Our Residency Focus
Rochester, New York metro is home to over 1 million residents and serves as an important educational, medical, and political hub in the Western New York region. It is a beautiful city with rich history, culture, and diversity and offers its residents much by way of entertainment, scenery, community, cuisine and more!
However, the spiritual needs across this area are immense. As we pray and dream about next steps, our specific longing is to see more churches faithfully proclaiming the good news across this region, and from this region to the world. This means that our desire for this residency program is to raise up more men to plant and revitalize churches specifically here in Western New York.
Our Residency Development Philosophy
Here’s how we hope to serve and develop you toward that end:
Intellectual Formation. Our residents will have the opportunity to think deeply about how to apply robust, orthodox Christian belief to modern-day ministry in the city. This will include theological reading and reflection, coupled with varied and diverse opportunities to put theology to work in real-world scenarios and pastoral situations.
Character Formation. “Watch your life and your doctrine closely” (1 Tim. 4:16). The highest priority of our residents will be to cultivate a deep love for Christ and neighbor. Therefore, high importance will be placed on cultivating the heart and relational habits necessary for effective ministry for the long-haul, including spiritual disciples, repentance of sin, and deep involvement in the church community.
Missional Formation. In order to provide a breadth of experience, our residents will have exposure to most every area of ministry at our church during their residency tenure, including kids and youth, men’s and women’s ministries, care and pastoral counseling, and operational and administrative coordination. Residents will also experience evangelism, discipleship, and local and global missions and will have the opportunity to observe how to lead a church from deep Christian orthodoxy into wide missional engagement.
Our Residency Cycle
The Residency program will move through four consecutive phases, spanning roughly 3 months each over a period of one year. From assimilation to transition, our prayer is to position you into opening a new church plant or beginning a new church revitalization project by the end of the Residency program, if the Lord wills.
Here is a look at the four phases in turn:
Assimilation. Establish yourself at Grace Road Church including membership and community, develop your rhythms for the Residency program, and begin to research neighborhoods and ministry opportunities in the Rochester area.
Planning. Discern your ministry call for planting, revitalizing, or another opportunity and write a ministry prospectus and doctrinal statement.
Gathering. Begin to establish a location for a church plant or a next step for ministry opportunities and gather or join a core team for vision and development.
Transitioning. Ready yourself and your team to launch a new church plant, or to establish yourself into a church revitalization project.