Founded by Lead Pastor Adam Weber when he was just 24 years old, one of the reasons Embrace Church has flourished the past two decades is because it is not perfect. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, church meets people in their messiness and points them toward Christ.
Approaching its 19th anniversary in September 2025, Embrace’s mission remains the same: “Come home to Jesus and love him, but also serve, invite, be generous and forgive the world around us,” Weber says.
According to Weber, three key factors have driven the church’s growth: God’s kindness over human effort, a laser-focus on mission, and authentic preaching. But he refuses to take any personal credit for the explosion in numbers.
“I’ve never been more unimpressed with myself while being in total awe of God and who he is,” he explains.
The church’s success is a testament to divine grace working through flawed people, he insists. Embrace’s goal-setting process, called “traction,” has also multiplied its congregation. Traction helps the church stay focused on its mission of relentlessly reaching the next person for Jesus.
And in a culture hungry for sincerity, Embrace’s pastoral team makes a point to confront life’s harsh realities. “Jesus touched the leper. He didn’t heal from afar,” Weber says. “So, in our preaching, in our approach, we constantly try to get to the messy places.”
For over a decade, Sarah Kurtenbach has attended Embrace, which she first learned about from her now-husband. At the time, Kurtenbach was living in New York City but planned to relocate to Sioux Falls.
“When we started attending Embrace, we just loved it,” she recalls. “We had so many friends and such a great community there. So, then we decided to make it our home church.”
Growing up with a pastor as a father and experiencing the energetic worship at Hillsong Church as an adult, Kurtenbach felt drawn to Embrace’s multidimensionality.
“We wanted a church that would pour into us, but also one where we could pour into others,” she says. “There were so many elements of Embrace that we really loved. We liked what the church was doing. We liked the community there. It just became really apparent that was the place that we were supposed to be.”
Kurtenbach has been a deeply involved member of Embrace, leading women’s groups, volunteering in children’s ministry and greeting newcomers. She also belongs to the Lead Team, which guides the church through major decisions.
Through it all, her relationship with Christ has intensified, Kurtenbach observes. “I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but even now, after 10 years, I still cry almost every Sunday. It is just a church where you can just put yourself in a position to really hear God clearly.”
Weber has found that newcomers to church yearn to better understand the Bible. In fact, twice a year, the church reads an entire book of Scripture.
“Most of our people haven’t read the Bible, specifically a book like 2 Samuel before,” Weber says. But Embrace helps them see how it applies to their struggles, whether it’s marriage, addiction or anxiety, and they get excited.
He has learned that God shows up when leaders say yes to him. Recently, the church launched a prison ministry in partnership with God Behind Bars, a national organization bringing church services to incarcerated people.
“On paper, it doesn’t make sense. Why are we reaching these people who have done horrible things?” Weber asks. “But these men matter to God just as much as I do.” The ministry led to over 40 baptisms last year, and a new campus is set to open soon in a maximum-security prison.
Everywhere Weber goes, people share how Embrace has changed their lives. He says one formerly incarcerated man recently told him, “I just want to say thank you just for being a church that was willing to come to me and my friends in prison.”
Such anecdotes aren’t surprising to Kurtenbach, who says the church is not just about good feelings but real transformation. She adds that there’s a place for everyone at Embrace, no matter their life stage. College students and parents are welcome, as are those experiencing personal struggles.
Since the congregation skews young (ages 25–45), its youth and young adult ministries are now expanding. But Weber notices that older generations are increasingly attending, too.
Embrace Church sits in a region heavily influenced by Lutheran and Catholic traditions, where many view faith as a series of rituals. “A lot of people here think, I got confirmed. I graduated from God,” Weber says. But when they hear that Jesus actually wants a relationship with them, it’s life-changing news.
Kurtenbach says that, compared to more traditional denominations, Embrace’s casual, welcoming environment resonates with broad swaths of people.
“For me, my family and so many of our friends, the come-as-you-are vibe is exactly what we love,” she shares, adding that the church is a place where faith is lived out in real, tangible ways.
Each year, Embrace doles out a reverse offering, distributing cash to attendees with one instruction: Go bless someone else. Last December, the church handed out over $70,000 in envelopes with some containing $20 and others up to $100. The results astounded Weber. One member turned $100 into $15,000 to cover funeral expenses for a grieving family; and a group pooled their cash together to buy a car for a man in need.
These acts embody Embrace’s mission.
“I think that that all flows from just our name, who we’re supposed to be,” Weber reflects.
EMBRACE CHURCH
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Pastor: Adam Weber
Website: IAmEmbrace.com
Denomination: Nondenominational
Founded: 2006
Fastest-Growing: 17
