A clear Spirit led path for you and your church
See the full sixteen-month journey that helps pastors move from isolation to focused community impact.
This is the sixteen month Immerse Journey at a glance, showing how Cultural Immersion Experiences, coaching, and tools like Community Playbook work together to help you see what is possible, discern next steps, and bring that clarity back to your congregation and city.
A clear Spirit led path for you and your church
See the full Cohort Journey that helps pastors move from isolation to focused community impact.
This is the sixteen month Immerse Journey at a glance, showing how Cultural Immersion Experiences, coaching, and tools like Community Playbook work together to help you see what is possible, discern next steps, and bring that clarity back to your congregation and city.
Your community is your congregation.
A guided six-month journey where pastors align their church's mission with the deepest needs of their neighborhood — through coaching, cultural immersion, and a cohort of peers doing the same work.
Kickoff: August 6, 2026 in Atlanta · Maximum 7 churches · No payment required to apply
You're leading faithfully, but the weight keeps getting heavier.
Most pastors we meet love their people and care deeply about their city — yet feel a growing gap between what God is calling their church to do and what they can realistically carry alone.
- Working in isolation, without trusted peers to share the load.
- Struggling to move beyond surface needs to deeper community realities.
- Seeing gifts in your people but unable to mobilize them into clear next steps.
- Carrying the vision alone — tired, stretched, and quietly discouraged.
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not failing. The model many pastors were handed wasn't built for the kind of community work you're trying to do now.
Every church enters the same journey.
What differs is where you begin.
Each church enters the track that fits their season. The coach, the cohort, the Cultural Immersion, and the Mission Celebration are shared by everyone.
Track A
Mission Clarity
Who are we called to be and do in this place?
For churches whose action has outpaced their articulation — showing up for the community but without a focused direction the whole team can carry.
You'll leave with
Mission Focus Statement + 12–18 month strategic roadmap
Track B
Partnerships
Who are we called to partner with?
For churches doing service and giving but whose partnerships don't yet go deep enough to support a vision as large as housing, youth development, or economic transformation.
You'll leave with
Partnership Map + 1–2 priority partnerships named + concrete action plan
Track C
Congregational Engagement
How do we bring the whole church along?
For churches where the pastor is aligned but the wider congregation hasn't yet been formed into owners of the mission — especially newer members.
You'll leave with
Mobilization Team + roles + covenant + engagement practices launched
What the journey actually feels like.
Watch what happens when pastors and church leaders step into their community with fresh eyes — and come back with a clearer mission.
Real pastors. Real churches. Real transformation.
Here is how pastors who have been through the journey describe what happened.
Juanita Lewis
Pastor, First United Presbyterian · Athens, TN · Read her story
Through Immerse, our church learned that worship and witness cannot be separated. We started with meals, but God used this journey to move us into council chambers and onto neighborhood streets. Now we're partnering with local pastors and civic leaders to bring Immerse to Athens in 2027.
Rev. Reginald Murray
Senior Pastor, Galilee MBC
Immerse gave us language and tools to steward our 10 acres as a place of multi-generational hope — where seniors can age with dignity and young people can grow with opportunity. The Partnership Assessment helped us move from dreaming to building the relationships needed to make it real.
Demetrius Miles
Pastor, The Gathering at Tucson · Read his story
Immerse helped us see that our calling is bigger than our campus. The cultural immersion and coaching clarified our vision and showed us how to link arms with partners so that future housing, jobs, and ministry in Tucson are rooted in the hopes of our neighbors, not just our own ideas.
Vince Riley
Pastor, Meeting Place Church · Read his story
Immerse is helping our church move from concern to concrete action for young people in our city. The journey gave us language, tools, and partners to create the safe spaces every child deserves — and shaped our congregation to see Charlotte's children as arrows toward their God-given purpose.
Accessible by design.
Substantial by commitment.
Immerse is a ministry of TMS Global, not a consulting product. The track fee is structured to make the journey accessible to churches doing the work — regardless of budget size.
Cultural Immersion is included for the pastor and up to two leaders — travel, lodging, and meals fully covered.
Begin your discernment journey.
This isn't a commitment — it's a conversation. Share your interest below and we'll connect with you to explore whether Immerse is the right fit for your season and calling.
Resources for Your Leaders
Help your team understand the Immerse journey — and see how Immerse is serving congregations like yours on our Church and Community Stories page.
Everything you need to know.
Have questions about the journey, investment, timing, or the Community Impact Grant? Here are answers to what pastors ask most.
When do we need to pay, and what are our options?
The track fee is $150 per church — due at enrollment. No payment is required to apply or begin your discernment conversation.
The Cultural Immersion Experience is included at no additional cost for the pastor and up to two leaders. If you bring additional leaders, there is a $500 per person fee for that experience.
What's the time commitment for the six-month journey?
The journey runs September 2026 through February 2027, with the Mission Celebration in March 2027. Monthly coaching sessions with your dedicated coach, peer cohort learning with other churches, the Activate visioning event, and the multi-day Cultural Immersion Experience make up the core commitments.
Immerse is designed to fit into your existing rhythm, not overwhelm it. Most pastors describe the journey as sustainable and energizing — formation that goes deep without burning you out.
Who from my church should participate?
We recommend bringing the lead pastor plus up to two key leaders — elders, ministers, or staff who help carry the vision. The track fee includes the Cultural Immersion for all three. This ensures you're not carrying the vision alone and creates built-in momentum when you return home.
If you want to bring additional leaders on the Cultural Immersion, that's available at $500 per person.
What makes Immerse different from other leadership programs?
Immerse isn't a conference or a curriculum — it's a six-month, track-based formation journey. You enter the track that fits your church's season: Mission Clarity (Track A), Partnerships (Track B), or Congregational Engagement (Track C). Each track has a dedicated coach, a clear deliverable, and a cohort of peer churches doing the same work.
You're not just hearing ideas — you're discerning with peers, being coached through implementation in your own context, and seeing the vision made real through the Cultural Immersion before you try to build it at home.
How many churches are in the cohort?
Each cohort is capped at 7 churches. That's by design — the small size is what makes the peer learning intimate and the coaching substantive. The hub city is confirmed once 5 churches enroll, so your enrollment matters for whether and where the cohort happens.
The cohort becomes a peer network that outlasts the six months — relationships with pastors doing the same kind of faithful, place-based work in their own cities.
What's included in the investment?
The $150 track fee includes: your Missional Assessment, the Activate visioning event tailored to your track, a dedicated coach for the full six months, a Partnership Assessment, the Cultural Immersion Experience for pastor and up to two leaders, monthly peer cohort learning, practical tools and reflection at every stage, and the Mission Celebration in March 2027.
Every church that completes the journey receives a $500–$700 Community Impact Grant to launch a new, partner-driven initiative in their community. You can read the full grant details at immerseproject.org/impact.
Travel, lodging, and meals for the Cultural Immersion are fully covered — you won't pay out of pocket for the in-person hub city experience.
Is Immerse tied to a specific denomination?
No. Immerse welcomes pastors from all Christian traditions. The cohort is designed to be ecumenical and collaborative. We believe deep community work happens best when churches work together across denominational lines.