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Our website states: “Wilshire encourages followers of Christ to listen for the call to vocational ministry. We want children, youth and young adults to view a calling to ministry as equally significant as a calling to medicine, law or business. Pathways to Ministry is our initiative to nurture the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those discerning a call to vocational ministry.”
Pathways to Ministry has been a flourishing and foundational part of our congregation. Since its inception in 2002, it has been an intentional expression of who we are as a church. There are many residency and internship programs across the country, but when I travel each year to recruit and speak with students and seminaries, I always share what makes Wilshire’s program distinctive: our people.
Not many churches are willing to take on the risk and responsibility of being a true teaching congregation. At Wilshire, that does not mean simply evaluating or critiquing residents. It means learning from them, loving them and honoring them fully as they are. I am deeply grateful for the entire Pathways team — Charlie, Debby and George — who work tirelessly to ensure this program is exceptional.
Even as I write this, emails are arriving from applicants eager to pursue the Wilshire residency. And Pathways to Ministry extends beyond residency to include interns and choral scholars. We have intentionally created space for young adults to explore, discern and listen for God’s call in their lives. As a church, you have chosen to participate intimately in the calling of others.
What a beautiful testimony it is to see how many lives have been shaped by this program — loved by Wilshire and always connected to this community. There truly is no other place with people so loving and life-giving. I know I’m biased, but I believe it with my whole heart. We get to do this work together. We fund this work together. We participate in this work together.
Each year, as we approach our giving season, I’ll be honest — I feel the weight of the number before us. I pray daily that we will meet our budget, knowing that it takes all of us. This ministry is not sustained by one or two individuals, but by more than 500 giving units in the month of December alone. Valerie and I are praying about what we can give over and above our tithe to help us reach our goal. Would you prayerfully consider doing the same?
Please know this: your financial giving can never replace your presence. We need every form of generosity — your time, your service, your actions and your financial support — to continue the work of bringing God’s kingdom here on earth.
—Tim