There are three primary categories for residencies at Mercyview:

1. Pastoral Residency
2. Church Planting Residency
2. Artist-in-Residency

Pastoral Residency

Pastoral ministry as an important aspect of the work of God in His Kingdom. Gospel-centered, Spirit-led, missional pastoral leadership is imperative for God’s church thus, the intentional training of those who feel a calling to vocational ministry should be an important aspect of fulfilling the work and mission of Christ in the world.

The pastoral residency program will help to nurture the work of the Holy Spirit within the lives of motivated, interested and gifted believers as they pursue their calling to full-time vocational ministry. The pastoral residency program will be designed to cultivate ministry formation in the most appropriate context for developing pastoral competencies—the church itself. For many, this initiative could lead to opportunities to join the Mercyview pastoral staff but it could also be preparation to pastor a church outside of Mercyview. The duration of the pastoral residency will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

As a general rule, pastoral residents will have completed a one-year internship with Mercyview or another church before beginning the residency program.

If you are interested in applying to our pastoral residency program, contact bandrews[at]mercyview.com.

Church Planting Residency

The main goal of our church planting residency program is to plant churches. Mercyview desires to be a regional hub for multiplication of missional communities all over the High Plains and beyond. Participants will receive a realistic experience of life and ministry in a church planting church while preparing to plant a church themselves. Residents will receive assessment, training, and ongoing coaching through Mercyview and associated networks while recruiting, fundraising, and developing strategy for the future plant. Participants will immediately begin the pre-launch phase of church planting upon successful completion of the program.

Applicants should demonstrate a calling to be the lead planter of a church, be around 12 months away from planting, and have proven ministry experience. As a general rule, church planting residents will have completed a one-year internship with Mercyview or another church before beginning the residency program.

If you are interested in applying to our church planting residency program, contact bandrews[at]mercyview.com.

Artist-in-Residence

“This practical modern world is prone to conceive beauty as an extraneous luxury…We do not think of it as an integral and inseparable element of our living, as did the Greeks; or as did the Christians for many centuries…Beauty is an indispensable and logical part of practice and worship in the religious life.”
— Charles G. Osgood in “Poetry as a Means of Grace.”

Mercyview is determined to tear down the walls between church art and city art so that music can freely flow between the two venues. To this end, we are committed to an ongoing program of resident artists in an effort to act as an advocate for the arts in our community, world, and church. We desire to move beyond theoretical discussion of the value of arts and artists in the life of the Christian community and weave the arts into the fabric of our culture, particularly engaging those who are professionals and students in the arts within our city.

The artist-in-residence program will be a hybrid of artistry and ministry. Artists will be given space and time to work on projects with the full support and blessing of the congregation, as well spend a specified number of hours a week actively engaged in ministry within Mercyview (they may participate in worship services; teach classes, offer workshops, lead projects for the congregation, etc.) In return the artist will receive a package which may include: space in which to work, materials, housing, and/or stipend. They will most beneficially will receive a welcome environment in which to pursue their own work and take risks, all within a loving Christian community.

If you are interested in applying for the artist-in-residence program, contact bandrews[at]mercyview.com.