminary, Armstrong had dreamt of planting a church in his hometown but it wasn’t until several years and churches later that God created a path for him to do just that. He shared some of the things he’s learned in the 10 years since starting Providence UMC. “The best thing is still Jesus,” said Armstrong. “God has called you. God has put a fire in you, a vision in you, a language in you. The main thing is staying in Jesus.”

Rev. Roz Picardo on reaching personally, sharing our stories —We don’t share our stories because we’re afraid—of doing more harm than good, of not knowing what to say, of invading privacy, of being a hypocrite, of failing, or of being rejected, Rev. Rosario “Roz” Picardo, executive pastor of new church development at Ginghamsburg Church in Ohio, told REACH attendees." You know what's amazing about your story? It points back to God," he said. In his compelling keynote address, Picardo talked about why we need to share our stories and gave a framework for a short elevator speech we can use to do so. 

Debi Nixon: 4 thoughts on reaching relentlessly — Are we in need of a new outward vision? Do you have the willingness to embrace change and do what others are not willing to do? Has our busyness in doing the inward work of the church distracted us from our outward focus? Debi Nixon, executive director at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, posed those three questions to nearly 500 REACH attendees during her Friday night presentation on reaching relentlessly. “While we are busy, busy, busy maintaining, there are people, there are crowds in our community in desperate need of the message of the good news,” she said. 

Reach kicks off, Bishop Ough challenges us to take 'soul stands' —“To reach courageously is to take a ‘soul stand,’” Bishop Bruce R. Ough told a large crowd Friday night at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Nearly 500 gathered there for a two-day REACH event featuring a variety of speakers and breakout sessions designed to equip attendees to reach new people in their communities and contexts. 

Bishop Ought challenges attendees at the REACH event to take a 'soul stand'. Photos by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference.

Videos:  (view all videos here)

Religion in America —This video, produced by the Dakotas-Minnesota Area and shown as part of Bishop Ough's keynote presentation on reaching courageously, explores the religious landscape in America. Compelling facts and figures illustrate how Americans describe their religious affiliation and how that translates to worship attendance. The video also explores how we might use this data and what we might ponder as we seek to reach new people for Christ.

The First Sermon at the Church of the Resurrection —The Church of the Resurrection's first Sunday in 1990, started with 4 people meeting in a funeral home chapel with a $60,000 budget, no buildings, one pastor and a part time music leader.  Debi Nixon,executive director at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, shared the first sermon during her presentation at REACH on October 5, 2018.

Matthew's Ministry 25th Anniversary: In Their Own Words —The Church of the Resurrection has a ministry for everyone, including those with special abilities. Matthew's Ministry, started 25 years ago, when a young couple with a child named Matthew attended one Sunday. Church of the Resurrection welcomed Matthew and his family with a ministry build for and with them. This video was shown by Debi Nixon as part of her presentation at REACH on October 5, 2018. 

Sharing your God stories: Chris —Your "ordinary" story might be just the testimony that someone needs to realize that even though they appear to have it all together, that ache or discontent is really a deep longing for God! Chris Puterbeah shares his story.  Rev. Roz Picardo encouraged everyone to share their God story during his presentation on Friday, Oct. 5, at REACH 2018.

Embrace Network: Unite Church — Embrace Church provides churches anywhere the opportunity to network with a large, multi-campus church. The network provides resources beyond our imagination to reach the next person for Jesus. This video features how Unite Church in Salem, South Dakota is part of the Embrace network. 

North Summit Church: A church for those people who don't like church — North Summit Church isn’t just a place to sit back and watch God move, but rather, a place to "work out" our faith and grow strong in our understanding of Christ and his love for us. Located in Minneapolis, this new church start, is reaching people right where they are. This video features testimonies of those who have been invited to be Jesus followers at North Summit.

Watch for videos of each of the keynote speakers with a study guide by October 30, 2018. 

Photos:

You will find photos of each of the keynote sessions, pre-conference sessions and breakout sessions here. Check back frequently. More photos will be added.