Reformed Seminary Next Gen Pastor Scholarship Application

Over half of Presbyterian Church USA churches do not have a full time head pastor, and less barely 1 in 20 have an associate.   I have personally spoken with Deans and Presidents at two dozen reformed seminaries.  I heard over and over the challenges and need to help them support, attract, and develop the next generation of pastors.

70 years ago the first pastor at our church was a seminary student.  Fifteen years ago Spring Branch Pres supported our member Rev. Mark Plunkett to go back to Seminary.  This year we hired Mark home as one of our CoPastors and asked him to help mentor the next generation of pastors.  At his installation, Mark’s mentor spoke and shared that he, too, was supported by a scholarship from Spring Branch Pres so far in the past we’d all forgotten about it.  But he had not.

Churches need pastors to grow, and to support the Next Gen of Pastors if we want to develop great ones to spread the gospel.

Yours in Christ.

FAQ  

Who is Eligible?

If you are in a masters or doctorate program of any degree full or part time in a reformed seminary in the US and have a desire to work in church ministry, you should apply.

Is This Need Based?

No, it is a merit based scholarship, no personal financial information is required.  

You are a Presbyterian Church.  Is this limited to Presbyterians?

No.  Any reformed Christian tradition is welcome to apply.  Church members and congregants move fluidly between denominations and traditions to find their church home these days, and every reformed Seminary has students from a range of denominations and traditions.

Do I need to be on an ordination path or plan to be ordained?

No.  You need to want to work for or start a church in a ministry position, aka be a pastor, youth pastor or director, minister, head assistant to the associate pastor for XYZ etc. 

Is this focused on a progressive or conservative theology?

No. Share as much or as little of your theology as you want.  Just use the word reformed somewhere.  Reformed is spelled “R-E-F-O-R-M-E-D”.

Will this be an annual scholarship?

Likely.  Spring Branch Pres is starting the Reformed Seminary Next Gen Pastor Scholarship Award with a stipend from our 2024 Missions budget, and actively recruiting other churches to join us.  

When is the application open and the deadline to apply?

We will begin reviewing applications as fast as you hit the send button.  We will make awards  when we’ve made a choice, and keep going when funds are available. If the form is up, applications are open.

My Seminary is not listed, am I not eligible?

Click Other and submit.  I got tired of typing in seminary names in the form, there a lot. Several seminaries are excited to partner with us on this, but this program is open across US seminaries.

I don’t have a resume or it doesn’t look churchy?

Well, then send us your LinkedIn profile or whatever resume you have.

Is there an interview?  What’s the process?

You:  Fill out application form.  We: read every application and get excited about some.  Someone contacts you for a phone or online interview if you’re on the short list.  Our committee makes an award.  If you don’t get selected for a NextGen Pastor Scholarship Award, it may mean “yet”, or available awards have been funded, it doesn’t mean you won’t make a great pastor.

This is a great idea! My church or I want to do a scholarship or donate to yours.

Great idea!  Contact Spring Branch Pres at pnc@springbranchpres.org and tell us how much you want to donate and if you want to help review applications or just provide funds.  Our click here and check Scholarship Fund if you just want to send money.  

I work at a Reformed Seminary and I want to share or market your scholarship.

Yes, please.  Send it, post the link, share it, and email us at Spring Branch Pres pnc@springbranchpres.org with any questions.

Are you guys going to do an internship?

We’d love to, but that’s separate and needs to be in Houston.  Email our Pastor mark@springbranchpres.org if you are in Seminary and interested in an internship.

I’m actually looking for a job, too.
Great, we’re hiring.  We are a promote from within congregation and we talk to a lot of PNCs.  Call our executive recruiting firm and get in the mix for us, and others.   See details on that below:

Spring Branch Pres Selects Vanderbloemen to lead Nationwide CoPastor Search

Spring Branch Presbyterian Church has launched a nationwide search with the Vanderbloemen search firm for a CoPastor.  Spring Branch Pres is excited to partner with Vanderbloemen on this role, and has selected Senior Consultant Jay Mitchell, a former Presbyterian minister, to lead its search. 

Details on the call, and interested candidates should apply here.

“We are calling a CoPastor for this role as Spring Branch Pres is planning to be a promote from within congregation committed to developing the next generation of pastors for ourselves and other churches going forward,” said Neal Dikeman, Chair of the Pastor Nominating Committee.  “We are looking forward to partnering with the leading reformed seminaries on this search with Vanderbloemen, as well as future internship and scholarship opportunities to support development of a next generation of pastors.  Hiring an executive search firm, and selecting Vanderbloemen, was a decision taken by our PNC, Session and Congregation after careful consideration of options, and in recognition that modern search processes are needed for congregations and pastors given the historic delays and challenges in conventional intra denominational searches.”   

Spring Branch Presbyterian Church is a 70 year old growing community church in the Memorial Villages of West Houston.  It is highly active missionally and giving in local missions, and traditionally anchored around its 50-year-old highly regarded Spring Branch Presbyterian Academy.  The mission of Spring Branch Pres is Relationships Matter: God, One Another, World.  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  – Matthew 22:37-40

Vanderbloemen is Houston based, the nation’s largest and leading executive search firm for faith and church search, with over 2,500 successful calls, and was an early leader in the development of executive search for church leadership, founded by former Presbyterian minister William Vanderbloemen.  Vanderbloemen serves a wide range of denominations and organizations and is the only Christian Executive Search Firm with membership in the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).  For information on Vanderbloemen services, contact Ivette Naron at Ivette@vanderbloemen.com.