Snapshot

Denomination: Evangelical Free Church

Weekly Attendance:  2,500

Location: Indian Wells, CA

The Role: Residency Director

Meet Southwest Church:

A Gospel-centered, Multiethnic, Intergenerational church. We LOVE Discipleship! Nestled in the heart of the Coachella Valley in Southern California, Southwest started with humble beginnings in 1973. Eight believers launched a church in hopes of becoming an outpost for the gospel of Jesus Christ for the community in the desert. Decades later that inaugural momentum remains the core of our church’s vision to be a church that is centered upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a multiethnic church that believes that the gospel unites all people for the glory of Christ. We are excited about the gospel exchange that should take place from generation to generation. Our mission is to make disciples and unleash believers in the world to champion the gospel in their everyday lives. 

Sitting on 42 acres that shares a property line with the famous Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. At one of the busiest intersections in the Valley, Southwest stands poised to minister to the 600,000 residents and an annual 3.5 million tourists that have made our region famous around the world!

Vision

A gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, intergenerational church. We love Discipleship.

About the Residency Director:

Southwest Church is seeking their next Residency Director. The Residency Director is the chief facilitator, guide, and champion for the residents of Southwest Church. She only succeeds if they succeed. From application to graduation, the Director determines the appropriate trajectory for each resident and then is responsible to bring it to fruition. Working with Southwest’s staff, leadership, and residency faculty, the Residency Director will create a “ministry greenhouse” in which the residents of Southwest Church can develop the essential character, skills, and vision needed to launch them into a lifetime of effective ministry.

The Pastoral Residency Program at Southwest Church is pivotal in our strategy to raise up the next generation of ministry leaders for the Kingdom. Residents will serve alongside the staff of Southwest Church for the purposes of “learning ministry while doing ministry,“ and our program needs a humble, skilled, insightful, proven leader to serve as director.

The Residency Director's Responsibilities Include: 

• Proactively and individually tailor residents’ program experiences to fit their specific ministry goals and developmental outcomes while also addressing any pressing ministry needs of Southwest Church.

• Collaborate with individual ministry areas of Southwest Church to help integrate residents into the day-to-day functions of their departments.

• Create and implement the program’s development calendar, incorporating regular residency gatherings, unique ministry experiences, coaching sessions, residency faculty practicums, and culture building activities into one cohesive experience.

• Create systems for evaluation of residents and provide them with regular coaching and feedback.

• Lead residency recruiting efforts and the program’s application process, conducting initial interviews, filtering candidates, and making hiring recommendations to Southwest leadership.

• Other tasks as determined by Southwest Church’s leadership.

What You Bring: 

The following describes the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Residency Director:

Qualifications

• Must pursue a gospel-centered life of holiness, repentance and intimacy with Christ.

• Must be a creative problem solver who thrives in complexity.

• Must possess a blend of organizational and relational skills to administrate and lead the program while also caring for, investing and managing residents along the way.

• Must  have a demonstrated history of ministry leadership in a local church context.

• Must display a passion for developing leaders through individualized coaching.

• Must be deeply committed to upholding the values of both gentleness and candor.

• Must have an understanding of confidentiality and care of personal information.

What it's Like to Live in Indian Wells, CA: 

Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley. Incorporated in 1967, it lies in between Palm Desert and the resort town of La Quinta. The city hosts the sixth-largest tennis tournament in the world, the Indian Wells Masters tennis tournament, presently known as the BNP Paribas Open. The valley also hosts the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, drawing a multitude of visitors on an annual basis.

The area is great for exploring the natural beauty of the oasis, whether at a national park, nature preserve, or even a zoo. Another uniquely Greater Palm Springs experience is a visit to a date farm—especially when paired with a date shake, a local favorite. The many museums of Greater Palm Springs offer a look at everything from historic airplanes to contemporary art. You can enjoy recreation options including ice skating, baseball, and swimming. Many Greater Palm Springs restaurants are founded on the concept of family, so you’ll find no shortage of kid-friendly eateries and dining spots in the oasis. Take Las Casuelas Terraza in downtown Palm Springs, for example; the restaurant has been serving family recipes, like Grandma Maria Fajardo's creamy guacamole, for four generations. And if you wander inside Brandini Toffee, a local family-owned sweet shop once featured on Oprah’s O List, you may even find one of the original founders working behind the counter or greeting customers.

Think you're a great fit for this role? Become a candidate below.