Grace Ann Miller : My Leadership Pathway
If I had to specify a moment when I began to realize my leadership abilities, it had to have been during January of 2020, my senior year of high school. I had this huge sense to do something different, so I started a Bible study that was open to all students in my community, and it blew up, which meant I needed to step it up and truly lead my peers.
I am currently serving as a Ministry Resident at Crosspoint Christian Church in Conyers, GA. I had always served in some capacity around my church and really found my passion for leadership through serving and witnessing from my mentors, yet two years ago, if you would’ve asked me if I would be living in my home state pursuing ministry, I probably would have laughed at you and told you that would never happen. But it did, and I couldn't be more grateful for where I am in this moment!
In late 2021, I began to feel the Lord calling me towards ministry but honestly had no idea how to get there and didn’t want to randomly shift my entire career focus. I had moved to Boston, from Atlanta and had no intentions of changing anything about where I was or what I was doing. Then, of course, the Lord does what He does best and changed all of that. I found out early January of 2022 that I had to move back home at the end of the semester, leave my dream school I had worked so hard to get into and go back to everything I was trying to avoid.A couple of months later, the pastor at my home church called and explained to me about this program (spoiler alert...) that he really wanted to get our church involved in and wanted me to be the first resident at our church to go through it, and now, here I am!
I had fought so much to stay away from a ministry calling that when I began, I didn’t really have any major expectations.
Leadership Pathway has helped prepare me for full-time ministry in the best way. I don’t think there’s ever been a moment where it felt impossible. Going through the different key competencies each month has been so eye-opening and has helped my mentor and me create an honest relationship, where when anything does get difficult, I know there’s someone right there to help me through the rough stuff.
Every day brings a new challenge, especially when trying to balance not only a residency, but college, friends, life, being a young adult, and every other challenge in between.The hardest moment for me was giving myself the permission to allow God control when it comes to placing me where I am today.The first couple months were really hard, and I fought with myself daily whether this was truly where I was meant to be (of course I absolutely know I am now). It’s a hard thing to grasp and accept.
The best part of this residency is that I’m learning new things every single day. It truly is a constant learning experience, but in the best possible way. It has taught me so many new things
I never realized about Christianity and my faith, but it also has taught me so many valuable skills I can use in my everyday life.
Over the next year or so, I’m excited to see how my confidence grows in leadership!
Music is and has always been my passion, so getting to experience every aspect of it and getting to do it for the glory of God is one of the greatest things i could have asked for.
There’s a huge want nowadays for real life experience, and this is the opportunity to give the experience without throwing someone in the deep end.When I think of the term Residency, I immediately think about doctors and hospitals and how vital those teachers within those walls are and how they create generations of doctors better than the ones before. So why not replicate that model into our churches?You wouldn’t let a doctor operate on you who had never studied with a trained surgeon, so why shouldn’t we treat and allow ministry to be that way?
When I began I really just focused on getting through each day and preparing to start the next. I was almost terrified of being in this residency role and focused on going through my daily motions of each day. Now, I wake up everyday excited to see what the day holds and what new relationships and people I get to encounter and help plant seeds that lead to Christ. I’ve always been super thankful for the church leaders in my life growing up who helped me become who I am, and now I have an opportunity to be that person for other people.
What would I say to a student in high school or college or someone contemplating a career change? Been there, done that, and it’s not easy.You may feel like a failure sometimes and other times you feel like you’re on cloud 9 and that you’ve truly found your place.We live our life on earth for such a short time compared to eternity, so if you feel like your career choice may be something different and more importantly a choice that helps you grow so much closer to the one who created us, DO IT! My journey hasn’t been easy at all, but each and every day I’m so thankful for the new things I get to learn and experience.
I’m Grace Ann Miller, and this is my leadership pathway.
