cultivating youthful leadership thru summer internships

Cultivating Youthful Leadership thru Summer Internships

Role of Summer Internships at The Church of the Resurrection

To identify and/or cultivate a call to ministry for the participant through

hands-on experiences in our church setting.

What’s in it for the Intern?

• Exposed to excellent ministry work and leaders

• Develop their leadership and ministry gifts thru their interaction with key staff and volunteer leaders

• Give them equal opportunities to lead and be led

• Help them grow in knowledge, faith, and maturity within a ministry setting

What’s in it for the Church?

• Receive valuable ministry work and support• Help to spark renewal in the church by

raising up youthful leadership • Promote ministry to the brightest and best

young people as an attractive career option• Ultimately, increase the number of young

people seeking ordination in the church

Who are we Looking For?

• People who are exploring Pastoral Ministry• People who are exploring Vocational

Ministry• People who have a heart for Christ and

desire to explore how they can help lead their local church as a young adult while working in the secular world.

How do we Recruit?

• Centralized process• Mostly within congregation –

Christmas, Spring Break• Referrals from each ministry• College campus postings

Preferred Candidates?

• A growing interest in or calling to a ministry career

• Internally identified as a candidate through past or existing involvement with a ministry area

• Church leadership exhibited as a student.• Campus leadership exhibited, especially related

to faith• Completed their freshman year of college or

have at least one year of post-high school experience

Interview Process

• Discuss purpose of program - we need you!• Describe what we’re looking for• What’s in it for them• Describe the experience• Discuss their interests/passion/experience• One person (Randy) talks to most candidates,

then refers best fits to ministry departments for interview and final decision

Hiring Logistics

• 10 week internship• May be related to current staff, but not supervised by

them• Serve a maximum of two summers, with exceptions

allowed for strong pastoral candidates desiring exposure to multiple ministry areas

• Do not receive benefits or housing. Church may assist with finding a host family.

• Pay is $9 per hour – work half time or full time.• Workspaces provided within the ministry area they are

serving in

Hiring Logistics (continued)

• Focused mainly in one ministry area. Possibilities include:

Group Life Special NeedsGuest Services Traditional MusicCatalyst Contemporary MusicTechnical Arts Congregational CareChildren CounselingYouth CommunicationsRegional Campuses ITMissions

Supervision

• One person assigned to each intern• Sets specific job responsibilities and ministry goals• Regular check-ins (recommend weekly or bi-weekly)

as to the effectiveness of their work• Regular discussion to ensure the internship is

meeting the expectations of the intern• Guides and mentors the intern throughout the

summer

Intern Experiences

• Orientation session• Campus tour• Weekly group learning opportunities focusing on

community, spiritual growth and leadership development

• Hear faith stories of guests during the weekly intern gatherings

• Exposure to the church staff thru our weekly staff chapel.

• Encouraged to set up numerous “coffees” with staff and congregant leaders

Intern Reflections

• Provide a short reflection paper at the conclusion of the summer• Summarize their experience• Describe the status of their “call,” both

before the summer began and when it ended.

• Mention who and what impacted them the most from their experience.

• What worked, and what didn’t.

Sam Johnson’s Story

Summary of Goals

• Develop a consistent experience across the church• Develop a process for helping the intern initiate and/or

cultivate their call into a future ministry career• Ensure future leaders are identified and developed• Be a catalyst for more of our young leaders to be

placed as ministry professionals and/or pastors• Increase visibility to the congregation to aid in

recruiting, and send a message of our intent to identify and develop young ministry leaders for the future

• Promote ministry as an attractive career option for young people