Helping Pastors Thrive creates opportunities for enhancing pastoral identity and leadership through peer and mentor-based learning. Funded by the Lilly Endowment, Helping Pastors Thrive is a ministry of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
Application For The Early Career Youth Pastors Cohort, 2026-2028
The Reality of Youth Ministry
Ministry with teenagers is beautiful, but it’s demanding. Between the late-night texts, the frantic game prep, and the weight of carrying students' stories, your "margin" can disappear quickly. It’s easy to feel like you’re on an island, trying to innovate in a world that’s changing faster than most church structures can keep up with.
You don’t have to lead in isolation.
The Helping Pastors Thrive: Early Career Youth Pastor Cohort is designed to provide the space, the community, and the resources you need to not just "survive" another season, but to flourish in your calling for the long haul. Youth pastors within their first decade of ministry are eligible for the cohort.
What the Cohort Offers
This isn’t another webinar or a "three keys to growth" seminar. This is a safe community where you can grow in self-awareness, spiritual formation, and ministry skills.
Peer Connection: Walk alongside 10-12 fellow youth pastors who share your passion and understand your unique pressures.
Expert Mentorship: Learn from seasoned pastoral mentors who offer a wealth of experience and a commitment to your spiritual well-being.
Restorative Retreats: Over two years, we gather for four 2-night retreats at different locations. These are spaces for prayer, fellowship, and deep dives into the relationship between your identity and your practice.
Online Meetings: In between the retreats, we will regularly meet online to remain connected and go deeper in community and learn from each other.
Customized Learning: Together with your mentors, your cohort will help shape the curriculum based on the real-world challenges you are facing in your specific ministry setting.
The Details
We believe so strongly in the health of our ministers that most expenses are covered. While the cohort is valued at $6,000, thanks to a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, your housing, meals, travel, and resources are heavily subsidized. You (or your church) will be responsible for $500/year for a total of $1,000.
Commitment: A two-year journey.
Location: The first retreat will be held at The Catholic Conference Center on August 31-September 2, 2026. Subsequent retreats will be held in other locations TBD in NC.
Requirement: Currently serving in youth ministry (full-time or part-time) in a CBFNC partner church and have less than 7 years of ministry experience.
Goal: To move from "doing" youth ministry to "being" a minister who thrives.
Are You Ready to Thrive?
Space is intentionally limited to 10-12 participants to ensure deep connection and personal growth. Application is provided below.
Have Questions?
Reach out to Andy Jung at ajung@cbfnc.org. We’d love to help you discern if this is the right next step for your ministry journey.
