Letter From Pastor Travis Boles:
Future Resident,
I was in your shoes not too long ago and in many ways still in your shoes. I was in seminary reading good books, writing papers, and wrestling with theology but had no companionship and mentorship. I did not want to graduate from seminary with a degree and no ministry experience. I longed for the process that other denominations have where there is a time of testing, assessment, training, and on-the-job training under watchful eyes.
I then began the hard road of trying to find mentorship and companionship to help me in the process of becoming a pastor. As a Police Officer (in Gangs, Narcotics, and SWAT) I had good men who took me under their wing, showed me the ropes, and taught me how to do the job well. I owe a lot of life lessons and experiences to those men. I yearned for the same experience in ministry. I found that the hardest part is raising your hand and saying, “Please help me,” over and over again. I also found it hard to find someone who would let me begin to do pastoral-type work under their watchful eye and provide gracious feedback.
I began meeting with my pastor regularly. I joined a church planting residency at the Houston Church Planting Network (Foundational and then Finishing Residency). My elders at the time at Redeemer Church were kind enough to bring me on as church planting resident and allow me to attend elders' meetings. It took a while but eventually, I was able to build a mentor and coaching network around me to help me bring what I had learned in seminary and learned in life out in a Gospel-centered way in ministry. I needed encouragement, accountability, friendship, and coaching. I don’t want you to have to struggle in building that framework around yourself.
We recently sent out our first resident. In the church planting process, early on in the core team phase, we were able to identify, recruit, assess, and train Tanner Lapagila. Tanner is in seminary, in his early 20’s, married, and just had his first kid! We were able to come alongside Tanner and Kristen, his wife. He became a brother and a big help in the very early stages of our church plant. He got to learn right alongside us as we made mistakes and figured things out. He preached every other month, helped out with services, and helped lead a small group. A residency like this allows you to be distinctly involved and see the different systems that help a church run effectively as well as learn how they function. It also helps you sharpen your ecclesiology, preaching, theology, and pastoring skills. Through his experience at Harbor Church he was able to figure out where he fit in ministry and when it came time for sending him out we were able to help send him out to a like-minded church with some experience and a recommendation.
So if you are in seminary, and considering going into ministry, we would like an opportunity to help you along that path. We can come alongside you as you discern your gifting as a church planter, music minister, executive pastor, missionary, or Christian counselor. We were meant to figure out these things in the community and in the local church.
It won't be easy. It will be challenging. There is an initial interview and assessment (done out of love and grace). It is critical that we identify, recruit, and train godly men to preach expositionaly, to equip the saints for ministry, build up the church, shepherd like Jesus, and reach the lost.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Travis Boles
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