Ministry Residency | Converge Heartland

Heartland Residencies Converge Heartland's vision is to see a Gospel-centered church bringing transformation to every Heartland community. We believe there is a pressing need in our day for biblically called and qualified men to pastor churches—men who will devote their lives to Gospel ministry. Residencies are local church-based programs designed to train men for pastoral ministry. Graduates of the program will be elder-qualified men, prepared to pastor the church through planting, revitalization, or other local church ministry in the Heartland and beyond. Most residencies offer a base salary with supplemental, support-raised income options to assist with living costs, seminary tuition, retirement, health insurance, etc. The Components To train men for ministry, residencies have three main components. Pastoral Development Learn the essential functions of pastoral ministry Meet regularly with the church's leadership for discipleship and formation Grow in the character required of qualified elders Theological Education Earn your theological degree through one of our partner schools Ministry Experience Gain experience in preaching, pastoring, and projects Serve and lead in various ministries Residency Partnerships and Affiliations Converge Heartland Converge Heartland is one of ten districts in Converge, a collaborative network of independent Great Commission congregations working together to help people meet, know, and follow Jesus. Heartland serves over sixty churches across Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. University Partners We partner with various Christian universities and seminaries to provide residents with accessible, affordable degrees in theology—all completed remotely during the program: Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, MO), Kairos University (Sioux Falls, SD), and the Timothy Pastoral Apprenticeship (Dell Rapids, SD).