Church Residency Partnership
Admissions
Bethel Seminary’s passion is advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that raising up high-quality, biblically-grounded, culturally-savvy ministry leaders is the key to that mission. We believe in growing more leaders with rich biblical understanding, deep commitment to orthodoxy, and passion for Kingdom outreach. In North America, cultural norms and values are drifting away from biblical teaching faster than any place else in the world. A strategic approach to leadership development is vital for Gospel faithfulness and Kingdom advance.
We've designed a pathway that enables ministry leaders in the church to develop spiritually-gifted and biblically-grounded emerging leaders. These emerging leaders will deepen their commitment to biblical orthodoxy as they learn with faithful evangelical scholars while keeping your church’s unique leadership DNA.
Program details
Bethel Seminary makes leadership development simple. Bethel invites you to recruit as residents the kind of spiritually-gifted, future ministry leaders you’d choose to invest in and:
Deploy them in your church, immersing them in your leadership culture as they grow ministry skill
Create regular mentoring and/or coaching experiences for them
Provide modest scholarship support ($1200 or more per year), using this Scholarship Agreement Form (pdf)
Supporting your leadership development strategy, Bethel will:
Deliver a high-quality, fully accredited master's degree, some of which can be completed in as little as two years. Degree options include Master of Arts in Christian Thought, Master of Arts in Children's, Youth, and Family Ministry, Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Divinity.
Provide all classes and all academic services, either on campus or 100% online
Enable students to begin in August, February, or June
Match your church’s support up to $1,200 per year
Disburse funds on your behalf
The emerging leader will:
Apply as a Bethel Seminary student, using the online application
Serve as residents for up to 35 hours per week in your ministry
Study 15 hours per week (average time required to earn 6 credits per term)
Meet twice monthly with a ministry mentor and/or leadership coach you approve
Benefits
This partnership will benefit your ministry, allowing you to:
Stand out to the best candidates as an employer with a unique staff development plan
Embed your unique organizational DNA in your future staff
Hire as permanent staff the most effective residents who prove themselves over the course of their seminary education
It will enlarge your legacy, enabling you to:
Implement a simple leadership development strategy with little additional effort
Create a godly leadership heritage in the lives of those you recruit and develop
It will benefit emerging leaders, assisting them to:
Earn a seminary degree at a surprisingly reasonable total net cost
Gain experience, coaching, and a high-quality master's degree
Next Steps
Create a Church Residency Scholarship Program
If a special fund is created, contributions will be given to the fund and not to individuals. Students and/or families will not contribute to the special fund (and thus gain benefits from their personal giving).
Establish a Church Residency Scholarship Program through governing board or congregational action
Establish a scholarship committee (or equivalent) to award funds based on church-approved guidelines
Establish a scholarship funding source (either annual budget, endowment, or special fund)
Implement the Church Residency Scholarship Program
Payments should be sent to the Bethel University Business Office at 3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112.
Identify and recruit residents that demonstrate leadership potential
Initiate a regular coaching or mentoring experience for the residents
Ensure the residents apply as degree-seeking students at Bethel Seminary using the regular application form
Complete the Church Residency Scholarship Agreement Form. Submit the form to the Office of Financial Aid.
Note: The Office of Financial Aid will match and disburse the church’s scholarship contribution. If a student withdraws or is otherwise ineligible, Bethel will return the unused scholarship dollars to the church.
For further information, contact Dr. Peter Vogt
651-638-6559 (office)
p-vogt@bethel.edu
Bethel Seminary
MSC 2398
3900 Bethel Drive
St Paul, MN 55112