Resident Pastoral Apprentice

Location

Minneapolis, MN (on-site, full time)

Under the authority of God’s inerrant word and the leadership of Chancellor John Piper and President Brian J. Tabb, Bethlehem Theological Seminary exists to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ by equipping men to treasure Christ above all things, to grow in wisdom and knowledge over a lifetime, and to glorify God in every sphere of life.

Our aim is to give students an intense immersion in a God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated local church that combines rigorous study with church-based application, all to the end that they might joyfully magnify the infinite worth of Jesus Christ, and live for the praise of God’s glory in reflection, thought, word, and deed.

The Resident Pastoral Apprenticeship at Bethlehem Theological Seminary is a full-time, on-site position for those sensing a call to pastoral ministry or eldership. This position aims to train future pastors as they prepare for a lifetime of ministry ahead. The Pastoral Apprentice will complete three to four years of rigorous, in-person classroom education at Bethlehem Theological Seminary while apprenticed under a local pastor of a Treasuring Christ Together Network church or another like-minded church.

In the historic style of journeymen learning a trade from a master, the Pastoral Apprentice will learn the art of pastoring from scholar-pastors and practitioners in the context of the local church. This position aims at rigorous, in-the-church training for elder-level leadership in pastoral ministry, missionary service, or future theological scholarship.

• Ministry:
  This position provides an opportunity for ministry experience in a local church. The Pastoral Apprentice will receive training in original language exposition, preaching, theology, eldership, and more with immediate opportunities to put these skills into practice through preaching, counseling, and daily ministry in the context of a local church.
• Relational:
  This position provides an opportunity to learn from pastors and scholars with years of experience in churches and reap the wisdom of their experience.
• Academic:
  This position provides a world-class seminary education under world-class professors and scholars. The Pastoral Apprentice will graduate in 3–4 years with a Master of Divinity degree. Bethlehem Seminary is nationally accredited by the Association of Biblical Higher Education.
• Financial:
  This position is unpaid by Bethlehem Seminary, but the Pastoral Apprentice may receive compensation from the church of their apprenticeship. The Pastoral Apprentice is responsible for the cost of their education at Bethlehem Seminary. Tuition is $250 per credit hour or approximately $6,500 per year.

Classroom Education at Bethlehem Theological Seminary (3–4 years)

• Take full-time course load
• Attend weekly chapel
• Participate in “Tabletalk” vocational training sessions with current pastors and ministry leaders

Apprenticeship (3 years)

• Meet regularly with apprenticeship pastor
• Part-time paid ministry work in local church (possible, but not guaranteed; pay varies)

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

The candidate must be:

• Someone whose character and lifestyle increasingly reflect knowledge of, love for, and joy in the Triune God.
• Someone who submits to the authority of Scripture and rightly handles God’s inerrant Word.
• Someone whose relationships are marked by love and guided by wisdom.
• Someone who is an active participant in the worship, community, and ministry of the local church.
• Someone who is committed to spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.
• Someone who embodies the six Bethlehem habits of mind and heart as a lifelong learner as outlined in Think:
  The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by Chancellor John Piper.
• Someone who aspires to pastoral leadership in the church and meets the elder qualifications expressed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
• Someone who agrees with the Bethlehem College and Seminary Affiliation of Faith.
• Someone who agrees to affirm the following points of the Bethlehem Seminary Apprentice Covenant ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). page
  5)