Professional Development is crucial for all of us as we strive to do the best we can do at whatever we’re called to do. To grow professionally, each resident is treated as a fully functioning member of the church pastoral staff, attending the same meetings and sharing the same responsibilities. Each resident reports to a supervisor who is a veteran member of our staff team. Supervisors work with the resident to craft a job description that will push the resident to learn as much as they can and contribute as much as possible. Additionally, residents will create 90-day ministry plans with their supervisor to set quarterly goals and measure their experience. We strive to give each resident the breadth of ministry opportunities that is needed to develop as a leader and prepare for their future.

The Spiritual Formation aspect of the program invites residents to attend to their character more than their skills, to their spiritual formation as much as their professional formation. A great pastor doesn’t just shepherd others, they also know how to lead and take care of themselves. Through peer group interaction, regular conversations with a mentor, personal reading and the direction of the church staff, each resident will be challenged to concentrate on becoming the person God is calling them to be. Personal formation is at the heart of this program.

And finally, Staff and Community Support is fostered on a number of levels within the residency experience—among the cohort of individuals serving as residents, within the church staff and ministry teams, and, finally, within the context of a wider church body.

This entire experience is to be done in the context of a cohort of fellow residents who are all learning together. Cohort groups meet regularly for ministry training, spiritual formation, case studies, reading reports, and more. We cover a wide variety of topics in these discussions including The Danger of Compromise, Crucial Conversations, and How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth just to name a few.

While only a few staff members are assigned as supervisors or mentors to the residents in a given year, our whole staff team shares the responsibility of giving the residents a chance to lead and serve. As a community, we are committed to the service of the church.