Pastoral Resident

Pastoral Resident 
Time: Full Time, Salaried (weekly and evening/weekend hours)    -  2 year assignment
Reports to:  Executive Pastor   
Primary work relationships: Executive Pastor, Lead Pastor, Site Mentor 

Program Overview 
The Local Church Pastoral Residency is a two-year mentoring program designed to train and equip church 
leaders of tomorrow. Believing the local church, as God designed it, is the hope of the world, TLC seeks to 
provide aspiring church leaders with a healthy church environment to learn, grow, and practice ministry after 
completing their degree.  

Why Consider Our Residency? 
We look for those who are eager to explore what it looks like to work in a local church setting and who have 
felt a real calling from God to go into ministry. We offer a Residency for those who have just finished (or are 
finishing) their Seminary degree, or those who are ready for hands on ministry while pursuing a Seminary 
education. Our Residency program seeks to be the bridge to transition from the academic world into real, 
hands-on ministry. It gives real leadership and responsibility in a ministry context paired with coaching and 
mentorship that prepares students to be launched into a vocation of ministry. For those enrolled in 
Seminary: upon completion (or nearing completion) of his or her degree, each student will serve a two-year 
residency at The Local Church on Pastoral Staff. For those planning for seminary but not yet enrolled, we 
offer an extended Residency experience that allows for simultaneous full-time Seminary enrollment. The 
Pastoral Residency, a full-time paid position with benefits, provides a wide range of potential ministry 
opportunities suited to each Resident’s gifts, abilities, and eventual ministry focus, with multiple 
opportunities for mentorship available. 

What does a Residency look like?  
A Residency at The Local Church focuses on doing real Pastoral ministry in a coaching environment, beyond 
what seminary classrooms can teach. Our heart is for the Church to thrive and to see leadership raised and 
sent to do the work of ministry. We believe the church acts as a “training hospital” of sorts, training and 
developing Pastors to do the work of ministry.  

We understand that for some, this is the first real ministry experience they will step into. For others, this is an 
extension of their ongoing journey and calling into ministry. No matter what, the Residency aims to provide 
a full ministry experience in a local church context. This includes real ministry responsibilities to plan, 
execute, and maintain throughout the year and provides a chance to get behind the scenes and discover 
church life with various meetings and planning sessions to understand how churches operate. All of this is in 
tandem with training and development where mentors guide and help shape you in your ministry life. You 
will discover practical ministry and formation-based Competencies that focus on ministry-specific skills and 
the life of a Pastor. 

This is a full-time Pastoral position on our staff for a two-year period. The Residency aims to train, equip, and 
send out Pastors for various ministry opportunities upon completion of the residency. We help you build a 
ministry resume and connect with churches to find the right ministry position.  

Who are we?  
The Local Church Grand Rapids started 9 years ago on the East side of Grand Rapids. We are a multiplying 
church helping the next generation fall in love with Jesus to create better futures. We are a vibrant 
community who seeks to love our city and follow Jesus with all that we are. Check out our MANIFESTO to 
learn about what values drive us.  

Some unique things about us:  
• We’re passionate about reaching the next generation: 75% of our church is under the age of 35. The most 
mature in Christ need to be doing the most sacrificing to intentionally pass the faith on to the generations 
coming up behind us. We are serious about reaching the next generation.  
• We are intentional about reaching those who do not have a spiritual home. 37% of those who attend TLC 
were not attending church before coming to TLC. We want TLC to be a place that people are constantly 
finding Christ, being captured by his love, and through intentional community living out our discipleship 
to him by sharing him with others. 
• We’ve seen well over 200 individuals give their life to Jesus or recommit their life to Him in the last 5 years 
and well over 100 public proclamations of faith through baptism.  
• We are trying to be both generous and intentional to invest back into the city we love through our 
partnerships with Ken-O-Sha Elementary, ICCF, and multiple social service organizations (Samaritas, 
Bethany, and others) to provide support for foster care/adoption/refugee placements throughout our city.  
• In May of 2025 we planted our first church, sending out two full time staff members and 200 people to 
reach others for Christ on the West side of Grand Rapids.  
Grand Rapids is located in beautiful West Michigan and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Michigan. Just 
miles away from Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids is a thriving city of diverse people from all walks of life. Our 
city has a large medical community with multiple Hospitals and is home to large and influencing businesses 
and yet provides fertile ground for fresh start-ups and opportunities.  
For more information check out our church’s website or get to know our city some more.  

Expectations 
Requirements 
The Local Church desires to select Seminary graduates, seminary students, or those able and ready to begin 
seminary (and work towards completing their degree within the time frame of the residency) with “integrity 
of heart and skillful hands” (Psalm 78:70-72) to participate in this program. Applicants must demonstrate a 
commitment to following Christ, ministry leadership ability, a heart for serving the local church, and 
academic excellence. Those selected for the Residency commit to moving to the Grand Rapids area (either 
upon completion of their degree or prior to starting their degree), where they will serve at TLC as a Resident 
for two years.