ITC Pastoral Residency
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 15TH
PURPOSE
In the spirit of 2 Timothy 2:2, the purpose of the pastoral residency program is to train men who desire a vocation in pastoral ministry within the local church. We aim to help them develop the necessary skills, affirm their calling, and send them to serve in a pastoral role at a like-minded church upon completion of the residency (18-24 months). The residency will blend curriculum-based study, practical application, one-on-one discipleship, and hands-on experience, all of which are essential for entering pastoral ministry.
PROCESS
- We vet through a thorough application process to determine who might be a fit for ITC’s pastoral residency.
- We disciple through a course of reading and discussion to help our residents grow in their biblical and pastoral convictions.
- We immerse our residents not only in the life of the church but in the life of the pastoral staff at ITC.
- We refine through interactive assessments, evaluations, and input from church members, elders, and staff to help our residents identify their unique pastoral passions and gifts.
- We affirm our residents in their pastoral aspirations (both within and outside of ITC), or in their particular suitability to serve the body of Christ in other capacities.
EXPECTATIONS
This pastoral residency is designed to be completed in 18-24 months (24 months max employment at ITC). The pastoral resident will complete reading assignments, research, write papers, and complete projects and tasks that will build a foundation for future ministry.
Additionally, although the pastoral resident will not necessarily be ordained as an ITC elder, he will function as a member of the ITC pastoral team, experiencing the full range of life and leadership in a healthy local church. His involvement will include regular church gatherings, members’ meetings, staff, pastoral meetings, and elder meetings. All ministry, assignments, and assessments (see below) will be conducted under the supervision and evaluation of the ITC pastoral staff and elders, typically in the context of regular pastoral or elder meetings.
EMPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS
ITC pastoral residents will:
- Be on a salary as exempt employees (ministerial salary exemption may apply)
- Be licensed as a gospel minister (allowing him to officiate weddings/funerals and receive the pastoral manse/housing allowance)
- Receive health insurance or health allotment in accordance with the current ITC handbook
- Be offered a SIMPLE IRA with matching contributions up to 3% from ITC
- Be furnished with a $1000 yearly book budget
- Be furnished with a $1000 yearly meetings budget
- Not automatically be ordained to the ITC elder team (although this potential is open to him during his residency)
- Not receive housing arrangements through ITC
ASSESSMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS, and EVALUATIONS
Near the beginning and ending of the program, the pastoral resident will go through personal and ministry assessments, like:
- Personal Spiritual assessment
- Elder qualifications assessment
- Family/home assessment
- Ministry assessment
- Biblical/Theological assessment
- Gospel assessment
Over the course of the program, the resident will write several documents on key areas of ministry and practical theology. These documents will not only sharpen his thinking and pastoral theology but also prepare him to move into a pastoral role upon completion of the ITC residency. Each resident will end the program with a compendium of written, personal, theological, and practical position papers that can aid him in the hiring process with another church. These documents will cover areas like:
- General philosophy of local church ministry
- Philosophy of preaching
- Philosophy of youth ministry
- Philosophy of children’s ministry
- Philosophy of parenting and family
- Philosophy of Christian counseling
- Foreign missions
- Complementarity in the home and church
- Marriage, divorce, and remarriage
- The meaning and practice of the ordinances
- Meaningful church membership
- The Sabbath
- Roman Catholicism
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Dispensational and Covenant theologies
- The prosperity gospel (and word of faith)
- Seeker-sensitive church movement
- Philosophy of worship ministry
- Practical approach to church management, budgeting, and finance
- Personal confession of faith/doctrinal statement
For each of these documents, the resident will select and read 2-3 resources from the resource list (or gain approval for other resources from the program director). He will write an appropriately length document detailing his convictions on the topic. The length will be determined by the resident, who will judge the necessary level of detail for the explanation. Because these documents aim to prepare the resident for conversations with church search committees, they should be written in a tone, length, and manner consistent with that context.
When the resident completes his paper, he will give a copy to all of the ITC staff pastors. At the next pastoral meeting, he will read his paper and ask for input, critique, and encouragement. Based on this interaction, he will make appropriate changes and finalize his paper. The TP assistant will keep a copy in the resident’s file.
Throughout the residency, the ITC pastoral staff and elders will evaluate the resident to both encourage and direct his ministry development. These evaluations will occur three times per year to ensure timely guidance and correction where needed.
OPPORTUNITIES
The program will provide residents with opportunities to engage in the following ministry functions:
- Participation in eldership
- Expository preaching
- One-on-one and small group discipling
- Classroom-style biblical, theological, practical teaching
- Leadership in church gatherings and ordinances
- Regional eldership training (in coordination with the INC)
- Conducting weddings and funerals (subject to schedule and need)
- Personal biblical counseling (ACBC training and option for certification)
- Church administration
- Leadership
TRACKS
While every ITC pastoral resident will engage in a common core of study, writing, ministry, and experiences, we recognize that God may be preparing each man for a different type of ministry. To that end, we offer three tracks within the residency. These tracks will determine how a significant portion of the resident’s time and energy will be directed.
Preaching/leadership
- This track gives more time to honing the resident’s skill in preparing and delivering Christ-centered expository sermons. It will therefore provide more opportunities for preaching within and outside ITC.
- The resident in this track can expect to preach 16-20 sermons in various contexts during his residency
- This track gives more time to developing the resident’s skills in large-scale ministry conceptualization, planning, and public leadership.
Worship:
- This track focuses more on the various aspects of leading congregational music in multiple contexts. It will therefore provide opportunities in service planning, developing musical excellence among teams of musicians, leading public worship, and biblical shepherding of worship during church gatherings.
- The resident in this track can expect to preach 5-8 sermons in various contexts during his residency
General:
- This track will give roughly equal time to all areas of pastoral ministry, allowing the resident, in cooperation with the congregation and ITC elders, to determine his particular areas of usefulness and pastoral aptitude. This track is a good one for men who have no prior ministry experience in the local church or who are unsure of their individual ministry goals.
- The resident in this track can expect to preach 10-12 sermons in various contexts during his residency
KEY DOCUMENTS
Pastoral Resident - Two-Year Calendar/Curriculum