Transition into Ministry

Plymouth’s Ministry of mentoring

The TiM program supports the wider church mission of nurturing first call clergy. This has become critically important in an environment in which fewer young people feel called to congregational ministry and those who do pursue congregational ministry find themselves in a career that often results in stress and burnout.

Our pastoral residents serve as full-time associate pastors while at Plymouth. They are not interns and all of them are eager to serve us as our pastors. We do our best to give them regular responsibilities for preaching, leading worship, teaching, and pastoral care. Beyond these basics, we try to give them projects or experiences in their areas of interest or areas where they need to grow.

A key ingredient in providing an excellent residency experience is the openness, trust, and support of the Plymouth members. Your care, interest, and nurture of our TiM Residents teaches them how to understand and care for people; connects them to useful people and information; motivates them; and helps them gain confidence in their ministry. Each interaction you have with our TiM Residents becomes part of their growth and development and helps to shape their pastoral identities.

Our TiM Pastors

All of our Pastoral Residents arrive at Plymouth with their seminary training complete or nearly complete. Ordination in the United Church of Christ (UCC) and other denominations is a separate process that includes their formal education plus other requirements. Some of our residents have been ready to be ordained pending their call to Plymouth, while others have needed to complete this process while at Plymouth.

Beyond ordination, residents at Plymouth arrive with varying goals. We do our best to listen carefully to their needs and get them involved in projects and activities at Plymouth that will allow them to grow and gain confidence and experience in the skills they will most need in their future. No two residents follow the same path during their 27 months at Plymouth.

If you’re interested in applying for our TiM Program, please contact Senior Pastor Jared Wortman.