Residency for New Pastors - Bloomfield Hills, MI
Listed 01-28-2021
Employer: Kirk in the Hills, 1340 West Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI US 48302 | 248-626-2515 | kirkinthehills.org
Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Start Date: 06-01-2021
Type: Full Time
The Bill Robinson Residency for New Pastors, Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, MI for 2021-2022
Like all professions, the first years of a church leadership career are often challenging. New church leaders must establish an identity and develop the work and study habits necessary for providing spiritual leadership to their congregations. Yet many new pastors in their first congregations find themselves professionally and geographically isolated, receiving too little support in working through tough transitional issues and developing a healthy pastoral identity. The result is that many promising and gifted young church leaders become frustrated and drop out of ministry within the first years of their service. In other cases, inexperienced church leaders may slip into leadership styles and practices that are detrimental to congregational life and unable to sustain their ministries.
The Robinson Residency is modeled after other congregation-based residency programs, in which, like the medical school model, new pastors spend time as "residents" in a teaching congregation before assuming leadership of their own church.
This two-year residency program is for seminary graduates who hold particular promise as pastors and wish to develop their ministerial skills under dedicated supervision in a large church setting. This is an ordained position in which the Robinson Resident serves and learns alongside the staff and congregation of Kirk in the Hills.
For the 2021-2022 cycle of this program, the resident will be engaged in strengthening our “Cooperative Parish” with two other Presbyterian churches in the surrounding area. We see this as a “retro-fit” of the old “circuit riding” ministry from years ago. We believe that having experience and understanding Cooperative Parish ministry will be essential in the post-pandemic church. This opportunity will allow the new pastor to do/receive the following:
Offer regular preaching, pastoral care, worship planning, outreach and formation programs at Starr Presbyterian Church, Royal Oak
Preach once a month at First Presbyterian Church of Troy and share responsibilities in care and leadership with their current pastor
Receive the relational and programmatic support of Kirk in the Hills (teaching congregation) where the resident will also have a variety of engagement depending on their specific gifts and interests
The program, named in honor of Bill Robinson who taught (and continues to teach) Sunday school at Kirk in the Hills for more than 70 years, begins in the summer of 2021 and lasts two years.
This is a full-time position.
For more information or to apply, please contact:
Richard (Rick) Smith, search committee member, richardnsmith53@gmail.com
Or
Rev. Angela Ryo, Senior Associate Pastor at Kirk in the Hills, revang@kirkinthehills.org
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