Spiritual Formation Resident

Summary

As part of a Congregation Team at The Austin Stone Community Church, the Spiritual Formation Resident will be responsible for performing a variety of tasks in support of congregational events, development of resources, and other spiritual formation.

The resident will support equipping environments like semester classes, The Austin Stone Development Program (bi-annual), and deacon or other leader training times. The resident will be under the supervision of the Spiritual Formation Director and assist them in creating excellent and effective environments for participants to learn from start to finish.

Specific areas of ministry exposure and resident development could include but are not limited to:

  • Large event execution and project management
  • Development of ministry resources
  • Leader and teacher development
  • Environment hospitality
  • Effective administration and communication strategy

Congregation Teams aim to lead a specific group of people towards the mission and vision of The Austin Stone. Practically, this means that the spiritual formations ministry has flexibility to be contextualized to the demographic of men and women at the specific congregation while also working collaboratively as one church across multiple congregations to help the flock love God, the church, the city, and the nations.

Essential Responsibilities

General:
  • Serve and lead with the congregation at all required events and activities 
  • Attend all required events and activities for The Austin Stone and ministries department including Sunday services, staff meetings, prayer meetings, special events, retreats, and staff development days 

Spiritual Formation Ministry:

Provide support to the Congregation Spiritual Formation Director in these core ministry responsibilities:

  • Implement spiritual formation strategies in conjunction with the direction of the congregation 
  • Recruit, develop, and deploy volunteers, leaders, and teachers
  • Work alongside the Connections Director and Groups Associate to strategically equip and form partners and communities for long term growth
  • Implement strategy for care and development of deacons alongside Spiritual Formation Director

Provide support to the Spiritual Formation Director in these core ministry responsibilities:

  • Plan and facilitate the class registration process and data management
  • Appropriately market classes and environments to maximize engagement 
  • Coordinate and support volunteer teams and their leaders
  • Ensure equipping class communication and environments are executed with excellence 
  • Provide administrative and logistical support for spiritual formation ministry 

Austin Stone Culture

The current explicit values for The Austin Stone Community Church are:

  • Ruled by God’s Word
  • Christ-Centered in Focus
  • Empowered by the Holy Spirit 
  • Reliant on Prayer
  • Committed to Covenant Community
  • Gospel-Saturated in Discipleship
  • Devoted to Equipping the Saints
  • Relentless in Mission

As a member of our staff, the employee is expected to fully embrace these core values and seek to teach them to others as well.

Employees of The Austin Stone are expected to become partners (our term for members) of the church, fully embracing the values, mission, and purposes. Additionally, all employees of The Austin Stone are expected to understand, affirm, and adhere to our Affirmation of Faith, bylaws, culture map, and other documents defining the beliefs, culture, and mission of The Austin Stone.

Disclaimer 

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. 

Culture and Character 

Employees of The Austin Stone are expected to become partners of the church, fully embracing the values, mission, and purposes. Additionally, all employees of The Austin Stone are expected to understand, affirm, and adhere to our Affirmation of Faith, bylaws, culture map, and other documents defining the beliefs, culture, and mission of The Austin Stone.

Employees must also possess the character qualifications of biblical leadership in the church. At a minimum, each employee must agree and aspire to maturity in these qualifications, invite the authority of church community and leaders as a means of growth in them, and pursue them humbly and faithfully by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please read Attributes of Leaders as Employees at The Austin Stone for a greater description of cultural, character, and other aspects of joining our team at The Austin Stone. 

The Austin Stone Community Church is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Women, Minorities, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the residency start?

The Austin Stone Residency will start on August 01, 2024 and run through July 31, 2026.

Important dates

  • Application Opens: September 1, 2023
  • First Round Application Deadline: November 3, 2023
  • Final Round Application Deadline: January 12, 2024
  • Support Training and Workshop in Austin, Texas (Mandatory): March 2024
  • Support Raising Window: March–July 2024
  • Residency Begins: August 1, 2024

What will the schedule be like?

While each resident benefits from different ministry experiences, every resident completes our Austin Stone Development Program (ASDP), an in-depth study of doctrine and spiritual disciplines, leadership training modules, and a capstone project. Residents also attend weekly staff meetings, meet with supervisors once a week, and regularly gather with other residents for lunch and other activities. Residents prioritize abiding in Christ by sabbathing one day a week.

What will residents learn in ASDP?

The Austin Stone Development Program works through several areas of core Christian doctrine:

  • Doctrine of the Word
  • Doctrine of God
  • Doctrine of the Trinity
  • Doctrine of Imago Dei
  • Doctrine of Sin
  • Doctrine of Christ
  • Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
  • Doctrine of Election
  • Doctrine of Salvation
  • Doctrine of Providence
  • Ecclesiology
  • Eschatology

The program, also, addresses several core ministry philosophies at The Austin Stone and many other topics. Additionally, spiritual disciplines are studied and implemented to further stir affection for and obedience to God.

Are residents paid?

Yes, but residents raise financial support to provide a salary for two years.

How do residents raise support?

Residents go through mandatory training with Reliant, a partnering organization, to learn how to raise support and to manage financial gifts and supporters.

Where do residents live?

Residents live throughout the Austin metroplex, often choosing to rent an apartment or home with other residents. Residents are responsible for finding housing.