Summit will begin on Wednesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m., with check-in opening up at 6:00 p.m., and will continue until 11:30 a.m. on Friday, October 13. View the schedule.

We will gather in person in Abilene. We will meet at the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building (BSB) for the Summit gatherings on Wednesday evening, Thursday morning and afternoon, and Friday morning. And we’ll host Thursday’s dinner and plenary session with Esau McCaulley at the 201 Mesquite Event Center in downtown Abilene. See the schedule for details.

In the past, Summit offered classes on an array of topics. Through an intentional discernment process, we decided to focus each Summit gathering more narrowly in order to meet participants’ needs. To mix a few metaphors, rather than try to be all things to all people, we’re seeking to pick a lane and knock it out of the ballpark! Learn more about our vision.

As always, Summit will provide opportunities for fellowship, study, worship, and spiritual renewal for all who wish to participate. This fall, we will focus more intentionally on the areas of adult formation, children’s ministry, Hispanic ministry, missions, preaching, and small church ministry. We will also offer a general interest community for anyone, ministers and non-ministers alike! Read more about our Summit communities.

Not necessarily. The groups will likely vary at each Summit, though some communities may choose to gather at Summit on a regular basis. We will continue to discern and respond to emerging needs from our networks of congregational leaders and other Christ-followers. Stay tuned!

Generally speaking, the sessions for the specific ministry communities will not be recorded. As we prioritize the relational, face-to-face aspects of the Summit experience, sessions will become more interactive, more conversational. On a practical level, discussions are far more difficult to record than lectures, and frankly, rarely provide a good listening experience later, even if the recording quality is good. More importantly, we want participants to feel comfortable speaking candidly without the concern that their thoughts will be preserved for all time. Thus, we have decided not to record Summit sessions as a whole. However, we have made plans to record the general interest sessions as well as the Thursday evening plenary session with Esau McCaulley. And we also invite you to access past Summit recordings at any time.

Yes, if you are not able to participate in Summit but would still like to attend the plenary session and dinner, click on the registration link, and select the ticket option for “Thursday Anchor Point Dinner Only.” Please note that this registration does not include a copy of Esau McCaulley’s book, How Far to the Promised Land. This registration option will become available on September 13.

Yes! Summit registration is now required. Why? For a few reasons. It will help group facilitators craft their community gathering times appropriately for the size of their group – several hours of interactive engagement looks very different with a group of 30 compared to a group of 100! It will also help our team with practical matters like selecting classrooms and ordering the right amount of food for Thursday’s dinner.

Additionally, due to our venue capacity and our intentionally smaller program, Summit registration is limited to only 350 people. Early registration ($30) is open through September 5, with regular registration ($50) open through September 26. See table below.

We have a special half-price rate for undergraduate or graduate students who would like to attend Summit. Early student registration ($15) is open through September 5, with regular student registration ($25) open through September 26. Please email us for a student discount code.

In the past, we have offered all Summit content (sessions) for free, but participants had to cover their own meals, whether eating on their own or attending ticketed Summit meals. Further, guests had the option to purchase books or other merchandise from a variety of Summit exhibitors. Now we are simply building our plenary session dinner and a book into the Summit experience. The registration fee nearly covers the hard costs of the catered dinner and Esau McCaulley’s brand new book How Far to the Promised Land. It’s a great value!

All sessions with your Summit community plus any related materials, if applicable.

Keynote sessions led by Sara Barton and Don McLaughlin alongside intentional times of worship with Stephen Maxwell.

An evening at the lovely 201 Mesquite Event Center in downtown Abilene. The evening experience, called Anchor Point, will include a wonderful catered dinner, a plenary session with noted scholar, author, and speaker Esau McCaulley, and communal worship.

A copy of Esau McCaulley’s brand new book, How Far to the Promised Land.

A hospitality gathering with light refreshments on Wednesday evening and lunch on Thursday

We are excited to be engaging with Esau McCaulley’s brand new book, How Far to the Promised Land, as part of the Anchor Point dinner at Summit this year. However, its release date is scheduled for September 12, 2023. As a result, we have made the decision to distribute it at Summit this year for all participants rather than mail it out ahead of time for those who have registered early. We apologize that you will not have an opportunity to read his book ahead of time, but we appreciate your understanding as we balance our enthusiasm about providing McCaulley’s newest book with our awareness of the time constraints.

We don’t want the cost to keep anyone from participating in Summit; therefore, we have scholarships available. If you find the registration price prohibitive, please email us for a discount code.

On a related note, if you would like to chip in a bit extra to help defray the cost of someone else attending, you’ll have the opportunity to do that via the registration form. Simply select the “Donation” ticket type and enter your desired donation amount.

See table below.

Click here for a listing of several hotels near campus. Please check with hotels directly for details and rates, including discounts for ACU-affiliated guests.

Thursday’s dinner will be in downtown Abilene at the 201 Mesquite Event Center.