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Pastoral Residencies

Pastoral education does not stop when seminary is over as pastors are constantly learning and growing. Through the Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency program, the Seminary offers a unique opportunity for its students to continue the learning spirit into the first years of ministry as every year two Austin Seminary graduates become Dickson Pastoral Residents.

It was an invaluable, robust, and transformative ministry experience.

– Dickson Resident, 2020

Austin Seminary's Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency program is designed to give Austin Seminary Master of Divinity graduates two years of practical experience in a thriving congregational setting. Graduates will learn the rhythms of the church and the best practices of leadership through shared responsibilities and close supervision by the church’s head of staff.

Working with the congregation, Dickson Residents develop learning goals and complete a major project drawn from the congregation's needs and the graduate's interest. Each Dickson Resident will remain connected to Austin Seminary through monthly gatherings with other residents and the Dean of Students in which they can explore and reflect on their ministry experiences in a supportive environment. This rich experience will prepare these new ministers to lead with substance, passion, and confidence which will, in turn, be a gift to those churches they will serve and the pastors they will work with throughout their ministries.

Dickson Residency applicants must be on track for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and be a graduating senior of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in the MDiv degree program.