The number one question we get at Leadership Pathway from those seeking to launch a church residency leadership program is how do we find better candidates?

In fact, this is THE QUESTION we also get from the largest churches in America that’ve been doing a residency for over a decade+.

I serve as an Associate Resident of Prescott Valley’s campus at my home church, QuadCity Christian Church in Prescott, AZ. I actually had applied for a pastoral role upon graduating from Crown College in Minnesota and doing a semester-long internship at a church nearby. I did not receive the role, though, due to a lack of ministry experience. Our Executive Pastor mentioned…

The pieces of the frame that holds leadership development together are Mental Wellness, Developmental Conversations, Ownership and Best Practices, are just as important. What do we mean?

One of the harder things of residency has been having a plan of what I’d like to have happen or think should happen, while others may have different plans altogether. I’ve had to lean into other possibilities and submit to those in authority over me, and I’ve grown as a result.

I thought of aspirations I had early in life about being a pastor, aspirations I struck down because I thought that I couldn’t possibly be “good enough” to minister God’s Word.

There are several factors that make launching a church residency program difficult. One question we get often from those who are launching their first residency goes something like:

Help! Suddenly everyone on our staff wants a resident…who should get the first one?

If you are a church leader looking to grow or replace staff, the hits just keep coming. Man…this is fatiguing. Our team feels your pain. I feel your pain.

It’s that time of year…summer…heading towards fall and their internship or leadership residency is coming to a close and it’s time to make an offer for full-time ministry on to your team. Is this a finish line or a starting line? It’s both! And we should honor both of those milestones in this new leader's life. Congratulations! They did it. You did it. What are the questions to ask to avoid the pitfalls of making a great situation potentially bad?

Three Traps to Avoid That Will Just Waste Time:

1. The Over Engineered Trap. You think if you write the curriculum and iron out the process over the next year then you’ll be ready. THE TRUTH IS: No matter…

Leadership Pathway is in its fifth year of helping churches recruit, support and develop their next leaders through coaching and field experiences of a church residency. Over those five years of launching church residency programs my tune has changed…

I knew I needed further development, though, and I desired feedback to help me get better as a leader, so as I was exploring my next steps for ministry, I discovered Leadership Pathway.

An Open Letter to the Recent Grad who Desires to Be in Vocational Ministry. Congrats on the accomplishment of your education!

I am the Central Services Resident at StoneBridge Christian Church in Omaha, NE. I’m serving in Operations and helping with things like the First Impressions Team, Security, Benevolence, and Building Rental.

My journey toward church leadership began in high school, but it took a brief detour in my 20’s and was reignited when I began teaching high school in my late 20’s.

Is our church advancing?
Is our church a place where I believe someone could learn best practices for ministry?
Do I have a staff member who has proven they are a developer of people?

We led a series of round table discussion with dozens of church leaders with over 800 years of combined leadership experience in small and large churches in a variety of settings. We asked two questions: a.) what are you looking for in your next hire? and b.) why didn’t that last hire work out like you thought it was going to?

In the next year, I hope to improve my leadership skills by working as part of a team. Sometimes it can be easy to try to get everything done on your own, but I need to remember that I am surrounded by people who can and want to help.

My journey in leadership began during my college years leading young men at the YMCA, as a camp counselor, leader of a college ministry, and eventually leading as a director of a mental health facility.

What we believe in a baker’s dozen tweets.

I believe churches all over should have this opportunity of bringing in young people as residents. It's awesome, especially when the church environment is healthy and willing to continue growing every day. My experience in residency has far exceeded any ministry experience I've ever had.