The Church Planting Resident at Point Church in Cary, NC, is a 12‑month, full‑time leadership development role intentionally crafted to identify, equip, and send a called leader to launch a new gospel-centered church within approximately 18–24 months of beginning the residency. This role is designed for a future church planter who senses a clear call from God, desires intentional mentoring and coaching, and is ready to be developed in the character, competencies, and convictions necessary to plant a healthy, multiplying church.
Rather than functioning as a traditional staff position with a full slate of ongoing ministry operations, this residency is structured as an immersive learning and preparation environment. The resident’s primary focus will be on four core areas: church planter training, fundraising, team building, and spiritual formation. Throughout the residency, the resident will receive structured coaching, participate in strategic planning conversations, and engage in hands-on ministry experiences that directly contribute to the future church plant. The emphasis is on long-term fruitfulness and sustainability, not simply filling immediate staffing needs.
A key component of this role is active participation in the Passion for Planting program, a proven church planting pathway that provides practical tools, resources, and coaching. Through Passion for Planting, the resident will develop a biblically grounded philosophy of ministry, create a comprehensive church planting strategy, work through timelines and launch plans, and gain access to templates and systems that many planters would otherwise have to build from scratch. This partnership ensures that the resident is not preparing in isolation, but is connected to a broader network of experienced church planters and coaches.
Geographically, the residency is designed with a specific missional focus. During the 12 months, the resident will prayerfully identify, clarify, and begin to engage a specific community targeted for planting within roughly a 30‑minute radius of Point Church. This intentional proximity allows the resident to remain closely connected to Point Church for support, training, and sending, while also spending significant time on the ground in the target area: building relationships, learning the culture, discerning needs, and shaping a contextualized ministry approach. The resident will be encouraged to develop a clear picture of the people they are called to reach, including demographic realities, spiritual climate, and community distinctives.
Central to the residency is the development of a launch team and support base that will provide both relational and financial strength to the new church. The goal is for Point Church to send out 50+ people as the core of the launch team; individuals and families who are committed to serving, giving, inviting, and living on mission in the new church’s context. In addition to people, the plan includes robust financial partnership. Point Church, together with church planting partners, aims to provide $100,000 in financial support to undergird the plant in its critical early years. This combination of people and resources is meant to help the planter avoid starting alone or under-resourced, and instead launch with stability and momentum.
Throughout the residency, the resident will be guided to think strategically about systems, structures, and rhythms that foster ongoing health. This includes learning how to recruit and develop volunteers, create pathways for discipleship and leadership development, establish healthy governance and accountability, and cultivate a culture of evangelism and community engagement. The residency will also include regular feedback and evaluation, helping the resident grow in self-awareness, resilience, and pastoral wisdom.
The ultimate aim of this residency is not merely to launch a worship service, but to plant a thriving, gospel-centered, and missionally engaged church that is healthy, self-sustaining, and positioned to multiply over time. By the end of the process, the Church Planting Resident will be prepared - spiritually, practically, and relationally - to step into the role of lead planter with a clear vision, a committed core team, and sufficient financial support, all rooted in an ongoing relationship with Point Church and its wider ministry network.
At Point Church, the mission to love people and lead them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ shapes everything they do: how they worship, how they serve, and how they engage their community and the world. Rooted in core values of authenticity, community, growth, and service, Point Church seeks to cultivate a Christ-centered environment where every person is welcomed, encouraged to mature in their faith, and supported in discovering and living out their God-given calling. If you sense a passion to plant seeds of hope and transformation through the local church, you are invited to prayerfully consider this significant church planting opportunity with Point Church.
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