Applications for small church residency program, For Such a Time as This, now being accepted

January 12, 2012

People laying hands on CC Armstrong

Laying on of hands at pastoral resident CC Armstrong's ordination at Calvary Presbyterian Church, Detroit —Photo by Marilyn Borst.

General Assembly Mission Council

by Emily Enders Odom,
Associate, Mission Communications

LOUISVILLE

The application process for prospective pastoral residents is now open for For Such a Time as This: A Small Church Residency — Growing Leaders, Growing Churches. 

Launched by the General Assembly Mission Council in fall 2009, For Such a Time as This is a timely and innovative program that pairs recent seminary graduates with small, underserved congregations for a two-year pastoral residency. During these two years, pastoral residents are supported and guided by a network of pastor-mentors and presbytery, seminary and national church leaders. 
                                                                                    

In 2010, the program's inaugural year, six recent seminary graduates were called to churches in Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota. In 2011, 10 pastoral residents were ordained to serve congregations in Florida, West Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina.

Applicants for the Class of 2012 must be first-call candidates in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who are willing and able to serve at designated residency sites located within the bounds of our 2012 partner presbyteries. Pastoral residents are expected to serve for a minimum of two years as ordained pastors in a call that includes support from pastor-mentors.

Interested candidates for the Class of 2012 are encouraged to visit the website for further information. The completed application and all supporting documents must be emailed to residency@pcusa.org no later than March 31, 2012.

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For Such a Time as This: A Small Church Residency — Growing Leaders, Growing Churches is currently seeking gifts to allow the program to continue to help grow Christ’s church deep and wide by reenergizing and renewing our small congregations. Visit the website for further information or to make a gift.

Applications, due January 31, 2012, are available to presbyteries seeking to be partners in For Such a Time as This. For more information or to download an application, visit the website or email your questions.

  1. I had to opportunity to meet CeCe this past February. What a wonderful young pastor with vision. I can't remember the last time I met such an energitic person. Any chance of this program coming North. We have so many African American Churches without called pastors. This program seems like one that the would be benificial to some of the smaller churches in the Philadelphia area.

    by Julia HIll

    April 5, 2012

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