Residency

Are you called to ministry? We want to help you!

Summit Institute Residency is an intensive, two-year program offering significant hands-on ministry experience, weekly training, and mentorship by seasoned church leadership. Our desire is to develop ministry leaders for the local church: men and women who have a passion for reaching this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You’ll operate as a member of the Summit staff, receive training from national/international experts, and be given significant responsibility. A training environment has been created which will complement your theological education and enable you to climb new heights as you develop character, leadership, and ministry skills.

Summit is committed to training the next generation of pastors and church leaders through its ministry residency. Through this program, you’ll be taught how to lead in a variety of roles within the church. Communication cohorts — led by some of our top pastors and ministry leaders — will fine tune your skills as effective preachers and teachers.

Pastoral development is the heart of our ministry. You will be involved with pastors and ministry leaders “up close and personally” as they function within the church. At the end of the program, you’ll possess the experience, insights, and skills necessary to successfully step into full-time vocational ministry, whether as a pastor, missionary or ministry director. There are no guaranteed positions at Summit but many of our staff positions are currently filled by our graduates.

So, if you’re called to vocational ministry and want to be intentionally challenged in a gospel-saturated setting, please complete an interest form. Someone from the Institute Leadership team will connect with you to hear more of your story and help discern if this is the right next step for you.

Overview

Below you will find the basic layout of job descriptions for The Summit Institute Residents. The Residents first and foremost report to the leadership of the TSI program and then to their respective ministry coach(es). Hence, there are Institute and Ministry Field categories for those in the Institute explaining responsibility and authority.

Resident Expectations for The Summit Institute

• Residents are men and women above the age of a college graduate or with significant ministry experience who desire to pursue vocational ministry and are seeking to be developed towards that end. Our residents are typically pursuing their graduate degrees which the program can help with.
• Residents are expected to attend weekly sessions each Tuesday for developmental classes; this also includes preaching 3 cohorts a semester.
• Each semester there will be a Residency retreat lasting over a weekend. Attendance is mandatory and fees for the event are included in the Residency support fee to be covered by support raising.
• Because residents work 35 hours a week and have a high level of ownership in their respective ministries they are considered to be a part of the Summit staff team. Integration into Summit staff culture is expected from the resident and the Summit staff are expected to treat them as an integral part of the ministry.

Summit Institute Ministry Field Job Description

The vast majority of the Institute student’s experience will be defined by the individual’s ministry field (e.g. pastoral ministry, student ministry, women’s ministry, guest services, etc.). Each job description is written by the individual ministry coach in conjunction with the Institute Team. 

• The methodology of the residency is in an “observe and own” model as they work in close proximity with full-time staff. Residents will observe what full-time staff does (i.e. their personal ministry coach) while being handed ownership over some aspect(s) of the particular ministry they have been placed in.
• The hour expectation of Residents is 35 hours a week (not including time spent in training sessions)..

Further Details

Where: The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, NC

When: New Residents start each August.

Duration: 21 months

Time Commitment: 35 hours/week

Retreats: Twice a year, you’ll learn from national leaders and experience church planting in cities across North America.

Cost: The fee is $1,400 annually. This fee helps offset a portion of the cost of your retreats and resources. The fee will be rolled into the total amount of funds you raise.

Compensation: Since all Residents are full-time, everyone participates in raising financial support.

• Part of your training is a four-day training module on financial support raising. This training takes place during the early spring. You will be equipped to raise the necessary funds for supporting your ministry, plus you will also be assigned a Coach to assist you in this process.
• As you raise support, you won’t be doing it alone. You’ll raise support alongside fellow classmates as you receive proven training and ongoing coaching.
• We’ve consistently seen God provide in this area. If you’re drawn to this Apprenticeship opportunity, don’t let anxiety about raising support keep you from following God’s call. Give God a chance to demonstrate His power in your life so you can be encouraged by how He does. We’ve consistently seen God provide in this area.

Seminary Credit: Up to 27 hours available at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and 18 hours available at Liberty University Divinity School through the program.

Application Deadline: January 28, 2023