With a growing conviction that a seminary education could not provide everything which a young pastor would need for effective ministry in the church, in 2020, Pastor D.J. began the Church at The Mill School of Ministry. Each resident will study evangelism, preaching, worship leadership, missions, leadership, practical theology, biblical counseling, spiritual formation, pastoral ministry, and much more. Every class will begin with the “lesson before the lesson” when Pastor D.J. or another pastor at Church at The Mill identifies some current issue in our church and explains how, by God’s grace and wisdom, we are dealing with these matters in a way that builds up the church and glorifies God. In this way, these young men will be able to get an inside look at how a healthy church functions.

We propose to offer a residency in conjunction with partnering Southern Baptist Seminaries. During their time on staff, our residents will receive a classical theological education as they work toward the Master of Divinity degree. While their formal theological studies are foundational to their preparation for ministry, the distinctive offered at Church at The Mill is the hands-on training provided by our church staff. It is at this point that the theoretical becomes practical and the theological is fleshed out in the life of the church.

Each semester, residents will be assigned to mentors from the church staff. Over the course of the residency, he will work under and be trained by staff in the areas of prayer and evangelism, congregational care, missions, music, families, preschool, children, youth, college, and administration. As an example, when a resident spends a period of time with the student ministry, he will not only see the day to day logistics of planning a youth event, but also the theological and spiritual preparation that is crucial for making disciples of students.

Our goal is to expose the residents to every dimension of life at Church at The Mill. They will sit in most staff and leadership meetings. In this way, they will observe (and to some degree participate in) the challenges of working with and relating to church leaders on a weekly basis. They will witness firsthand the experience of pastors and leaders praying together and working together to know the mind of Christ for His church. They will be exposed to the innermost workings of church life with all of its agony and glory. These kinds of experiences cannot be captured in a classroom setting but will be experienced by our residents week after week.