The Bethel Institute aims to holistically grow residents as faithful and effective disciples by offering the following development strategy in a full-time immersive environment:

1. Ministry Experience – Practical hands-on experience is at the core of the residency program. In addition to skill development, residents will be provided countless experience in which they will develop competency to effectively lead as pastors, shepherds, and ministers in their respective fields of calling.
2. Spiritual Development – Without question, the most important characteristic of a pastoral leader and faithful disciple of Christ is a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. One cannot lead others to destinations they have not already been. Therefore, all residents will go through thorough training that focuses on spiritual disciplines, character development, and a love of the deep truths of God.
3. Leadership Coaching – Leadership coaching works in conjunction with the aforementioned ministry experience. Residents will partner with a personally assigned Leadership Coach who will ensure that the resident is growing in leadership competency and capacity. We expect residents to grow in their ability to lead themselves, ministry team members, and staff within the organization.
4. Personal Coaching – Personal coaching is the counterpart to leadership coaching. The personal coach is a trusted mentor who will regularly shepherd their individual resident throughout their learning and ministry experiences. The personal coach will also offer practical feedback to real life needs and concerns as they arise.
5. Evaluations – Regular feedback is crucial to any learning and professional environment. Our evaluation process will provide resident’s with monthly, quarterly and yearly reports that will allow them to strategically ready themselves for full-time ministry.
6. Christian Community – Residents will be connected into life-giving small groups and disciple-making communities that will unite them with the greater body of Christ.

Each resident is expected to work at least 29 hours per week on their residency. The bulk of their time (25 hours per week) will be spent working with their Resident Coach as a part of their ministry team. This allotment of time includes but is not limited to the active ministry experience, ministry development, and team member discipleship. The remaining time (4 hours per week) will be spent in Resident Training, which includes skills training, personal and professional development, and spiritual reinforcement.

Through a comprehensive personal, professional, and spiritual discipleship strategy that includes many mature and seasoned voices.

The Institute classes are for anyone and everyone (the church at large) who would like to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and how to apply that knowledge in the world. Residents will be required to attend classes, but all are encouraged to participate and learn.

The idea candidate for a residency is someone who feels a strong calling toward full-time ministry but first wants a safe and encouraging environment in which they can grow, learn, lead and make mistakes.

A candidate should also:

• be a devout follow of Jesus Christ and demonstrate His redemptive work in and through their lives
• have a teachable, humble spirit
• be faithful in their attendance and participation of all residency activities and requirements
• have a deep love for God, His Church, and His world
• be ready to take the next step into their calling of ministry
• have completed an undergraduate degree OR have obtained a reasonable amount of ministry experience
• be able to commit to a 2 year, full-time learning experience   

Simply put, the Bethel Institute exists to develop and deploy culture-shaping, kingdom-minded, biblically-fluent followers of Jesus. It does this by means of: 

• thoughtful character building and competency enhancing experiences
• exposure to leadership knowledge
• various professional and spiritual coaching contexts
• hands-on ministry involvement and leadership development

The end result should be a “person of character and competence who influences a community of people to achieve a God-honoring calling by means of the power of Christ.”