As I step into the final months of my college ministry residency with Mercy Hill Church, I am excited to prepare for the next season of my ministry journey as God continues to open opportunities for me to serve him in college ministry. When I first began my church residency three years ago, there was much uncertainty and fear around what I would get out of it despite choosing to trust the Lord in the process of being developed in residency. I spent many days worrying about what the outcome would be and what I would do when it ended. God has been so patient with me over time as he has been aligning my heart to seek his face in the day to day and not worry about what tomorrow holds (Matthew 6:33-34). Throughout my time in the residency, he has been using all I have learned and experienced to prepare me for a new ministry opportunity I never would have imagined happening.
What could be next after finishing residency
When it came time to start looking at what could be next after residency, Mercy Hill had just announced the launch of its seventh church plant, Declaration Church. Declaration Church is committed to connecting peoples’ stories to God’s Mission as they reach Harnett County, NC and Campbell University with the gospel. I loved the heart behind reaching students at Campbell University but was hesitant to discuss joining a church plant to do college ministry after residency because of the uncertainty around it. Would I be able to work in ministry with them? Would I have to support raise to work with them like I did for residency? Was I ready to leave my home church and start over somewhere else for the mission and potentially start a brand-new college ministry?
I wasn’t aware at the time, but God answered all these questions and helped me see all he was doing through me when I chose to step out in faith instead of fear. By his grace, there was the opportunity to work in college ministry with Declaration Church. I would need to support raise for this position, but God has been softening my heart to the idea of raising continuous support to step into a role that I would thoroughly enjoy and to see God move through the lives of college students who are far from him. I remember reaching the point in my residency where I said I loved what I get to do so much that I would be willing to continue support raising to stay in my role longer. If I was so willing to do that in my current role and have seen God provide immensely through support raising for me to do that role, why would I not be willing to go where there was a clear need for reaching college students with the gospel at a place where they were not gathering in community at a local church and being discipled through a college ministry? As for questioning if I was ready to step out into a new role in college ministry, God revealed that all I have learned in my college ministry residency has equipped me to become a college director and start a new college ministry at Campbell University.
How residency has prepared me to become a college director
All the development I have received in my residency and the experiences of working on a college ministry staff has equipped me to become a college director in far more ways than I have realized. Through sitting under countless teachings from Mercy Hill’s Staff and pastoral team, completing my Master of Arts in Christian Ministry through Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, working with a team to plan and oversee events with our college ministry while learning how to navigate team dynamics and challenge each other to grow, and being directly involved in the discipleship of college students and helping them become leaders, I now see that God has used everything I have experienced whether fun or challenging to shape me into a leader in ministry. He has been preparing me to become a college director and oversee a college ministry while I have been developed through an existing college ministry. I get to take all that I have done in my role and start over at a new church while being confident that he has gone before me in this new role just as he did in my residency. He will be my shepherd through whatever I face, and he will equip me with all that I need to do his will as Jesus works in me to accomplish it (Hebrews 13:20-21) and I could not be more excited.
– Jimmy Kniss, College Ministry Resident