7 Essentials for an Effective Residency

More is caught than taught

I’ve spent almost half of my twenty years of ministry as a youth pastor, and I frequently used the phrase “more is caught than taught” to help parents understand how to disciple their children. As I become more “vintage” in age, I’m more convinced than ever that this statement is true, especially as it applies to pastoral training.

We live in an age when information and training are more readily available to us than ever before.

The plethora of information at our fingertips allows us to learn whatever we want, whenever we want, and however we want. All we need is an internet connection and time. But is that really all it takes to learn how to be an effective pastor?

YouTube Experts

Five months ago, I was working on my 1979 powder blue Lincoln Continental. The water pump had gone out, and I decided to fix it myself. After all, I had a garage full of tools, enough knowledge about cars to be dangerous, and a sense of optimism.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” I thought. 

I decided to watch a YouTube video to guide me through the process and then tackled my ambitious new project.

The good news? I installed the water pump! The bad news? A job that was supposed to take me under two hours to complete ended up taking well over nine hours.

This was in addition to a number of phone calls with people much smarter than me, a few busted-up knuckles, and a few broken car parts that I now had to fix as well. While I was “successful” at changing my water pump, I’m definitely not ready to open my own mechanic’s shop.

The digital revolution offers the ability to access information 24/7 and become an “armchair expert” in almost any field.

However, it can also create the false notion that someone is an expert in a field in which they have little to no experience.

Residencies Matter

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that many skilled professions require an apprenticeship/residency to earn their license or finalize their job placement. Here are a few examples.

• Carpenters require a 3–5-year apprenticeship for people to develop technical skills at the beginning of their career. During this time, the apprentice carpenter works under the supervision of a master carpenter.

• Teachers require student teaching as a critical component of their journey to becoming educators. In this role, they apply the knowledge and skills gained through education in a real-world setting.

• Police Officers must spend 3-6 months with an FTO (field training officer) after they have completed a college degree, graduated from the police academy, and passed all of their physical tests.

• Doctors are required to complete several years of postgraduate training, the length of which is determined by the specialty they have chosen. This is after medical school and passing their boards to become licensed.

This same model ought to apply to pastors and church planters.

Many future leaders have been discipled well in local churches and gone on to receive top-notch training at a university or seminary. However, many of them are being placed in churches or are starting churches without hands-on experience.

Residencies matter.  

Over the past ten years, I have had the privilege of creating, developing, and launching a post-college residency and church planter residency. Those experiences have given me insight into a few guidelines to consider for an impactful residency.

7 Essentials

Let’s start with a simple definition of a residency program. A residency is “A place where resident pastors are given responsibility, mentored by experienced leaders, and placed on an intentional development track catered to their growth needs.”

Over the years, I’ve found that there are at least seven essentials for an effective residency for pastors and church planters.

1- Residents need a growth/development plan.

Every effective residency needs a plan for the development of its residents. This plan should include:

• Strategic learning environments for the residents to experience.

• Assigned coaches to walk through situations their residents encounter.

• Leadership development at all phases of the residency.

• Intentionality about exposing their residents to a culture/DNA.

• Evaluation process that is regularly shared with their residents.

2- Residents should not be used as cheap labor.

Having a resident pastor or church planter on staff will create more work for the supervising leader, not less (see point #1). Intentional development of a resident will require more time, not less, and effective residencies should avoid the temptation to simply use their residents as cheap labor. 

3- Residents MUST feel the weight of ministry.

One of the most critical components of a healthy residency is allowing residents to feel the weight of ministry. The decisions they are making, the conflict they are navigating, and the spiritual weight of leading people toward Jesus are real. When a resident’s leader steps in to rescue them, they have robbed the resident of a much-needed learning experience.

4-Residents need a safe place to fail and ask questions.

Helping residents experience the weight of ministry while also being available to process setbacks is important. Residents need to know that if something does not go as planned, it is not a failure. It’s a learning opportunity. The residents also need to know where to go to get the answers to their questions. This teaches the residents how to troubleshoot and find resources to tackle the problem at hand.

5- Residents need a cohort-based learning environment.

The most effective residencies often have some type of cohort-based learning environment. The cohort approach allows people to process challenges, foster teamwork, navigate problem-solving, and move forward with a strong support system. These cohorts also help establish relationships that will last far beyond their time together in their residency.

6- Residents need leaders who have a vibrant walk with Jesus.

More is caught than taught. Whoever provides leadership to each resident must maintain a vibrant walk with the Lord and encourage the resident to do likewise. By engaging spiritual disciplines, displaying the fruit of the Spirit, and cultivating time with God, the resident leader helps residents process not only the skills of ministry but also the spiritual aspect of effective pastoring and planting.

7- Residents need churches that have complete buy-in.

This final point is important. I’m currently serving in a congregation that understands we are a “teaching church” and our residents are pastors in training. If the congregation does not look to them as pastors, they will never get the full range of experiences and will never feel the weight of ministry. The staff, elders, and volunteers must understand this concept and budget accordingly. A strong residency requires buy-in from all levels of church leadership.

Conclusion

What if we used this approach to invest in the next wave of pastors and church planters?

I’m convinced it would have an enormous kingdom impact and produce a growing pipeline of effective leaders equipped to pastor and plant churches. In addition, it would require existing churches and pastors to learn the vital skill of apprenticing and grow in their ability to teach, disciple, and lead.

An effective residency for pastors and church planters offers a comprehensive and supportive environment to help residents develop their skills, solidify their calling, and prepare for an effective and fulfilling ministry that will last a lifetime.

I’m becoming more convinced that launching effective residencies is critical for the health and vibrancy of the Church, especially given the complexities of ministry in the 21st century.

If you feel a burden to equip the next generation of pastors and church planters and would like to talk more about leading a residency, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Cody Tupps helps direct the Awaken Network and serves Mobilize the Church by mobilizing more church planters. You can reach him at cody@theawakennetwork.com or by calling 785.821.2311.