The central need of every city, small town, and rural community is the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed and embodied by a local church. At Holy Cross, we believe that the Gospel leads us to be a multiplying church. It is more important to us to be part of a movement of multiplying congregations than for us to be a big church. In light of this Holy Cross is seeking two men to be a part of our first church planting residency program.
- Overview
- Candidate Profile
- FAQ
- Apply
As a part of our Church Planting Residency, each resident will serve on our ministry staff for 24 months of preparation and training. This will help the resident to be immersed the life of a Gospel-centered church, learn hands on practical ministry skills, be part of a team environment, be developed in their leadership and management skills, and receive valuable help in self-awareness and emotional intelligence. We believe this will set up our residents to succeed as they move toward launching a new congregation from Holy Cross or wherever God might call them. We envision our church planters as being a part of the team rather than "out there" on their own.
Each candidate for our Church Planting Residency should be ordainable in the Presbyterian Church in America, have a strong call toward church planting, a passion for reaching unchurched and de-churched people, and a deep desire to be a part of a Gospel-centered, multiplying movement. Those being considered will undergo an evaluation process as this helps us to discern both the candidate's gifting and help us to prepare a personalized development plan for that candidate. Participation in either the PCA’s church planting assessment or comparable assessment is recommended but not necessary.
Residents will be trained and required to raise a portion of their salary to begin building a support base from which to plant a new congregation.
1. When does your selection process for the Residency Program begin?
We are using a rolling application process. There are obviously better seasons than others for a Residency to begin but we will review any and all applications that come in when they come in.
2. What does the process look like?
Applications will be considered as they are received. Phone/Facetime interviews will then be scheduled with candidates we are considering. The top candidates and spouses if applicable will be invited to Staunton for a weekend for additional interviews in person. Finally we make our final decisions and communicate them.
3. What is required to apply?
The following are among the items considered in choosing residents:
- Application
- Links or recordings of two sermons demonstrating the candidate’s communication skills
- References from your spouse, pastor, and disciple/peer
- Interviews
4. Describe your “best fit” Candidate Profile?
There are lots of different kinds of leaders. Some are structure and system builders, while others are awesome at building relationships and being present with people. Still others are at home with seeing the big picture and playing the role of team captain. All three are equally important and necessary. The best teams have all three working in conjunction with one another.
Our Residency Program is designed to grow and support the latter leader, the one who is more focused on the big picture, using entrepreneurial energy to move the team forward and keep the ball moving down the field.
At the same time, we are also focused on those who desire to see the unchurched and the dechurched come to know Jesus. We want men who aren’t satisfied with starting a church to reshuffle the deck of Christians in a given area but want to plant church specifically to help people Encounter Jesus, Know Jesus, and Show Jesus to others.
5. How many Residents are selected for your program each year?
Currently we will accept 2 residents. In future years we may expand that to 4.
6. How long is your residency?
The Holy Cross residency is a two year program.
7. Do you pay the Residents a stipend?
In conjunction with the Blue Ridge Presbytery, we pay each resident a stipend of $1600 monthly toward their program budget. The candidates are expected to raise the remainder of the program budget and if their salary needs exceeds our budget, they will be required to raise what is needed.
The details of these agreements are discussed with Residents invited to participate each year.
8. What expectations are placed on the Residents during this program?
For the two years that the residents will be at Holy Cross they will function as members of our ministry team. Their role will develop from our paradigm of “Look, Learn, Lead, Lead Leaders, and Launch) in everything from preaching, to discipleship, to overseeing small groups and ministry teams. In addition, they will have readings and projects to accomplish and will, like a church planter, have to balance those demands with their day to day ministry tasks.
9. What kind of support and development will residents receive?
The reason most men desire to be part of a residency is to be developed and mentored. This is why we have a Residency Program in the first place. Residents will receive personal coaching from an experienced church planter, training in leadership, self awareness, emotional intelligence, and communication. In addition, if married, the resident and his spouse will receive development in their marriage to help it survive the rigors and stressors of planting.
In Resilient Ministry, the authors conclude that the single biggest factor that contributes to pastors thriving in ministry for the long haul is peer relationships. Our desire in bringing in more than one resident at a time is to foster these kind of relationships.
10. Are Residents expected to plant a church from Holy Cross?
No, not at all. Our contention is that, if you can multiply disciples and reach unchurched and dechurched people in a place like the Shenandoah Valley, you can plant a church anywhere. While there may be opportunities to launch either a multi-congregational campus of Holy Cross or a independent PCA church from Holy Cross, it is by no means required. Towards the middle of the second residency year each resident will process where they think God is leading them with the leadership of Holy Cross and we will go from there.
Residents will be trained and required to raise a portion of their salary to begin building a support base from which to plant a new congregation. If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please be sure to read the job description and click on the application button below.
Currently we are not taking applicants for the residency position.