Double Up: 5 Reasons Your Church Should Multiply Its Investment in Residency
I was speaking with a partner church last week and they were considering what to do next. They had launched a residency a couple of years ago and successfully navigated their first two residents who have since launched into ministry. Through the conversation, I said, “You’re already changing lives with your residency program. Maybe you should double down on your investment in the next generation.”
Here’s what I mean - If your church has one intern, you should be dreaming about two. If you’ve got four residents, why not set your sights on eight? Leaders who can develop the next gen are rare. If that's you, you are SO needed.
Residency isn’t just about covering ministry needs—it’s about raising up the next generation of kingdom-minded leaders. Whether you’re running a thriving residency or just getting started, here are five reasons to double your efforts and scale up your impact:
1. You’re Not Just Staffing—You’re Shaping the Future
Residency is more than plugging holes. It’s forming future pastors, planters, and leaders who already “get” your church culture. Each resident is a potential long-term staff member being discipled and developed before day one of official employment. Multiply your residents, and you’re multiplying leaders who are ready to lead your church—not just a church.
2. The Need Is Growing—Faster Than the Pipeline
Churches are facing an accelerating leadership gap. Retirements, transitions, and burnout are real. But the bigger issue? There aren’t enough ready leaders to fill the roles. Gen Z is passionate about purpose but often underdeveloped. Residencies give you the opportunity to close that gap by developing and discipling leaders who are already “homegrown.”
3. Development Isn’t Accidental—It’s Intentional
Seminaries are great, but they can’t provide the hands-on ministry development your context requires. Residency creates space for soft skills development, spiritual formation, and weekly coaching. By doubling your investment, you’re not just giving more people jobs—you’re creating a system where leaders grow, stretch, and stick.
4. The Best Leaders Need the Best Environment to Grow
You can’t microwave leadership. Some of the most promising leaders fizzle not because they lack calling, but because they lack support. When you increase your residency capacity, you create a more robust development culture—one where residents sharpen each other and find the encouragement they need to endure and thrive.
5. Residency Multiplies Ministry, Not Just Staff
Residents aren’t just shadowing—they’re leading. They’re discipling students, hosting newcomers, preaching, planning events, and learning to carry the weight of leadership. Every resident increases your church’s capacity for mission. Every investment in residency is an investment in multiplication.
So… should you double your residency efforts?
Yes. Especially if you’re dreaming of a future where your church isn’t scrambling to find leaders, but launching them.
Need help scaling? We’d love to talk.
📘 Download our guide: 7 Critical Competencies Your Next Hire Must Have
Let’s build the future of the Church—together, and two-by-two.