By LORETTA FULTON

It’s finally here. 

After a COVID delay, a postponement, change in leadership, and a reshuffling of the format, Summit is scheduled for Thursday-Friday, Oct. 13-14, at Abilene Christian University.

The event, which originated at ACU in 1918, has a new director, Jennifer Schroeder. And, something else is new. Instead of a four-day gathering, Summit now will be held twice a year, fall and spring, over two days each. Click here for Summit schedule and details.

The fall event will coincide with homecoming and the spring gathering will happen during Sing Song weekend.

“By joining Summit with two large networking events on campus, our attendees can connect to others in their line of ministry, followed by time and space to connect with friends, mentors and others in the broader university community,” said Leah Andrews, who helped orchestrate the change and served as interim director before Schroeder was hired. 

Theme is “Abide With Me.” The new format focuses on specific congregational leadership groups. Sessions will be held on children’s ministry, Hispanic ministry, preaching, recovery ministry, small church leaders, and youth ministry. A general interest track will examine 1 Peter as it applies to the church today. 

A highlight of Summit will be a presentation by noted author and practical theologian Andrew Root. He will speak at Thursday’s plenary session on “Churches and the Crisis of Decline,” which is the title of his latest book. The session will be held 6-8:30 p.m. at the Mesquite Event Center, 201 Mesquite St. 

In a recent blog from the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry, Schroeder, the new Summit director, noted the changes that have occurred since the event first was held. 

“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,” Schroeder said. “Those are what define Summit’s story.”

Loretta Fulton is editor of Spirit of Abilene