Pastoral Internship
Preparing vocational pastors
To see churches led by pastors who faithfully connect the Bible’s theology of the church to the church’s worship, life, and mission.
Bible colleges and seminaries serve a strategic role by helping train leaders for the church and her mission. Nevertheless, the training of pastors is first and foremost the church’s responsibility. Through this twelve-week pastoral internship, we seek to help men learn and lead in a way that both leverages and complements what they receive in academia. Specifically, we want to see future pastors faithfully apply the Bible’s theology of the church to the leadership within the church.
Learning and Leading
Preparation for pastoral ministry will involve study and practice—the study of books and people, and the practice of leading in the ministry of the Word and Prayer.
Caught and Taught
Our internship balances the need to learn in a systematic and careful way, with the relational and experiential nature of how God readies us for ministry.
Love for the Church
We want to raise up pastors who love the church as Christ loved the church, nourishing her with the Word and laying their lives down for her spiritual good.
Learning and Leading
Learning from Books
An intern will read and write on a total of 1,200 pages, 100 pages from each of 12 books, with a focus on connecting biblical theology to leadership in the local church. As a few examples, how the nature of the church shapes our corporate gatherings, how the mission of the church shapes our global missions efforts, and how the nature of the church’s growth in maturity shapes our practice of membership.
Learning from People
Ministry requires the study, but it doesn’t end in the study. Interns will benefit from exposure to a variety of teams and leaders. Minimally, an intern will meet with Trent weekly, join as a guest in twice-monthly elders meeting, and shadow various leaders on Sunday morning. In addition, they are invited to participate in a variety of staff meetings.
Leading in the Word
In most cases, an intern already has an active ministry of the Word within the church, whether in children’s ministry, youth ministry, elective teaching, and in some cases preaching on Sunday. We add a bit of structure to these opportunities, including opportunities for evaluation from laypeople and leaders.
Leading in Prayer
The apostles led in the ministry of the Word and prayer, and for this reason prayer is the other part of how our interns will lead. This will involve leadership in one of several venues, and usually the design and leadership of several Evening Prayer services throughout the internship.
LINKS & RESOURCES
- Sample Pastoral Internship
- Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ by Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum
- Conversion: How God Creates a People by Michael Lawrence
- Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin
- The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne
- What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
- If It’s Not Too Much Trouble: The Challenge of the Aged Parent by Ann Benton
Preparing to Pastor Vocationally?
Get in touch with Pastor Trent.
