10 Reasons to Enroll in Telos Residency

You just graduated - or perhaps you're about to graduate. A full-time job or graduate school seems like the next best move. Our 10-month residency not only provides a job and advanced degree, but also gives you the time and space you need to discern and refine the unique calling God has placed on you.

We don't just talk about community, we practice it! Telos Residents share meals, study, and serve together. We share deeply, ask the hard questions about life and ministry, and push one another to greater intimacy and devotion to Jesus.

It's hard to find a better location for a residency experience! Knoxville is the best kept secret in the South - a diverse and friendly college town (Go Vols!), with top-notch restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, museums, theaters, and endless sports and outdoor entertainment. Not to mention, we are less than one hour from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park!

Telos Residency partners with local ministries and businesses to provide each resident with a paid internship (30hrs/wk) related to their calling. Residents will receive a $1,200 monthly stipend from their employer.

Residents are placed in safe, hospitable host homes in the inner-city neighborhoods of Knoxville for the duration of the program (August-May). While accommodations vary from home to home, each resident will have a private room and will have the opportunity to share meals with their host family.

Telos Residents are enrolled in the MA of Strategic Ministry program at Johnson University during the 10-month residency. This program consists of in-person learning with Johnson professors, interactive on-line learning, and hands-on field experience through the paid internship. We are able to provide this degree at an extremely affordable cost (about $11,000).

We connect residents with the best and brightest missional practitioners in Knoxville and beyond. We seek answers to the important questions of life and ministry from church, non-profit, and business leaders of diverse backgrounds and theological traditions.

We pair each resident with a mature Christian leader for ongoing support and mentoring throughout the program. Residents also meet regularly to share and process openly about life and vocation in an environment of grace, trust, and vulnerability.

Jesus had a rhythm of life that is so rare in our world today. He knew when to work hard and when to rest well. We aim for balance of work and rest in our program. We engage deeply and fully, but then step away for regular times of sabbath, spiritual formation, and retreat.

These next 10-months of your life will leave a lasting impact on the rest of your life. The experiences and relationships you cultivate at Telos Residency will deeply enhance your personal, spiritual, leadership, and vocational development. You will boost your resume with job experience and an advanced degree. And you will network with leaders and practitioners who will be immensely helpful to you in your future endeavors. Don’t miss out on this life-changing opportunity!