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.

Residency was a clear choice for me to fully experience leadership growth in a safe space to do so. Leadership Pathway’s process made it super easy.

Should we hire a full-timer or should we launch a residency program?

Yes.

Our culture is talking a lot about self care these days. For whatever it’s worth— I’m a fan. As a licensed counselor who primarily works with pastors and other counselors, I find myself talking about self-care nearly every day.

There’s a reason airlines have pre-boarding groups when getting on an airplane. Those that have earned it, or need a bit of extra help, get to go first. This may be frustrating to you if you’re back in group 5 in the middle seat with no overhead bin space, but they’ve done this a few times and understand how to make it happen.

We’re thrilled to have completed a companion product to our coaching book. It’s the same topics written from the residency point of view. It’s a game-changer.

If I was sitting at the table with senior leaders wondering about residency, I would say that having residency at their churches is a really good idea because it can help various ministries at their churches grow, while simultaneously raising up the next generation of church leaders.

Leaving the community I had at college, where I was deeply connected, was a challenge when I first began my residency. Though, it’s not always easy to find friends my age, I cherish the connections I have that much more.

After college, I struggled to land a job as a youth pastor. I was searching for something to help propel me into a job, and that is where Leadership Pathway stepped in. I currently serve as a Student Ministry Resident at Rocky Mountain Christian Church, just north of Denver.

Right before I graduated high school, God opened my eyes to what he had been doing in my life up to that point. He had provided experiences that not only helped me develop as a musician and a leader but guided me towards a heart of service.

I am currently a full-time ministry resident for the Online Campus at Real Life Church in Santa Clarita, CA. I chose to do a residency through Leadership Pathway because I felt that the protection and care that they offered in assisting me to find a church that was a good fit for me was unmatched.

Leadership Pathway helped me with my next step after college by getting connected to where I now serve as a Production Resident at Waters Edge Church, a multi-site church in Yorktown, VA.

I really had no intentions of ever being in ministry. I had always wanted to be a manager of a company, and that’s what I pursued in college. I loved my last job, where I was able to share Christ with my coworkers nearly every day. I thought that was God’s plan for me, until I realized that God was laying it on my heart to do more for the church through full-time ministry.

I knew when I was 13 that God was calling me to ministry. I want to give students and kids the experience I grew up with. I want to be part of teaching the next generation about Christ. I had so many awesome leaders in my life, and I want to be that for someone else!

I think a lot of pastors were thrown in the deep end of the pool during their early years in full-time ministry. I get it, ministry is hard when you get started. You have to learn how to swim while getting some water up your nose. I think that kind of development has surely produced some grit in this generation of church leaders, but I think it’s also produced a false assumption that young leaders should be taught the same way.

Don’t let your leadership development plans get bogged down this year.
Here are four reasons why I believe it’s the perfect time to start:

I think the hardest part for me is learning all of these new skills that I have never done before. I want to know it all. I want to be able to do things right the first time and provide detailed answers when someone asks what would be best for their church. Blocking out this fear of failure has been a challenge for me, but Residency has taught me to take on the new challenges and learn from my mistakes in the process.