What Does a Resident’s Typical Schedule Look Like?
First and foremost, you’ll be guided in spiritual formation and disciple-making. Your entire ministry career will be founded on your relationship with the Lord and your fulfillment of the Great Commission (John 15:4-5; Matt. 28:18-20). Therefore, you’ll spend about 5 hours every week being mentored and discipled to go deeper in your relationship with Jesus Christ and learn to make disciples who make disciples.
The majority of your week will be invested working in the ministry specialty to which God has called you. Each resident will work approximately 30 hours a week in their ministry track. You’ll be assigned leadership responsibilities with unique opportunities to learn and grow in a healthy church environment. During this tenure, you’ll be coached by a seasoned pastor who will help you establish a ministry foundation based on the wisdom of best practices, gleaned from years of leading successful ministries.
With the remainder of your work week, you will have the opportunity to earn credit toward a Master’s Degree at a local seminary or graduate school like Dallas Baptist University, B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, or Southwestern Seminary.
Finally, each resident will travel on a mission trip to one of our our CrossCreek Network partner churches to gain experience in missions, serving the community, and sharing the gospel. This trip may be domestic (i.e. New York) or international (i.e. Madrid, Quebec, Zambia) and will be determined based on the opportunities available in the CrossCreek Network at the time.
Where Will I Live During the Residency?
Local housing will be provided either through an apartment complex or rental house. Single residents will be housed with one or two other CCR residents, depending on the size of the property. Houses will be partially furnished in the common living areas, but each resident will be responsible for providing their own bedroom furniture, linens, small appliances, etc. Married residents will receive an additional financial stipend (equivalent to the cost for a single resident) to be used for securing separate housing with their spouse.
What About Living Expenses?
Each CrossCreek Resident will receive a monthly stipend of $1,800 to use for living expenses, graduate work, etc.
What Happens When I Finish the Residency Program?
As an added bonus, at the conclusion of your residency year CCR will offer assistance in finding your next ministry assignment. For some, that may be a full-time position on staff at CrossCreek Church or one of the CrossCreek Network churches. Also, the CrossCreek network has ministry contacts and partnerships all across the United States, and internationally as well. Of course, we cannot guarantee post-residency employment for you - that’s up to God’s sovereignty and His will for your life. But God often uses relationships among His people to accomplish His purposes, and we’ll use all the resources available to us to help open doors for you!
Who Should Apply?
CrossCreek Residents must give evidence of experiencing a call by God to serve Him in full-time vocational ministry.
The ideal CrossCreek Residency candidate is a young adult leader, male or female, aged 21-26, who is graduating from college and desires to pursue expertise in one of CCR’s Ministry Tracks. Residents may be single or married, although housing arrangements and costs will be different for married students.
This ideal profile, though, is not absolute. If you feel that God is calling you to CCR but you do not fit all aspects of this profile, please reach out by phone or email. The only non-negotiable factor is a call by God to pursue vocational ministry. Prayer and consideration for a candidate with any other difference in life circumstances will be given!
Are There Any Additional Costs to Me?
Each resident will be responsible for providing the funds for the required mission trip, which generally costs around $1,200. Residents are encouraged to fundraise within their network to cover these costs, but some may choose to pay for their trip outright using their monthly stipend, Christmas gifts, etc.