Arch Street Presbyterian Church strives to be a teaching congregation and one manifestation of this aim is the regular inclusion of talented seminary students and recent graduates who are actively exploring both their call to ministry and sense of pastoral identity. By participating in the life of this place, ASPC provides room for them to learn the craft of ministry by assisting in worship, leading various Christian education programs and collaborating with our community partners while being guided, encouraged and challenged by more experienced pastors and lay leaders. As part of ASPC’s connection to the worldwide church and recognizing the need for revitalization in the North American church, we believe it is imperative to nourish tomorrow’s theological leaders and walk beside them as they prepare for courageous and imaginative ministries of various forms.
The Pastoral Immersion Program, a joint venture between Arch Street and our sister congregation Broad Street Ministry, offers future theological leaders an uncommon opportunity for vocational discernment and formation for ministries, a challenge to step outside of themselves and into a faith community in Philadelphia, and a taste of the possibilities for the future of God’s people. By embracing the notion that all ministry is contextual, students reside and breathe in the city where their ministry unfolds and are guided by the program’s co-pilots, who also live alongside them, to help navigate the specifics of life in Philadelphia, the elements of urban ministry and facilitates an environment that encourages risk taking, learning and builds mutual respect. Want more information? Contact Rev. Carla Jones Brown.