My journey towards ministry leadership began two years after graduating from high school when I began to serve in my former youth group. Through the Lord’s leading and the wise counsel of a mentor, I was motivated to step into God’s calling for my life, which meant leading others around me into a deeper relationship with Christ.

I applied to Leadership Pathway because of the system in place I believed would successfully prepare and launch me into an effective career in ministry. I am definitely on the pathway to full-time ministry. I currently serve as a Youth Ministry Resident at Rocky Mountain Christian Church, just north of Denver, CO. The leaps and bounds of work Jesus has been doing in my heart in my relationship with Him, along with the experience in my leadership development has been unbelievable to me.

Residency is definitely hard but in a very good and realistic way. It paints an accurate picture of ministry, allowing you to encounter the difficult with the good, all with the help of a coach alongside you each step of the way. I realize some may consider residency like pressing a pause button, but I cannot imagine jumping into full-time ministry without this crucial step.

If I had the opportunity to speak with a group of senior leaders and pastors, I’d tell them this experience is well worth the time and effort. There are so many church leaders today who jump into full-time ministry unprepared with leadership and spiritual development still needed. When I first began in residency, theology and doctrine were the most important things to me. Now that I have experienced what ministry really is, I understand that relational skills, leadership, and counseling are just as important. 

I’m Samuel Veltkamp, and this is my leadership pathway.