The Maddox Pastoral Residency
Northside Drive Baptist Church has always been a church that encourages followers of Christ to listen for their calls to vocational ministry. Northside Drive wants its children, youth and young adults to view a calling to ministry as an important profession. The new Maddox Pastoral Residency program will assist Northside Drive in nurturing the work of the Holy Spirit within the lives of motivated, interested and gifted young believers as they test their gifts and consider a calling to vocational ministry.
Excellent pastoral leadership is imperative to having a vital and successful congregation. Thus, the training of those who feel a calling to vocational ministry should be an important aspect of fulfilling the Gospel work of Christ. However, pastors perform their ministry within the congregational setting, and therefore new ministers need a healthy congregational context in which to practice ministry under the supervision of experienced ministers and supportive lay leaders. It is my hope that the Northside Drive Baptist Church Maddox Pastoral Residency will cultivate ministry formation in the most appropriate context for developing pastoral competencies---the church itself.
The Maddox Pastoral Residency is intended for a student who has completed a seminary degree before entering their first full time ministerial job. Our first Maddox Pastoral Resident for the 2010-2011 year will be Rev. Eric M. Cain. He will be a full time resident of the church and will maintain his relationship and leadership of the youth group. He will be gaining experience in other leadership areas of the church such as pastoral care, worship, preaching, children, sustainability, and missions. Eric will have a formal installation in worship sometime in July. Until then, we welcome Eric as a full time resident and are excited about what he will contribute to the growth of Northside Drive Baptist Church.
For further information on the Maddox Pastoral Residency program at Northside Drive Baptist Church, go to http://www.northsidedrive.org/, the Ministries menu, the Residency and Internships tab.
Rev. Eric M. Cain
Maddox Pastoral Resident
Eric is a native of Lumberton, North Carolina. He received the B.A. degree in history and political science, with a concentration in Latin American studies, from Furman University (Greenville, SC) in 2004 and the M.A.Ed. degree in secondary social studies education from Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC) in 2006. After graduate school, Eric moved to the Atlanta area where he taught political science and talented and gifted courses and served as a mock trial coach and peer diversity advisor at Alpharetta High School (Alpharetta, GA). Prior to serving at Northside Drive, Eric served as an intern with Metro Baptist Church & Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries in the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City.
Eric began his ministry service at Northside Drive as the Director of Youth Ministries in 2007. He was ordained to the Gospel Ministry by Northside Drive Baptist Church in August 2009 and he received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in May 2010. While at McAfee, Eric was selected to participate in the Middle East Travel Seminar, where he learned and traveled with colleagues and scholars in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and Greece.
Eric currently serves as the Maddox Pastoral Resident. He works directly with the children and youth ministries and provides leadership for mission partnerships and the environmental sustainability efforts at Northside Drive. Eric is also active with ecumenical and interfaith partnerships.
Eric is especially interested in Christian spiritual formation, particularly within the context of the lives of students and their communities of faith. He is also very passionate about social justice issues, particularly environmental sustainability efforts, and how they impact the lives of individuals and communities around the world.
Eric enjoys being outdoors (hiking, kayaking, etc.), traveling, viewing art & film, cooking, hanging out at coffee shops, being with family and friends, and watching sports. He enjoys watching his North Carolina Tarheels play basketball; his Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Furman Paladins, and Pittsburgh Steelers play football; and soccer matches by his favorite teams.
Eric considers it a blessing to be a part of the community of faith that is Northside Drive Baptist Church--a place that lovingly welcomes all and seeks to be a continuing presence of Christ to the community and the world.
The Maddox Pastoral Residency Model
Pastoral Intern
Zachary Bay
Pastoral Intern
Zach is a third-year Master of Divinity student at McAfee School of Theology. He is completing an Academic Research course of study and is presently finishing a master's thesis on the book of Ecclesiastes.
In May 2007, Zach graduated cum laude from Georgetown College with a Bachelor of Arts. He double-majored in Religion and Philosophy and minored in History. While at Georgetown, Zach also served on the Campus Ministry Leadership Team during his junior and senior years as the chair for on-campus outreach and then as the chair for community missions.
Zach loves discussing theology, the Bible, and history. He has two cats, Peanut and Pepper, and enjoys residing in Atlanta with them. After seminary, he plans to serve in congregational ministry and continue his education.
