The Lead Pastor Residency at Mars Hill Church is designed to take leaders who are ‘already ready already’ and train them to be lead pastors at Mars Hill churches. Pastor Dave Bruskas is the teaching pastor of Mars Hill Church and one of the Executive Elders. He oversees the Lead Pastor Residency.
Jesus is the senior pastor at Mars Hill Church. It is his church and he is the undisputed leader. But he leads through people and some of these people are men called and equipped to fulfill the demands of 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. We call these men pastors who, by God’s finished work and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, are shepherds of Jesus’ people.
Our pastors have different roles. Some are responsible for leading public worship, some are responsible for directing the core ministries of the church, others serve by making sure we are good stewards of the resources Jesus has provided, and still others serve by leading the church to be on mission with Jesus. We call this last group of men lead pastors. And we need more of them. This is where you may come in.
If you feel led to lead at Mars Hill Church, we feel compelled to help. We have a paid program, the Lead Pastor Residency, that seeks to serve you and your family in order to assess, train, equip, and send out lead pastors. If you have been called by God to be a lead pastor at Mars Hill, you will differ from other Mars Hill pastors in three major ways.
1. You will lead leaders
A lead pastor heads up the elder team that serves the church and, while they function as equals, the lead pastor is the first among equals. He leads leaders. He pastors the other pastors and he pastors the church. He doesn’t stop at making disciples, but is charged with making disciple-making pastors.
2. You are the lead missionary
A lead pastor knows Scripture and culture. His strength is in finding the powerful place where the two collide. He regularly interacts with people who don’t know Jesus and has a history of being used by Jesus in making introductions. He connects people to Jesus, and Jesus saves them. When the lead pastor exhorts members to serve people who don’t yet know Jesus, he is simply asking them to model his lifestyle.
3. You are the lead teacher
The lead pastor is an effective teacher. While he seldom preaches on a Sunday morning, he regularly picks up his Bible and teaches those he serves about the person and work of Jesus. He tells the story of what Jesus is doing through Mars Hill Church in a way that compels listeners to take action. He also writes blog posts, social media content, proposals, and biblical position papers. He understands where Jesus is going and uses his words to influence others to follow.
If this sounds like you, discover more about the program here.
Applications are being accepted for the Lead Pastor Residency through May 1st. If God is calling you to be a lead pastor at Mars Hill, apply today.
