About
Pastoral Residency
Second Baptist Church believes that pastoral ministry is learned best in community, over time, and in the context of real congregational life.
Our Pastoral Residency exists to help form healthy, grounded, and well-prepared pastors who are called to serve as senior pastors in congregations beyond our own. We see this work not only as an investment in an individual pastor, but as a way of participating in the renewal of the Church itself.
Like many churches, we have learned that while seminaries offer deep theological and biblical grounding, much of pastoral leadership is shaped through lived experience—walking with people through joy and grief, leading worship week after week, navigating conflict with care, learning to steward systems and relationships, and developing practices that sustain a pastor’s life over the long haul. Second Baptist understands itself as a teaching congregation, committed to offering that kind of formation with intention and trust.
A Formation-Focused Residency
The Pastoral Residency at Second Baptist is a two- to three-year, full-time ministry and formation experience designed for pastors who sense a call to senior pastoral leadership. Residents serve as members of the pastoral staff and share fully in the life of the congregation, while also engaging in an intentional process of learning, reflection, and growth.
Pastoral Residents gain broad, hands-on experience in the core dimensions of pastoral ministry, including preaching and worship leadership, pastoral care, congregational leadership and administration, discipleship, missions, and community engagement. Ministry assignments are shaped by both the needs of the church and the resident’s particular gifts, with the goal of helping each resident grow as a generalist pastor who can lead with wisdom, humility, and confidence.
Mentorship, Community, and Care
Formation at Second Baptist is never done alone. Each resident is supported by the senior pastor, pastoral staff, and a lay mentoring team that offers encouragement, feedback, and perspective from the life of the congregation. Residents are invited into honest conversation about vocation, leadership, and the realities of pastoral life, with attention given to spiritual formation, emotional health, and sustainable rhythms of ministry.
We believe that learning to care for others begins with learning to care for oneself. Residents are encouraged and supported in developing practices of prayer, reflection, spiritual direction, and self-care that will serve them well beyond their time at Second Baptist.
A Commitment to the Church Beyond Our Walls
The Pastoral Residency is rooted in Second Baptist’s conviction that the Church is renewed not only through planting congregations, but through planting pastors—women and men formed for faithful leadership who carry with them strong theological grounding, practical wisdom, and a deep love for the people they serve.
Residents are prepared not simply for their next role, but for a lifetime of ministry. As residents discern and prepare for their next call, Second Baptist walks alongside them, offering guidance, advocacy, and support as they move toward their next place of service.
Who Should Consider the Pastoral Residency
The Pastoral Residency is designed for pastors who have completed a Master of Divinity degree, who sense a call to senior pastoral leadership, and who desire formation within a congregational setting marked by trust, collaboration, and shared learning. We look for residents who are curious, teachable, grounded in their faith, and ready to grow through experience.
An Invitation
If you are discerning a call to pastoral leadership and are seeking a place where formation is taken seriously, where ministry is shared, and where you will be known and supported as a whole person, we invite you to explore the Pastoral Residency at Second Baptist Church.
For more information about the residency or the application process, please contact the church office or reach out directly to Jason Edwards, senior pastor.