Global Community Church is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-generational disciple-making church in the Greater Columbus Area. We exist to equip the people of God to live a life of witness to our Lord Jesus Christ and to reach the unchurched people at home—in our local community, city, and abroad—with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our ministry method is incarnational, and we strive to bring the local churches closer to where the unreached and marginalized people are, loving them through creative and meaningful experiences in the community, worship, discipleship, and mission. The missional residency program here has been designed to help raise a new generation of diverse young adult servant-leaders with a strong sense of entrepreneurship and pioneering spirit.

The residency will consist of an intensive two-week “in the classroom” training on missions and servant leadership. As part of the training, missional residents will study Scripture as the story of God’s mission, providing a theological foundation for evangelism and discipleship. They will be taught the basics of early church history, concentrating on how the Church grew, not through the use of clever strategies or tools, but as a result of self-sacrificing obedience to God and love of their neighbors. They will learn the dynamics of social movements generally and then specifically as they relate to the church. Residents will also learn the principles of adaptive leadership and Christian Community Development and learn from the best leadership practices of startup entrepreneurs. However, the main focus and bulk of the residency will be “on the field” immersion and discipleship: immediate obedience, implementation, and reproduction.

Residents will explore their own gifting and calling in light of God’s mission as they learn about team building, living together in Christian community, and conflict resolution. Residents will work under the guidance of spiritual mentors with proven success in spiritual development, innovative risk-taking ministry, community development, and entrepreneurship. These mentors, working as a team, will provide a sounding board for residents’ ideas and give guidance. With the mentors’ feedback, residents will develop goals, strategies, benchmarks, timelines, and criteria for a disciple-making plan.

Being near a large university, Ohio State University, residents will consistently be sent to lead and participate in various Bible studies and evangelistic opportunities to connect with local and international students. Our location also gives us access to many local churches, para churches, diverse communities, government and non-profit agencies, and missional organizations, allowing for various partnership opportunities.

Ethnic and cultural diversity is a defining feature of our community and ministry. Many different nationalities, ethnicities, and age groups are represented in our city and our local church. The refugee and immigrant community continues to increase in the Greater Columbus Area, with many families from Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East resettling here. Residents will be engaged in ministries that seek to address the many needs of these marginalized communities as well as share the gospel message of hope.