Ben Ingebretson of Grand Rapids, Michigan will take on the role of Director of New Church Development for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church beginning January 1, 2016. The need for leadership in church development became apparent, as both conferences have committed to starting new faith communities.

In Minnesota, there are 11 new church starts of various types under the care of congregational development, with a commitment to start 14 new churches in the next seven years. In the Dakotas, one of the fastest growing United Methodist churches, Embrace in Sioux Falls, has started five campuses within the past six years. The Dakotas has six new church starts under the care of congregational development with a plan to start seven more new churches in the next ten years.

Photo: File photo courtesy of Ben Ingebretson.

Both Conferences are ripe for planting new churches explains Rev. Cindy Gregorson, Minnesota Conference Director of Ministries. “The conferences are home to thousands of millennials in the vibrant metro areas of--Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Fargo/Moorhead. And we have one of the fastest growing areas in the United States in the Bakken Oil Fields of North Dakota, “ said Gregorson. “We are diverse as we are home to the largest Hmong and Liberian communities in the United States, as well as strong populations of Native Americans, Somali and Hispanics just to name a few.”

Rev. Rebecca Trefz, Dakotas Conference Director of Ministries describes the timing was perfect  for the position. “We are excited about God's timing in all of this. The chance to combine resources with the Minnesota Conference and bring someone on board to focus specifically on new church development is perfect," stated Trefz. "Both conferences are engaged in capital campaigns and are seeing people respond generously to the call to invest in congregational and leadership development. We are grateful for the timing of God working in Ben's life and leading him to respond to our search. The Holy Spirit has been moving in all of this. We look expectantly for the ways in which that will continue as this new chapter begins."

The Director of New Church Development will be responsible for assessing the current church planting system, staffing and improving it. The vision is to develop a robust laboratory of new church development, that has a proven track record of growing new starts into churches of strength and impact.  Specific duties will include:

• Strategically identifying areas and audiences ripe for new churches, including multi-site ministries and cultivate partner/parent churches that can reach into those areas.

• Supervising for results of new church start projects, including developing a network of coaches and setting clear benchmarks.  Also, providing direction, resources, training and appropriate intervention for  effective stewardship of people and resources.

• Developing a pool of potential planters who have the heart, skills and wisdom to reach new people and lead a start-up organization to sustainability.

• Generating resources for new church development through the ongoing structure of the current capital campaigns, and by casting a vision of multiplication for reaching the next generation with existing congregations.

• Projecting future Conference budgets for new church starts and managing current grant allocations in accord with benchmarks, covenants and long range funding cycle models.

“Ben will bring a fresh voice and best practices to the leadership teams of the Dakotas and Minnesota Conferences. Ben is a generative leader and will assist the Area to develop a new church plant culture and a sustainable system for developing new congregations. “said Bishop Bruce R. Ough, resident bishop.  “His presence will keep us future oriented, creative and adaptable to a changing mission field.”

Getting to know Ingrebretson

Ben is currently a leadership consultant working with organizations, churches and denominations including the United Methodist Church and the Reformed Church in America.  He is considered a revitalization specialist with Michigan Area of The United Methodist Church.

Ingrebreston led the development of over 45 church plants in the Michigan area. He currently serves as the field leader for church multiplication for the state of Florida for the Synod of Mid America for the Reformed Church of America.

He has authored several best practice books including Multiplication Moves: A Field Guide for Churches Parenting Churches first published in 2012 and reprinted in 2013 by Faith Alive.

Ben has conducted organizational sustainability consulting with over 500 ministry leaders in Africa, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Eastern Europe. He is a Certified Cultural Intelligence assessor and trainer with the Cultural Intelligence Center.

A native of the Fargo / Moorhead area, the Dakotas-Minnesota Area will be a return to familar territory for Ingebretson. Ben received his Masters of Divinity from Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

His family includes his wife Deborah who is a minister and serves the Evangelical Convenant Church in Michigan, three adult sons and a foster son, who is from the Congo and currently a sophomore in high school.  Foster care regulations require that Ben and his wife continue to make Grand Rapids their home. So Ben plans to commute to the Dakotas-Minnesota area 8-14 days each month and work virtually from Grand Rapids, Michigan the remainder of the time. 

"I look forward to walking along side church planters, encouraging them, developing partnerships with the congregations and developing teams," said Ingebretson. "Parnerships and teams that work together are keys to sucess. There are many opportunities to serve new people in new places throughout the Dakotas-Minnesota Area by starting new worship services, embracing new cultures that are arriving and being ready to grow in places where God is moving."