The Church Planting Residency Program of Family Church is a two-year intensive program designed to train leaders for new church plants. The residency prepares leaders to serve in a variety of roles, including campus pastors and church planters, but also as ministry leaders in worship, students, kids, connections, groups, pastoral care, community outreach, and more. The program is designed for men and women with full time jobs and families, who can serve and train bivocationally. Our goal is to plant neighborhood churches throughout South Florida and beyond, as God gives us opportunity.
Men and women who are convictional, growing Christians with a calling and aspiration to a higher leadership profile are promising candidates for residency.
We aim to produce leaders who are:
- Theologically grounded
- Spiritually strong
- Missionally active
- Skillful communicators
- Engaging leaders
Our program is a blend of biblical/theological study and ministry praxis, designed to prepare you for ministry in our increasingly post-Christian, multi-cultural context in South Florida.
There are three learning components:
- Classroom Study
- Field Experiences
- Supervised Ministry
Weekly two-hour classes are the hub of the residency experience. Each unit has lectures, discussions, reading assignments and writing assignments. Year One focuses on biblical and theological foundations, and Year Two focuses on ministry skill development.
In addition, each resident will complete designated field experiences, which are practical ministry tasks assigned alongside the classroom work. Field Experience assignments include reports of gospel sharing, training believers in missional tools, participation in Leadership Rally and First Connection classes.
Finally, every resident serves in ministry in our network of churches under the supervision of our pastoral leadership team. This arena is where residents live out and implement practical ministry. Each resident has a coach assigned to them to help them grow more effective and powerful in their ministry leadership.
The Residency program is a testing ground of sorts, and not all students are able to complete the program. Students face the practical challenge of managing the work, family and employment pressures, and sometimes character weaknesses can be exposed during the program. To accommodate these challenges, there are planned “off-ramps” at the end of each semester. These are opportunities for either the student or the residency leadership to pause or conclude the participation of a student the program. These decisions are taken with the good of the student and his/her family in mind, as well as the integrity of the ministry of Family Church.
If you’d like to know more about whether you would be a good candidate, or how best to prepare yourself before entering the program, check out our recommended preparation steps.
We begin new residency cohorts in the fall each year, and we offer the program in both English and Spanish.
