immerse and YOUR church!
Garry Firth, Lead Pastor at The Meeting Place in Nanaimo, BC, knows firsthand the value of Immerse. He graduated from the Immerse program with his MDiv five years ago and now is eagerly anticipating the 2023 graduation of his own Immerse student, Peter Bird. The Meeting Place is a church that champions the development of leaders through actively identifying the next-gen leaders in their context and practicing the art of asking a very good question:
“Would you consider Immerse as the next step in your ministry leadership development?”
When Garry asked Peter this question, two things happened: Peter heard an outside voice affirm the call to ministry he was already sensing within himself, and he also heard an affirmation of support from The Meeting Place. As a next-gen leader, he heard loud and clear that his own church was willing to take a risk on him and help him lean into God’s call on his life.
This powerful moment led Peter to investigate what it would look like to enter the Immerse program and to explore and embrace the possibility of vocational ministry as a career path.
Now in his final year of Immerse, Peter has experienced personal growth through participation in innovative programs like EQ Boot Camp where he grappled with self-awareness and the non-negotiable necessity of humility and hard work. And through the unconventional seminary experience offered by Immerse, in the context of his church, Peter has gained a deep understanding of the integration of head, heart, and hands in ministry at the grass-roots level.
Garry spoke about the transformation he sees in Peter—a next-gen leader who has come into his own and is now intentionally building trust and casting vision with other young leaders.
This is what Immerse is all about. Through the collaboration of Fellowship Pacific and Northwest Seminary, The Meeting Place has been able to experience deep and meaningful partnership and a sense of belonging to the grander vision of a network of churches committed to purposeful leader development for the sake of the gospel in our region and beyond.
For The Meeting Place, identifying next-gen leaders and investing in them through Immerse is a built-in part of their culture, so when we asked Garry Firth the question:
“Will there be a next time?”
He could offer a Boldly Forward Never Alone “YES!”
Why?
“Because we’re always looking for who’s next!”