Vicarage Program
The CMC’s 4-year vicarage program is unique in its emphasis of student formation in areas of pastoral, mission, and leadership skills. The goal of the program is to form - even produce - a person with sufficient personal and spiritual disciplines, as well as effective entrepreneurial, church-planting skills that can make any environment, be it urban, multicultural or cross-cultural, a fertile ground for a confessional LCMS church start. This program combines the best in “special operations” type training (from a spiritual and physical perspective), pastoral functions training (under the guidance of a field mentor), and mission planting/team building training. This program not only makes the student aware of the necessary skills, but monitors and assesses the students’ abilities in using those skills in ethnic and urban environments.
Vicarage Year One – Personal Formation
- Yearly Bible, focused prayer and personal devotions.
- Pastoral mentoring and observation, work with mentor pastor.
- Leadership Development.
Vicarage Year Two – Pastoral Functions
- Involvement in the local congregation with the goal of preaching, teaching and team building in service to the existing strategic plan of the congregation.
- The student is to grow in all 12 function areas of the pastoral ministry.
- Leadership Development.
Vicarage Year Three – Mission Church Planting
- Entrepreneurial church planting launched from a host congregation utilizing a committed launch team to build a small-group Bible study and eventually a worshiping, studying, community-serving congregation. All church launches from this program will have as their ultimate goal… CHURCHES THAT LAUNCH OTHER CHURCHES.
- Leadership Development.
Vicarage Year Four – Leadership/Team Building
- Community outreach and internal team building continues.
- Careful and intentional leadership identification, training and development are key.
- The goal of each church planter is to have 6-12 Deacons/Deaconesses working together with the pastor in the long-term efforts of this congregation start.
- Leadership Development continues.