I’m on my way back from a couple of days in South Dakota with leaders from Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. These folks gather every year toward the end of March in Hill City, South Dakota (near Mt. Rushmore and in the middle of the Black Hills) to cross pollinate with each other and interact with national leadership. Zollie Smith was part of the meeting this year, along with me. U.S. Missionary Carl Bauman is the facilitator of the meeting. This is a powerful group of folks! They are doing an amazing job of reaching their mission field.

First, let me introduce you to the key leaders. From left to right… (back row) U.S. Missiona Carl Bauman, Wyoming District Superintendent Dan York, Nebraska Superintendent Dwightry Sandoz and North Dakota Superintendent Leon Frietag, (front row left to right) Executive Director of U.S. Missions Zollie Smith and South Dakota Superintendent Steve Schieble.

These leaders all provide leadership to very rural states. It is not uncommon for towns to be 25 or 50 miles apart with NO ONE living in between. Many of these towns are declining in population. Ministry is hard and lonely. Yet, each of these leaders shared extraordinary stories of what God is doing in both the new and the existing churches.

Carl Bauman is a U.S. Missionary who has planted churches and now specializes as a sort of roving church health specialist and interim pastor to help rural churches thrive. He is an incredible gift to the Body of Christ.

The guy who picked me up at the airport was Pastor Brian Anderson who leads the AG church in Hill City. Brian described how he is incarnationally reaching into his community. I was so encouraged to hear his strategy and language is right in tune with what I’m seeing God do everywhere. Something’s up!

Another outstanding story was that of Ron Traub who pastors First Assembly in Souix Falls, South Dakota. Ron described with incredible honesty the joys and challenges of being a church that has given birth to over 8 churches. He’s an incredible leader and I hope to help his story be told through TPE.

I come away from my brief visit extremely encouraged. The northern plains states are in good missionally minded hands.