Applications, including letters of reference,
are due by March 15, 2019.
An Invitation
Applicants are sought for a one-year 1001 New Worshiping Community residency established by Wayfarers Chapel and the Presbytery of Pueblo. Wayfarers Chapel (one of the PCUSA’s 1001 new worshiping communities) was established about four years ago in the Ivywild neighborhood of Colorado Springs. Its weekly worship takes place in one room of a brew pub that is at the center of a changing enclave of this urban setting. It is community based and connects with a variety of community activities. Wayfarers is located within the Presbytery of Pueblo, a geographically large but ecclesiastically small presbytery. Composed of a small number of small and mid-sized congregations intent upon being disciple-forming communities, the Presbytery is deeply committed to forming new faith communities within its boundaries. The resident will be engaged with the thriving Wayfarers new worshiping community and work with the Presbytery in expanding the reach of new faith communities.
Activities
The resident will have three primary commitments:
- The resident will assist the pastor of Wayfarers, Rev. Collin Downing, with the ongoing ministry of Wayfarers Chapel, including initiating new connections within the neighborhood, discipling people and forming community (estimated to be one-third time over the residency year).
- The resident will begin a survey of various localities within the Presbytery having potential for being the setting for starting a NWC. These localities include urban places with various social justice issues, rural areas containing small cities which economically have been left behind, mountain towns with a tourism basis and a focus on an outdoor lifestyle, and university settings with a potential for a campus ministry that evolves into a new worshiping community. This exploratory activity will provide the basis for the resident to select one setting for focused work as well as help the Presbytery identify localities for future faith community initiatives (estimated to be one-third time concentrated in the earlier portion of the residency).
- After doing the initial survey of potential new worshiping community places, the resident (in cooperation with the Presbytery) will select one in which to begin preparing for a new worshiping community. This work will include doing a neighborhood assessment, developing relationships within the community, identifying and developing relationships with potential ministry partners, and developing a mission plan for moving forward. (estimated to be one-third time concentrated in the later portion of the residency).
The resident also will be able to participate in a cohort of persons in the Presbytery who are exploring the launching of a NWC. This is a working group of about six people who each are at an early stage of exploring a specific context that fits them personally. The resident will have the ongoing support of two persons: Rev. Collin Downing, pastor of Wayfarers Chapel and Dr. Ronald Anderson, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Pueblo Both work together as part of the Presbytery’s New Worshiping Communities Team and are committed to this residency program.
Outcomes
This residency is expected to have important results for both the Presbytery and the resident. It will further the Presbytery’s commitment to forming new worshiping communities by mapping out the beginnings of several such potential faith communities and develop a specific mission plan and initial groundwork for one such community. By the end of the residency it is hoped that the Presbytery will have a new worshiping community plan for which they can issue a MIF to the CLC seeking a teaching elder who can be called to launch it. The resident would be welcomed to submit his or her PIF to the Presbytery PNC considering this ministry. The outcome for the resident will be experience, competence and a passion for forming a new worshiping community.
Ideal Applicants
This ideal applicant must have a strong allegiance to Jesus Christ, strong entrepreneurial inclinations, willingness to be a risk-taker, a love for gathering people together for a common purpose, a sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit, and a passion for bringing the uncommitted into a relationship with Jesus.
Selection Process
A discernment team selects candidates for the program. In addition to possessing the qualities described above, an ideal candidate for the NWC Residency will possess an interest in journeying with a community to see them grow in awareness of God’s work and presence in their lives. She or he delegates and equips people to take responsibility for their faith practices and has excitement and enthusiasm about starting things from scratch. He or she is an unapologetically Christian leader who is savvy about loving and meeting people where they are.
Financial Support
The total package available for support of this residency is $40,000 for the year, to include salary and at least a $1500 health insurance reimbursement. Beacon will work with the successful candidate to organize the package to be most beneficial to the resident. The resident will be an employee of Beacon Church. Residents also will take part in an advanced national training (costs covered by the Presbyterian Mission Agency) with 1001 apprentices and other residents this summer in Kansas City. Applications, including letters of reference, are due by March 15, 2019.
For more information about 1001 New Worshiping Communities follow us on Instagram @1001nwc and contact Sara.Hayden@pcusa.org
For more information about Wayfarer’s Chapel, visit http://www.wayfarerschapelco.org/.
