Churches Multiplying Pastors: A Guide for Pastoral Residencies, Mentoring, and Training Shepherds for the Local Church

There’s a pastoral crisis coming. Regardless of your denomination or church context, leaders around the world—particularly in North America—are noting two trends: 1) a rise in the age of the average pastor and 2) a lack of young pastors to take their place. The answer is equally clear. The church and its current pastors cannot simply sit back and hope that young men enter ministry and thrive over a long career. Rather, we have to be intentional about calling out potential pastors and equipping them with the requisite character and skills they will need to lead healthy churches.

Churches Multiplying Pastors is written with that goal in mind. Nate Akin, Dave Kiehn, Phil Newton, and Matt Rogers—all pastors and network leaders seeking to start and strengthen healthy churches—strive to equip churches to develop an intentional residency or internship program to raise up, develop, and send out the next generation of pastors. The book is divided into four parts. In the first, the authors provide a biblical foundation for developing future pastors. From there, part 2 argues that the history of the church shows that this practice has been normative among healthy churches. Part 3 urges pastors to consider their hearts and habits as it relates to pastoral development. Finally, part 4 provides a framework for transferable principles that churches can put in place regardless of size and context. The book also contains a lengthy appendix which provides models of residencies and internships used by churches around the world.

It’s one thing to lament the lack of healthy and available pastors today. It’s another thing to strive to do the work necessary to change that reality.