Welcome to the Indianapolis Campus!
New Year 1 Classes start September 12, 2022
Classes will meet on Monday evenings (6-9 PM)
Typical Weekly Class Schedule
- 6:00 Praise & Worship, Testimonies
- 6:45 Session 1
- 7:45 Break
- 8:00 Session 2
- 9:00 Dismissal
Year One Course Schedule
- Quarter 1 – Identity & Transformation
- Quarter 2 – Healing & Power
- Quarter 3 – Hearing God & the Prophetic Gifts of the Spirit
- Quarter 4 – Inner Healing & Freedom
Check out our location!
What students are saying about the Encounter School of Ministry – Indianapolis Campus
The single most dramatic area of growth I have experienced has been in hearing God. The instruction on the voice of God…opened me to receive in a way that I have not experienced before. God is present and wants to speak not just through me but to me.
– ESM Indianapolis Student
Encounter has reawakened my spiritual ears and eyes, and ignited my fire once again to stand on the Promises of His Word! Jesus had come to establish His Kingdom here on earth and His Power is here with us!!
– ESM Indianapolis Student
Encounter has been what I needed to re-ignite the fire of the Lord in me…Teaching had been amazing each week and the homework is not question/answers but real practical application of what we are learning!
– ESM Indianapolis Student
I was not sure how much I would gain in content since “I already knew about the Holy Spirit.” I could not have been more wrong. The phrase “there is more” comes to mind as perfectly capturing my experience. The intentional and academic approach to the formation has also born a great deal of fruit.
– ESM Indianapolis Student
Campus Leadership Team
TOM PONCHAK
Campus Director
Tom Ponchak is a passionate disciple of Jesus. He studied theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and Asbury Theological Seminary. After several years in Catholic ministry, Tom and his wife, Lisa, left the Catholic Church and joined the Association of Vineyard Churches, a non-denominational, evangelical faith community. He was the founding pastor of Matthew’s House Vineyard Church in central Florida. Longing for the Eucharist and sacraments led them back into full communion with the Catholic Church.
LISA PONCHAK
Co-Director
Lisa has been deeply captivated by God’s love and his desire to make himself known to us in a deeply personal way. She lives to hear God speak and it has become her passion to help others hear and discern his voice. She is a graduate of Franciscan University and has been involved in ministry for over 20 years. Lisa and Tom have been married for 28 years and have six children.
CRAIG NOVAK
Worship Leader
Craig is a spirit-filled disciple who has a heart for leading others to encounter the Holy Spirit through praise and worship. He spent four years as a full-time campus missionary with The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and an additional three years as a Director of Philanthropy with FOCUS. He has been married to his wife Maria for 10 years, and is blessed with three children.
The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana has reviewed and welcomed the Encounter School of Ministry.
The Encounter School of Ministry is open to Christians of all backgrounds—disciples who believe God calls them to demonstrate His supernatural love in their daily lives. Our curriculum and content is rooted in Catholic Tradition and faithful to Catholic teaching.
Read Bishop Doherty’s Letter of Welcome
News & Events:
Follow our campus on Social Media to get the latest news and updates.
Watch the Fearless Documentary
“What I have appreciated most in the Fearless documentary is that healings are not seen as a goal in themselves but as “signs” of the presence of the Kingdom and the compassion of God, just as they were in the ministry of Jesus. Actions speak louder than words, and miracles speak louder than teachings.” – Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., Preacher to the Pontifical Household
Recent Testimonies:
I did not want to be pushy, or labelled, or make people feel awkward
My greatest transformation was in the courage, boldness and Holy Spirit power I now feel within...
In God’s Perfect Time
I have learned so much through this whole year of the Encounter School of Ministry! It did take...
The Construction of My Kingdom Dream
This quarter was full of practical ways to grow spiritually. I learned that God gave me a dream...
