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Lake Fellow Residency

The Lake Fellow Residency is a unique, two-year developmental program for seminary graduates who hold a Master of Divinity degree and are on track for ordination in the PC(USA). Under the direct supervision of the senior pastor at Second Presbyterian Church, Fellows gain invaluable experience in parish ministry, church leadership, continued academic study, and much more, serving and learning in this large church setting.

Please click below for more information on the three primary developmental emphases: Congregational Ministry, Church Leadership, and Academic Study.

Two outstanding candidates are selected each spring, and they serve for two years, beginning in August. These are ordained positions, and compensation is commensurate with associate pastor positions in large PC(USA) congregations.

Primary Developmental Focus

The Congregational Ministry emphasis focuses on various areas of ministry and the leadership skills essential to effective ministry. The Fellows’ first year is comprised of two rotations: Care and Mission. During the second year, Fellows choose their own rotations in areas of special interest. Additionally, each Fellow will gain experience in:

  • Preaching and Worship: Each Fellow leads worship regularly at Second and preaches monthly in a smaller congregation. Sermons are recorded and discussed. Fellows participate in planning and discussing Sunday worship services.
  • Care Rotation: This rotation includes regular hospital and home visits, on-call assignments, and working with our Board of Deacons in their congregational ministries.
  • Mission Rotation: Fellows will have responsibilities in one or more of the ongoing outreach programs of the church.
  • Formation: Focusing on a broad range of educational and formative opportunities, Fellows will plan, teach, and evaluate adult formation programs.
  • Engagement: Fellows participate in our new member orientation and the program that calls on prospective members, connecting new members to the many opportunities at Second.

The Church Leadership emphasis focuses on preparing Fellows for the myriad responsibilities of a pastor, including administration, visionary planning, leading a staff, and more.

  • Administration: Each Fellow assumes responsibility for the oversight of a fellowship group at Second. In addition, they will be assigned administrative duties pertinent to each rotation.
  • Staff Meetings and Church Governance: Fellows will participate in weekly staff meetings that rotate between full staff, program team, leadership team, and pastoral team. They will also attend Session meetings.
  • Stewardship: Fellows will have the opportunity to learn about the theology and practice of faithful stewardship in the life of the congregation.
  • Mentorship and Support: Wise leaders surround themselves with mentors. Built into the Lake Fellows Program are several opportunities for wise counsel and support.
    • Fellows are connected with members in the congregation to serve as faith mentors. They will meet monthly to share faith stories and experiences within the church.
    • The Lake Fellow Ministry Team is a diverse group of congregation members who offer hospitality and community for the Fellows.
    • Fellows will meet regularly with the senior pastor for supervision and mentoring.

An over-arching goal of this program is to inspire new pastors to develop those personal disciplines essential to the pursuit of a learned ministry. The academic emphasis exists to provide the Fellows with an opportunity to reflect theologically on what they are experiencing practically as pastors engaged in ministry. The program intentionally links head with heart, learning with doing, action with reflection.

  • Seminars: Fellows gather weekly to learn from the senior pastor, staff members, and community leaders. There are often required readings and lively discussion.
  • Study: The senior pastor will assign books and articles for continued learning.
  • Community Opportunities and Professional Development: Fellows are invited to frequent learning opportunities in Indianapolis and beyond, including conferences, workshops, and guest speakers.

William G. Enright, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the Senior Pastor Emeritus of Second Presbyterian Church. With the generous support of church members Tom and Marjorie Lake, and the expertise of colleagues at the Lilly Endowment, Dr. Enright developed the Lake Fellow program in 1997. About the Lake Fellow program, he says:

"Years ago, a young minister by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr was asked why any intelligent person would enter the ministry. Niebuhr replied: 'Where can one invest one’s life where it can be made more effective in as many directions? Here is a task which requires the knowledge of a social scientist, the insight and imagination of a poet, the executive talent of a business person, and the mental discipline of a philosopher.' I believe that being a parish pastor is the most invigorating and fulfilling calling in the world.

Following medical school, young doctors pursue their medical specialties in extensive residence programs. Bright young attorneys conclude law school with clerkships in courts of law or they serve as apprentice associates in large law firms where they learn the fine art of turning theory into practice. What happens to young seminary graduates? Recent clergy studies reveal that it is the first church experience following seminary which is most formative in shaping the kind of minister they will be. This program is for those women and men who, having felt God’s call to parish ministry, desire to get off to the right start by fine tuning their skills in a large congregation with a long standing commitment to excellence in ministry."

Questions?