Always ForwardResidency Builder24-Hour Intensive
January 20-21, 2026Noon to Noon
Phoenix, AZ
For anyone who wants to start a residency or curacy program within your church or for those who want to refine their current offerings, we are offering this exclusive event for up to 25 people.
We believe this intensive time in a smaller setting with exclusive access to our specialists will truly accelerate you and your church to launch or polish a residency program to equip our future leaders within the province!
Our trainer and specialist, Ryan Johnston, joins us from the Send Network. We have hired him to guide us in building Residency Programs that can be implemented across multiple churches within our province. In an article about building residencies, he shares the following...
"One of the greatest legacies a pastor could leave behind is to raise up laborers for the harvest in the form of a cascading flow of missionaries, pastors, planters and church staff. Over the past years, I have worked with hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders wanting to develop a residency. Some of the residencies are similar, but each one also is uniquely different. You can build a lasting residency program that you deeply believe in by working through a process that helps you define what you want in your residency. You must define three things: your terms, your why and your content."
Ryan Johnston serves as the Send Network's church planting leader in Kansas and Nebraska. During 20 years of ministry, he has served in multiple roles within the local church. As a pastor, he has spent the greater part of his ministry investing in and raising up pastors, church planters and leaders. Recently he has focused on using residency builder events and has helped over 300 pastors develop church planting residencies that are unique to them. Ryan is passionate about personal discipleship, kingdom expansion and pastoral health. He has been married to his wife, Debby, for 19 years and they have five children.
Our friends from Made to Flourish will also join us at the Residency Builder Intensive to share about funding options for residencies.
Kevin Harlan, VP of Programs, Made to Flourish: Kevin played a role in forming Made to Flourish and served on the senior pastoral team at Christ Community Church in Kansas City for 15 years. He and his bride, Sharon, have been involved in many leadership capacities at Christ Community since 1994. Before his work with Christ Community, Kevin served with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and was the executive vice president at the end of his tenure.
Bethany Van Eps serves as the Program Manager of the Pastoral Residency Accelerator at Made to Flourish, where she has held a variety of roles over the past six years. She is passionate about helping churches design and implement effective, contextually grounded pastoral development programs. In her current role, Bethany supports churches by walking them through the onboarding process, providing ongoing coaching, and facilitating a collaborative network that helps residency programs thrive nationwide.
A Minnesota native, Bethany now calls Kansas City home (and only complains about it in the summer). Her deep love for the local church fuels all she does, both in her work at Made to Flourish and in her church. She also serves at Christ Community Church, where she contributes to student ministries through strategy and discipleship.
What you'll leave with:
In our 24-hour intensive, Ryan, along with some familiar Always Forward faces, will walk us through building out your first 12 months Residency Program as well as an outline for a second year.
As funding is often seen as a major obstacle, we will tackle a variety of funding options and answer other residency questions.
Where:
We will be hosted by our friends at Living Faith Anglican Churchwww.livingfaithanglican.org1945 E. Guadalupe Rd.
Tempe, AZ 85283
When:
January 20 - 21 Afternoon to noon
Arrive and check-in at 11:30am for a noon start timeRefreshments and dinner included
Hotel Recommendation:
Fairfield Inn and Suites (Chandler Fashion Center)
Cambria (Chandler Fashions Center)
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/phxptgi-hilton-garden-inn-phoenix-tempe-university-research-park/
Contact:
Feel free to reach out to Ashley on our Always Forward staff with any questions: [email protected]
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Contact planting@acna.org for a code to register if paying by check.
