3 reasons to learn from the best residency programs & 3 things to not take away from that experience

This post wins for the longest title ever. You’re welcome…

Over a recent lunch, a senior pastor told me that he had a leader who was excited about launching a residency. “So I sent him out on a fact-finding mission to some of the largest/best residency programs,” he said.

“What happened?” I asked.

He said, “Well, he came back and told me basically we can’t do this because we don’t have…” (and then he listed all of the things the largest and best church leadership residency programs have.)

I said, “Well, would you want your worship pastor going to only the largest churches and to bring back a report that says we can’t hold weekend gatherings because we don’t have a dozen full-time people, hundreds of volunteers, and millions of dollars in gear?”

“Good point,” he says.

I know many of the leaders of these programs would be telling this senior pastor to launch a residency. To start small, and grow into it because this is one of those perfect places that will embrace it, own it, and he has the vision for it to happen.

Our team has learned so much from gracious leaders at dynamic residency programs at some of the largest churches in the country. We’ve had many on our Thursday Webinars, and have sent many candidates to them when we knew they'd be a good fit. These places are amazing and can help all of us avoid the stupid tax and not make the same mistakes that they made back in the day.

Here are three reasons you should investigate large residency programs and three things NOT to take away from that experience:

1. Learn from the Best Practices and Proven Systems | Don’t get Caught Believing You’ll Start There.

Big residency programs didn’t get to where they are by accident; they’re built on years of tried-and-true practices that work. When you train with a big program, you learn from well-established systems that have already proven successful. Whether it’s recruitment, mentorship models, or curriculum development, these programs have refined what works—and this knowledge is invaluable when it’s your turn to set up a residency program of your own.

But don’t get caught believing you’ll start there. These things work in their culture and context. You are going to work these things out slowly for your context as well. Adapt their values and practices? Of course! But you’ll have to scale against what you have available.

2. Get Exposure to a Wide Range of Skills and Roles | Don’t Think You Must Have the Same Skills

Long-running and successful residency programs often have a variety of specialized roles and structured pathways for leadership development. This means you’ll get to experience and work with a broad range of skills and departments. From understanding the details of mentorship to seeing how different parts of a residency program connect to support the overall vision, this experience is like a masterclass in church leadership development.

These programs give you a comprehensive look at every aspect of residency life—from recruiting the right people to handling day-to-day challenges. Plus, the diverse staff and resources at larger residencies allow you to learn directly from people who specialize in different aspects of leadership and coaching.

But don’t get caught in believing you also must have a terminal degree person, and a specialized recruiter. Much like a worship leader at a smaller church, you may have to do a little bit of all of those tasks, and do them not nearly at the level the multi-staff residency department can do them.

3. Experience a Church that Has Embraced Residency | Don’t Get Caught Thinking This is Normal

Spending time around a legacy residency program allows you to sometimes see what an entire staff looks like that has embraced what it means to be a teaching church. When everyone on a team understands why residents are there it can lead to powerful results. Their boss/coach feels empowered not only by the executive team but from their peers to make this happen.

Just don’t get caught believing this is normal. It’s the opposite of what normally happens. This is why new intentionality levels around this must occur in your context and culture. Vision for a teaching church indeed starts at the top, but when an entire staff is taken with the idea, the magic happens.

Driving this unusual vision will take a long time to occur in most contexts.

Go learn from them and then start. You can do this. Just be sure to contextualize it to your experience and culture.

Here is a good listen on this topic. It’s a recent interview with Pastor Curtis Zehner on the topic of how residency isn’t just for small churches. He knows. He launched one at his church of 300.