“This Should be a Required Seminary Course”

The Need

In early 2020 the elders of New City Church began discussion on what a residency for planting and replanting might look like. Our discussion was born out of the need for well equipped, gospel-centered men who were ready to step into church planting and replanting opportunities, men who felt called to lead His church.
We quickly connected with The Calvary Family of Churches and with their gracious help, we were able to design our first New City Plant / Replant Residency.

The Plan
Working together and with Calvary, our elders determined that the residency would include training in preaching, shepherding, and “boots on the ground” leading in a church plant or replant. The New City elders divided the areas to be covered between them and the plan would be to meet weekly with the residents, equipping them to preach, shepherd and lead. Between meetings the residents would have reading assignments, sermon preparation and attend elder meetings and some shepherding meetings.

With a basic plan in place we quickly began recruiting through the New City Family of Churches and our social networks. Several men applied for the residency and after screening and conversations we started our first residency with three men. One of our residents had been a lead pastor and served numerous churches in other roles. Two were men who served in the church as volunteers but not as a vocation. We were ready to go!

Ready on paper… but the question remained, would the residency serve well these men and through them the church?
While we are still too early in our first residency to say with certainty that this has been worth it for the men and for the church, each week seems to hint that the answer will be, Yes! Although one of our initial residents withdrew, the remaining two men have expressed again and again how much they are learning and growing through the residency. Here are a few of their comments, to the best of my memory:

I have read about elders and believed in biblical eldership. I have even been around you guys. But I have never seen anything like this! I am even more convinced in a plurality of elders leading the local church.

This is what I want, to lead with a team of men working together for the mission of the church.

I wish that I had this information (on leadership, planting and replanting) before I took my first church. It would have all been so different.

This should be a required seminary course. Every seminary student who wants to lead in a church needs to hear this.

I need this, not just to lead in church, but on my job and in my home.

With months of our first residency remaining, we are already seeing fruit in the growth of these men! We are excited to see what the remaining months hold and can’t wait to see the opportunities to lead churches that will come to these men.

If you are interested in becoming a part of next year’s residency or if you are a church in need of a pastor, well equipped to replant or revitalize a church, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us here.