Two-year Opportunities

Through the Dwell initiative, students spend two years putting the gospel on display by building intentional gospel communities in targeted neighborhoods. This is an opportunity to be God’s hands and feet and show his grace and kindness as he restores people into relationship with him. The vision of this initiative is to see the Triangle transformed by the gospel and become a demonstration to the world of what can happen when Christians believe God and live intentionally for his mission. John 1:14 gives the model for the method: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth.”

The goal is to establish healthy gospel communities in every neighborhood of the Triangle, beginning in marginalized neighborhoods. Dwell relocates teams of people to live together in the same house or very close to one another to practice simple methods of spiritual formation and neighborhood engagement. Jesus said that Christians’ love for one another will demonstrate to the world how God feels about them and what he wants to do for them. Students who participate in this initiative will eat, pray, and serve together as a means to cultivate spiritual formation, team unity, and love for Jesus; these are also the same things the team will use to engage their neighbors.

Through the Summit College staff residency program, college graduates and young professionals have the opportunity to “GoNow” on college campuses in the Triangle. During this two-year program, residents are trained and equipped in ministry and leadership through team development, practical theology/leadership classes, and local church function by being on staff at the Summit. Each SC staff resident is assigned to a university in the Triangle, and his or her mission is to help lead college students toward Christ and his church and be a part of making disciples who make disciples of all nations. Each resident will lead Summit mission trips with college students each summer to engage with Summit church planters around the globe. The community, classes, and experiences of current and former residents have greatly shaped the trajectory and effectiveness of their lives and ministry.

Students are invited to spend two years after graduation serving, learning, and growing with one of the Summit’s North American church plants. This is an opportunity for students to put their faith into action as they move to a strategic city and see what church planting is all about! This year, Summit College is challenging college graduates to commit to spending two years in Charlottesville, Virginia, as part of a new church plant led by Josh Miller, lead pastor, and Justin Leitch, college director. Students will be a part of God’s mission in a very dark city where the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Students who join the launch teams will start meeting regularly in Raleigh-Durham in early 2018 and will move to Charlottesville after graduation.

Josh and Meredith Miller | Charlottesville, VA

When Meredith met Josh, she was unimpressed. Josh is grateful that she later reconsidered. Now they have three kids, James, Annie, and Abigail, and drive a minivan with a sliding door that never works. They love hospitality, disciple-making, and dessert. Josh has served on staff at the Summit since 2012 and loves equipping people to follow Jesus and make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. God is at work in Charlottesville, and the Millers are excited to join him there.

While God is certainly working all across America, his mission is truly global in nature. Students have an incredible opportunity to proclaim the gospel to all nations by serving for two years with Summit international church planters and strategic partnerships. Locations may include:

Serbia

Team Serbia uses filters of broad gospel sowing, English classes, and cultural exchange events to quickly identify lost Serbs who are open to the gospel. Using discipleship groups, they equip and develop new believers into future leaders for the church in Serbia. There is a solid church plant named Koinonia, and they pray for the multiplication of this church to happen with national partners who can assume leadership roles within the church. They are seeking to train national believers in evangelism methods and emphasizing solid, biblical discipleship for those new to the faith. Their goal is to make disciples who make disciples!

Their team is growing, and students have a place in it as disciples who makes disciples. They have found that students in Serbia are open to the gospel, and they want to engage them with people closer to their age and life stage. Team Serbia needs help to share the gospel with students and train those who come to faith to be disciples and make disciples. Students can expect to teach some English classes as part of their service there, and various classes, events, and service opportunities can be tailored to students’ skills and abilities. This is a unique opportunity to come and build on the work Summit College students have established in Belgrade.

South Africa

Are you interested in seeing God transform one of the most strategic cities in Africa? This team will focus on inner city Johannesburg, South Africa, and partner with local church planters to train, equip, resource, and assist them in planting reproducing churches in the city. Johannesburg is home to representatives from at least 40 percent of the countries on the World Watch List, which lists the 50 worst countries for Christian persecution. There are 300 languages spoken in and around “Joburg” every day and 2 million refugees living in abandoned buildings downtown. However, Joburg is also Africa’s only world-class city. According to Tim Keller, it is “the most important city on the continent.” The opportunities to share the gospel in Joburg are almost unlimited. This team will be working out of Braamfontein to pray, share the gospel, and disciple new believers.

New York City

God has brought the nations to New York City, with more than 4.5 million people from unreached people groups calling the city home. God is using Global Gates to reach these communities with the gospel, disciple them, and then empower them to reach their own people with the gospel. This team will learn the language, be mentored by a long-term missionary, develop a church planting strategy, and implement it among a South Asian Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu people group.

South Asia, West Coast

This is a unique opportunity to move to one of the most influential global cities in South Asia to work among business professionals, millennials or college students, unreached people groups, and the “least of these” in the slums or red-light districts. The South Asia team of students, professionals, and retirees serves in this global city in those strategic areas of ministry. Whether you want to get a job in the heart of the business district, work at Starbucks, or raise your own support, this city is a great option for you to do what you do well for the glory of God and do it somewhere strategic for the mission of God!