Church Planting Residents – Boldly Going
In many ways, church planting residents remind me a lot of Trekkies. Who doesn’t remember the mission of the Starship Enterprise: “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before?” The Church is in a new place these days and she is looking for those who are brave enough to step into the unknown and discover what surprises God has in store for them.
This fall, Mary Amendolia (The Falls Church Anglican) and Jay Baylor (Church of the Apostles) became the first two residents to inaugurate this program in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. Both are seasoned ministers who have completed seminary training and are exploring new ways of being the church (see Mary’s Nov 5th blog article, “Fresh Expressions – A Primer”). As residents, each has raised their own support from a combination of private sources and grants from the diocese and their congregations. A portion of their time will be dedicated to working to support existing programs and ministries, which will be a tremendous benefit to their host congregations. The remainder of their time will be devoted to beginning and growing a new worshipping community. Mary has discerned a call to reach the artistic community in D.C. while Jay will continue his work with people on the economic and social margins in Baltimore City (see Jay’s Nov 11th blog article, “Adventures in Samaria”).
A central component of this new program is gathering together for training once each month. Topics such as “Developing Your Theological Vision,” “Cultural Exegesis and Your Community’s Profile,” and “Developing Your Leadership Team” are just a sampling of the topics the residents will cover. Guest instructors such as Bp. Guernsey, the Rev. Clancy Nixon (chair of L10-2), and other experienced planters will join me as I serve as the principal instructor. Using an adult learning methodology referred to as an “Action/Reflection” model, the residents will “learn by doing.” The entire focus of their training will be to assist them as they build a new culture among those with whom they are working. The training is not meant to be a prescribed formula for their work, merely a set of guidelines that will help them as they listen, discern, and discover the fresh new things that God is doing in their midst.
The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic joins many other church multiplication networks who are creating their own residency programs where leaders like Mary and Jay can take a creative approach using a “field-based” training model. We are looking for more residents (or interns – the commitment for an intern is only 3-6 months), as well as churches who would like to be host congregations. Please let me know if you or your church would like to join them and begin to boldly go where you have never gone before. It’s a new day and these are exciting times to explore. It’s a great way to get a fresh perspective on your ministry and give opportunities to young leaders to stretch their wings and fly.
If you’d like to explore becoming a church planting resident, or to hire one, contact us at L10-2.