We’ve got an exciting opportunity for a Resident Pastor!

First Presbyterian Church of Fort Wayne, Indiana is seeking a Resident Pastor. This two-year residency program is for recent graduates who are on track for ordination in the PC (USA), want to serve an urban, inclusive, progressive church, and want to explore parish ministry. While the Resident Pastor will gain experience in many areas of parish ministry, he/she will also have the opportunity to explore deeply a particular passion of they/their choosing. This passion might be anything from community involvement to pastoral care to the arts.

As graduation was approaching, I knew my seminary education prepared me well for the theoretical areas of ministry…exegesis, social advocacy in the texts, ethics, and pastoral care…but I wasn’t confident in the practical. Spending time in this residency program has given me the “boots on the ground” experiences that cannot be learned in a book or a lecture, like moderating a meeting, reading a financial statement, writing sermons on a time crunch, navigating differing opinions and beliefs in a congregation, initiating difficult conversations, and caring for a thriving yet aging community.  

 

In my residency at Fort Wayne, I have been given confidence and experiences that come with learning from a successful and innovative Pastor/Head of Staff identifying as female, from a mid/large congregation, and from discovering spiritual gifts I didn’t know I had. Taking two years to discover your voice as a pastor while gaining the real-world education and skills of a residency at First Pres Fort Wayne (and an income!) is truly a gift given to yourself and your future ministry. 

 

Rev. Carrie Winebrenner – Resident Pastor (2020-2022)

First Presbyterian Church is located in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, the state’s second largest city.  Downtown Fort Wayne is going through a rebirth; everywhere around the church new lofts, restaurants, and apartment buildings are being built.  It’s an exciting time to be at First Pres and in downtown Fort Wayne as we seek the heart of God in the heart of the city.

Interested candidates should forward a cover letter and resumé to Rev. Dr. Anne Epling, Pastor/Head of Staff at aepling@firstpresfortwayne.org, with “Resident Pastor” in the subject line.  Electronic submissions are preferred but application materials may also be mailed to First Presbyterian Church, 300 West Wayne Street, Fort Wayne, IN, 46802 ATTN: Resident Pastor Search. Feel free to include links to sermons or papers if you have any. Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2022.