Seminary Residency

Church at The Mill Seminary Residency provides a unique opportunity for resident students to gain practical ministry experience in a large, mission-focused church while starting their seminary learning. The mission of Church at The Mill Seminary Residency is to encourage and equip the next generation of servant leaders in their calls to lead the local church to be Christ-centered and mission-focused.

Overview

Church at The Mill is a body of believers in the Upstate of South Carolina which desires to be place and people of New Beginnings and Real Relationships. The church is located just outside of Spartanburg, South Carolina, with over 3,200 members and has been recognized on six occasions by Outreach magazine as one of the top 100 fastest growing churches in America. Dr. D.J. Horton is the Senior Pastor and has led the church since 2004. He has served as the President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, committed himself to lifelong learning, and entrusted himself to the next generation of ministers. He earned a Master of Divinity with a specialization in Expository Preaching from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003. In 2010, he earned a Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Horton has also provided leadership as a trustee with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Charleston Southern University.

Along with Dr. D.J. Horton, members from our staff will be the primary instructors of the ministry-based courses.

Asheton Amerson, M.Div.
Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care and Biblical Counseling. Master of Divinity, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007. Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Appalachian State University, 2003.

Tripp Atkinson, Ed.D.
NextGen Pastor. Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership, Liberty University, 2021. Master of Arts in Christian Ministries, Liberty University, 2017. Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, Gardner-Webb University, 1997.

Dylan Baxter, M.Div.
Campus Pastor. Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies, North Greenville University. Master of Divinity, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. PhD in progress, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Josh Epton, D.Min.
Worship Pastor. Doctor of Ministry, North Greenville University, 2017. Master of Christian Ministry, North Greenville University, 2004. Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, North Greenville University, 2003.

Ken Fisher, M.Div.
Executive Pastor. Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, Dallas Theological Seminary, 2015. Bachelor of Business Administration, Howard Payne University, 1986.

Jarrett McNeely, M.Div.
Connections Pastor. Master of Divinity, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001. Bachelor of Arts in Religion, North Greenville University, 1995.

Jason Williamson, M.A.
Missions Pastor. Master of Arts in Missiology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018. Bachelor of Arts in Art, Winthrop University, 2003.

Experience

With a growing conviction that a seminary education could not provide everything which a young pastor would need for effective ministry in the church, in 2020, Pastor D.J. began the Church at The Mill Seminary Residency. Each resident will study evangelism, preaching, worship leadership, missions, leadership, practical theology, biblical counseling, spiritual formation, pastoral ministry, and much more. Every class will begin with the “lesson before the lesson” when Pastor D.J. or another pastor at Church at The Mill identifies some current issue in our church and explains how, by God’s grace and wisdom, we are dealing with these matters in a way that builds up the church and glorifies God. In this way, residents will be able to get an inside look at how a healthy church functions.

Our goal is to expose the residents to every dimension of life at Church at The Mill.

They will sit in most staff and leadership meetings. In this way, they will observe (and to some degree participate in) the challenges of working with and relating to church leaders on a weekly basis. They will witness first-hand the experience of pastors and leaders praying together and working together to know the mind of Christ for His church. They will be exposed to the innermost workings of church life with all of its agony and glory. These kinds of experiences cannot be captured in a classroom setting but will be experienced by our residents week after week.

Responsibilities And Credits

Week Plan/Weekly Responsibilities

Residents will participate in five eight-week courses for a total of 40 weeks.

Each week, residents will operate as ministers on staff within Church at The Mill. A typical week will include:

6-8 hours of mentoring and group study (determined by the course of study)
22-24 hours of residency work

Mentoring and group study will be guided by Church at The Mill pastors in the following areas:

Pastoral Leadership and Administration
Worship Leadership
Adult Small Group/Discipleship
Pastoral Care and Biblical Counseling
Missions Mobilization and Evangelism
Spiritual Formation and Student/Children's Ministry

Residents will spend time together with a mentor in group discussion. There will be reading and writing assignments to prepare for each group time.

Seminary Credits

View Past Courses' Syllabi

Want to learn more about each course? Click to check out the previous syllabi.

VIEW SYLLABI

Want To Join Our Seminary Residency?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is There Tuition Or Resident Pay?

Each admitted resident receives a 100% tuition scholarship to cover their Seminary Residency courses. However, there may be a transfer fee/costs to receive credit from the desired seminary at the end of the program. There is a modest stipend of $800 per month for each resident student to assist with living expenses. Church at The Mill will actively search for the best housing options for each student.