1. Make Jesus Famous - The Other 6 Days
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Building leaders for a lifetime of ministry.

Lord willing, in the decades to come, as churches are increasingly struggling to find leadership to advance their work or plant new communities of faith across the globe, the Southwest Pastoral Residency will yield hundreds of equipped, resilient, passionate, and faithful young pastors to fill the coming leadership void.

FOUNDATIONS OF FRUITFULNESS.

Like medical school residencies allow young doctors to hone their craft through the practice of medicine in the “real world,” the Southwest Pastoral Residency will give young pastors an opportunity to learn ministry while actually doing it.

Leaders from across the Valley (and the globe) will be invited to come work as a “resident” at Southwest where they will invest a defined season — usually two to three years — under the direction of church leadership and a world-class “resident faculty” to develop the requisite wisdom and pastoral skills that can only be gained through hands-on experience in the “trenches of ministry.” 
42%

As of March 2022, more than two in five pastors (42%) had given “real, serious consideration" to quitting full-time ministry within the last year.

(source: Barna)
7 in 10 Pastors

Nearly 7 in 10 pastors believe it is becoming harder to find mature young Christians who want to be pastors.

(source: Barna)
2 in 3 pastors

Almost 2 in 3 pastors say they are facing stress in ministry (63%) while nearly half also point to discouragement (48%) and distraction (48%) as ministry challenges.

(source: Lifeway)

Southwest, we believe now is the time.

Through your prayerful support and your generous giving, now is the time to boldly follow God’s call for our church and begin “building leaders for a lifetime of ministry.” We must learn to contend not only for the future success of Southwest Church but for the sake of God’s Kingdom. We must, as Pastor JD Greear puts it, let multiplying leaders become an “essential element of our ‘scorecard’.” 

We at Southwest must learn to gauge our success not merely by what we see within our own four walls but also by the leaders we raise up and launch to further the name of Jesus in every corner of the globe until the day He returns.

It is incumbent upon us all to steward the resources God has so graciously entrusted to us for the sake of His name, and it is only through your generosity that this program is possible.

We need you.

RESIDENCY FAQ's

Currently, (5) five residents have been selected to fill the current residency program with additional spots opening as funding become available.

We will employ a Residency Director and Scholar-in-Residence to facilitate mentorship and integrate residents to life and ministry as a Southwest staffer and a ministry leader in the Coachella Valley. 


Southwest will rally a world-class faculty of seasoned, veteran ministry leaders who will partner with Southwest leadership for training within the residency. Along the way, residents will pursue a formal theological education and meet regularly with residency leadership to receive the personalized feedback and coaching needed to discern the kind of leader God has made them to be and the ministry direction He may be calling them to go.


Join Hope for Today & hear more about our new residency program!

Join us for a special "Hope for Today & Make Jesus Famous - The Other 6 Days" devotional from Pastor Ricky Jenkins as he continues to offer daily gospel encouragement and prayer, but also sharing the heart behind our new campaign to help bless leaders in the Coachella Valley and across the globe! 
Watch Hope for Today!