The Community Church at Tellico Village’s current pastoral resident — the Rev. Hannah Perry — will enter into the second half of her residency in June.
The concept of the church’s resident program is a unique one as it is not an internship or a traditional mentorship, but instead a program for pastors transitioning into ordained clergy ministry upon graduation from seminary.
The program has been a part of the Community Church at Tellico Village since 2019 and Perry is serving as the church’s third resident. The program maxes out at 24 months, but leaves the space for residents to position themselves toward their next position from 18 months on.
During her time at the Church, Perry has been going over five core modules, along with integrating into the regular pastoral rotation and duties of responsibilities and weekly worship services.
In short, it is similar to a residency program a doctor undergoes after medical school.
PERRY’S JOURNEY
Perry attended Asbury Theological Seminary at Wilmore, Ky. (“The Whole Bible for the Whole World.”) And she then went on to graduate magna cum laude in May 2023 with a master’s in Theological Studies and an emphasis on Philosophy and Apologetics.
Perry and her husband Jeffrey Perry moved to the Tellico Village area last June after serving a church in Marco Island, Fla.
“My husband has land in Athens, Tenn., so eventually we wanted to end up here,” Perry said. “But it just was just an amazing opportunity that I heard about and it happened to be close to our land — plus it fit my wheelhouse and desire.
“Tellico Village was the first place that I looked into before I even graduated, and it’s been a great opportunity.”
CHALLENGES, REWARDS
As a resident pastor, Perry has naturally taken on several roles within the church. And she admitted that her first year at the Community Church at Tellico Village was a challenging experience.
“It was scary because I was stepping outside my (comfort zone),” Perry said. “After several decades of being worship and arts and music in the arts … to fully step into the pastoral role was like learning something new at an older age.
“But the church was so indulging and helpful in the pastoral staff that I quickly realized that who you are is still the same no matter what your role is.
“And so I gave myself to it through my personality,” she said. “I tried to just be me.
“And it shook out to where everybody was helping me and just moving forward. I quickly felt like I had worked into the (new) role.”
‘A PASTOR FIRST’
One of the biggest challenges Perry said she faced during her first year in the Village was the psychological side of her new duties. … “Just viewing myself as a pastor when I had waited so long to do it and kind of had decided I would never get a chance to do it,” Perry recalled.
“I had to resurrect my dreams, put them back in place and begin to segue psychologically into seeing myself as a pastor first.”
Perry credited the Community Church’s senior pastor — Dr. Stephen B. Prevatte — as someone who has helped and really set the tone for bringing her on staff.
“Our pastor is very well trained in Clinical Pastoral Education,” Perry said. “And he has a heart to minister to people and to take care of the flock more like a shepherd would … rather than a career and a job.
“Our main focus first and foremost is the care of people and taking care of our congregation.”
Perry said when Prevatte looks for people to be on the Church’s pastoral staff, he looks not only at that candidate’s credentials but, she said, there’s a number of things you do as a resident to get there.
According to Perry, the Church’s senior pastor looks for those who have a heart for the community’s particular demographic. She added that the Community Church of Tellico Village needs ministers who care — genuinely — about others and who will walk with its parishioners through the dark times and their sicknesses.
MAKING A CONNECTION
While Perry performs several tasks within the Church, she said she has really enjoyed connecting with people “one on one” and helping those she ministers to with their daily struggles.
“This is my 14th church, and in every church I’ve served as the worship and arts pastor or minister,” Perry said. “I did some of all of these things except preach — and so I love the whole gambit of everything a pastor stands for and what they do and who they are. But my happiest times are in pastoral care, and walking through the trenches with those in crisis and need … following through on taking care of them.”
Perry’s future plans are to begin the search in Year 2 to pursue a call of pastoral ministry within a church congregation.
She said that she enjoys motivating and inspiring people toward the Hope of the Gospel of Christ, and inspiring personal growth in regards to their best and most healthy selves. As a family, the Perrys’ hope is to eventually build a home on the land they own in nearby Athens, Tenn.
ANSWERING THE CALL
Perry said that she has spent the majority of Year 1 affirming that she is a shepherd and wants to lead her own flock or congregation.
“In the last few weeks, I’ve fully turned the corner,” she said. “That’s what I feel my clergy call is — as opposed to starting out as a chaplain or in other clergy positions.
“I’ve defined and found my identity as a pastor and that’s kind of what the first year does. And now, of course, as I continue to go through the modules and go through conferences and read and all those things … I will begin to think and discern just what areas are available and look toward the application process of (being called) to a church.”
Perry said the Tellico Village community has been a uniquely welcoming one — a community that she has grown to love and care for. With the few more months that she has available to her in her current position, Perry said she wanted to reassure those she works with — and for — in the Community Church at Tellico Village and beyond that she’s still here to serve the people.
“I don’t consider myself a cookie cutter, mold-type person … with being a musician and artist. I’ve tried to wrap that same passion and drive and care and love and excitement into caring for people.
“And the Community Church at Tellico Village doesn’t just exist for the church members, we exist for the community.”
In fact, “community” is in the Church’s name.
