This past year Tim Gioia worked in an evangelical nonprofit for the first time, learned much more about his vocation, and had deep conversations about what church leaders need the most today and how publications and articles can help them. A grant from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust gave Christianity Today the ability to offer a year-long editorial residency to Tim to do all of this as an editorial resident.

Tim worked directly with Christianity Today's Leadership Journal, Preaching Today, and Church Law & Tax. His many roles included writing articles, contributing to discussions on the best topics to cover in Leadership Journal, interviewing authors and pastors, and editing sermons, articles, and e-newsletters.

A few weeks before his year-long residency ended, he spoke about what he learned and his favorite experiences:

What was your favorite experience here?

My entire professional career, every job I've ever had, has been very secular. The kind of jobs where you're not allowed to talk about religion. So being in a place that's more ministry than it is business has been really good and eye-opening and an interesting way to see how you can do a job and focus it as a ministry.

Also, one of my roles is editing sermons every week for Preaching Today. I get to spend a day or day and a half just sitting in a sermon by a quality preacher, which has just been good for my own soul and my own ministry in preaching, getting to just read and listen to different preachers, to a variety of different voices.

What did you learn during your residency?

I've gotten a broader picture of what people in the church—especially church leadership—need, and how to help address their need. I've sat in a room with Leadership Journal editors Marshall Shelley and Richard Clark, and we've talked about what are the real and felt needs of church leaders and how Leadership Journal can address those, and address those in a different way than other people are addressing them. We've had a long on-going discussion about what is the gospel and how to address that.

Who was the most well-known person you met during your work here?

I got to sit quietly in an interview with Max Lucado and Bill Hybels on two different occasions. That was cool.

Tomorrow I get to talk to Charlie Dates. That will probably be the biggest one I get to actually talk to. Charlie was in seminary when I was an undergraduate. He's a pastor in Chicago. I'm excited because I've heard him speak multiple times.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your residency?

I really appreciated that Christianity Today is a good place to learn how to work in an office. Any job I've ever had I've worn shorts and flip flops to. So having to be in an office space and learn how to do that was cool.

Also, I really appreciated the amount of trust that especially Leadership Journal gave me right off the bat to review proofs and edit. I didn't have editorial or real experience with that when I started. Trust and willingness to let me learn as I went was really valuable for me.

Michelle Dowell is editorial coordinator for the Church Law and Tax Group at Christianity Today.