Pastoral Residency

The Providence Pastoral Residency Program
The Providence Pastoral Residency Program is a unique, one or two-year developmental internship for seminary students (or recent graduates) interested in parish ministry in a Presbyterian context. Under the direct supervision of the pastors at Providence Presbyterian Church, Residents gain invaluable experience in congregational ministry, church leadership, practical theology, and much more, serving and learning in a mid-size church setting. The position is part-time (20-30 hours per week) or full-time (40 hours per week) with compensation packages of 30K and 60K respectively. Additionally, Providence assists with securing housing so that Residents can live on island and directly participate in the life of the church.

Congregational Ministry
The Congregational Ministry emphasis focuses on various areas of ministry and the leadership skills essential for effective ministry. Residents will gain experience in:

• Preaching and Worship: Residents will assist in leading worship regularly, and preach occasionally, on Sunday mornings. Sermons will be recorded and reviewed with the goal of clarifying theological content and communication style. Residents will participate in planning Sunday, and other special, worship services.
• Care Rotation: Residents will participate in a rotation that includes regular hospital and home visits, on-call assignments, and working with our Board of Deacons in their congregational care ministries.
• Mission Rotation: Residents will have responsibilities in one or more of the ongoing outreach programs of the church.
• Formation: Residents will participate in a broad range of educational and formative opportunities. They will plan, teach, and evaluate adult and student formation programs as well as participate in Providence’s other special events.
• Engagement: Residents will participate in Providence’s new member orientation and the program that calls on prospective members, connecting new members to the many opportunities at Providence.
• Specialization: Residents will focus on, and experiment with, the area of their distinctive ministry giftings and interests, for example, youth ministry, adult ministry, evangelism and outreach, pastoral care, instrumental worship, etc.

Church Leadership
The Church Leadership emphasis focuses on preparing Residents for the myriad responsibilities of a pastor, including administration, visionary planning, leading a staff, and more.

• Administration: Each Resident will have administrative duties pertinent to each rotation as assigned by the pastors.
• Staff Meetings and Church Governance: Residents will participate in weekly staff and pastoral team meetings. They will also attend Session meetings.
• Stewardship: Residents will have the opportunity to learn about the theology and practice of faithful stewardship in the life of the congregation. Additionally, there will be opportunities to learn about church budgets and the practical side of funding an organization.
• Mentorship and Support: Residents will connect with members in the congregation who will serve as faith mentors. They will meet monthly to share faith stories and assess experiences within the church. Residents will also meet regularly with the pastors for supervision and mentoring.

Academic/Practical Study
An over-arching goal of this program is to inspire new pastors to develop those personal disciplines essential to the pursuit of a learned ministry. An opportunity to reflect theologically is essential for a good start in parish ministry. Thus, the program intentionally links head with heart, learning with doing, action with reflection.

• Study: Residents will read and discuss books and articles as assigned by the pastors for the purpose of continued learning.
• Community Opportunities and Professional Development: Residents will take advantage of the frequent learning opportunities within the presbytery and larger church leadership community, including conferences, workshops, webinars, etc. Since building healthy patterns in the life of a minister is absolutely necessary, residents will be encouraged to explore and practice spiritual disciplines throughout the residency.