Hello! We are the Wagner family from Butler, Indiana – Dan, Sandy, and Katherine. Dan is the Senior Minister at the Butler Church of Christ, Sandy is his lovely wife, and Katherine is a student at Kentucky Christian University. We have many connections to the Northern Plains – as a retired Air Force family, we have been there several times, having lived in Rapid City (where Katherine was born) and Minot (twice!!).

We first met Mike when he came to our church to present his plan for and seek support for the church plant in Fargo. We were struck by the different approach Mike took – less business and strategy that we usually heard from church planters, and more prayer and waiting for God's voice. That approach has been incorporated into the DNA of the NPEA – an approach that honors God and seeks His will at every turn.

Over the past 15 years or so, we have provided prayer support for Mike's ministry and that of the NPEA. We have occasionally been able to provide some financial support as well. But recently, we have done some praying and some budget restructuring and decided that if we are really passionate about getting Restoration Movement churches into North Dakota, our resources should show it, too. So when we reevaluated and restructured our budget, we made room for becoming a quarter-link in the Bismarck/Mandan ministry. For those who would ask, "Is it really that urgent, to justify that big of an individual commitment?" the answer is, "YES! It's that important!" The church here in Butler seems to agree, because we have added NPEA as a mission this year, and the leaders are now looking at ways to increase our support as a church.

We spent five years in Minot between our two visits there. To find an independent Christian church, we had to go to Crookston, Minnesota. That was not something we could do every week! People who live in our part of the country can't imagine a state without one of our churches. But mission fields like that exist right here in the US! We urge you to talk to Mike or one of the board members, pay a visit to Bismarck (and pray over it while you're there!) and join the support team for this important ministry.

Back to Partners