Program Overview

Who: The Discipleship Residency is a two-year (four semester) program for individuals and couples called to full-time or lay ministry.

What: Core topics provide a solid foundation and biblical perspective of ministry. Each semester includes 12 weeks of material to allow for fellowship, accountability, prayer times and cancelations on "off" weeks. See a semester-by-semester outline below. 

When: The Discipleship Residency takes place September through May with weekly meetings and some breaks. Each meeting includes a family style fellowship meal with discussion. After dinner, depending on the semester, women and men break into smaller groups or stay together for a deeper discussion on specific topics. Childcare is provided for families who need it. (Yes! We want your kids with us!)  

SEMESTER ONE: STUDY God's Word Well

  • Our emphasis is on understanding the difference between hermeneutics and homiletics and developing solid Bible Study Methods (hermeneutic skills).

  • Each week we—both men and women—practice Bible Study Methods with the aim of equipping group members to, in turn, teach these skills in a local church context.

SEMESTER TWO: PREACH/TEACH (Simple, Clear, Passionate)

  • We use a program taught around the globe to pastors & lay teachers who have limited or no access to formal training.

  • Using this very simple method, the men take what they’ve learned from God’s Word (using Bible Study Methods) and faithfully put it into a clear and understandable outline for a sermon (Homiletics). Women work through a six-week course on "women teaching women." 

SEMESTER THREE: LEAD (Grace-Filled Leadership)

  • We do these sessions together as men and women, exposing both husbands and wives to the difficulties of ministry.

  • We focus on why a culture of confession, repentance, and grace that expects all chuch leaders and members to be sinners is important and how to build it as leaders. We expose wrong thinking that leads to a culture of legalism, which no one can thrive under.

SEMESTER FOUR: COUNSEL (Babying, Marrying, and Burying)

  • As a group, we go through a 10-session marriage counseling series and spend time encouraging and praying for each other in our own marriages, especially in the context of different ministry seasons and responsibilities. Couples are encouraged to be available, as time allows, to offer pre-marriage counseling to newly engaged couples.

  • The men also work through counseling situations related to baby dedications and funerals. 

Applying for the Discipleship Residency. Each summer, we open the program to new applicants. We are excited to see how God will use the Discipleship Residency to raise up full-time and lay leaders. 

If you have any questions about our program, please contact the office at office@phb.church.