Intern Program

How does a preacher, youth minister, or another person who plans to serve full or part-time get practical experience? I didn’t. Much of what I learned came from the University of Hard Knocks. I’ve enjoyed working with interns, sharing with them some of the things I’ve learned and pointed them to others who can help them in some of the nuts and bolts of ministry. I hope you find a “mustard seed” that will help you develop or improve an intern’s experience who works with you.

 

Intern Program

Purpose and Goal

Provide a ministerial student an opportunity to work with this congregation to gain knowledge and experience in the field of ministry.

Program

Expose the intern to wide variety of ministries and activities.
Teach the intern how to balance his time and the importance of planning, keeping a schedule, and goal setting.
Prepare the intern for real-life ministry.

Program Coordinators

The intern should have at least one elder whom he can call, or better, spend some time with all the elders.
One person should be the coordinator of the intern’s day-to-day activities.

Daily Schedule

Each day will start with a time of study and prayer for one hour.
The intern will be assigned to different ministers who will help the intern learn the ins and outs of the ministry this minister performs.

Specific Tasks

1.  Intern will keep a record in a way helpful to him to file and retrieve the ideas he gains this summer.

2.  Set and track goals.

  • Spiritual.
  • Family.
  • Mental.
  • Physical.
  • Financial.

3.  Spiritual development.

  • Individual.
  • Family.
  • Making time.
  • Developing habits.
  • Interrupting habits.
  • Criticism.

4. Preaching.

  • Preaching schedule.
  • Relationship with elders.
  • Meet with elders, first Wednesday night of each month.
  • Maintain Sermon Idea Garden.
  • Preacher luncheons and workshops, first and third Monday.

5. Home Bible studies.

6. Planting a church.

7. Teaching.

8. World Bible School.

9. Bible school organization and development.

  • Pre VBS.
  • VBS teen class.
  • Children’s worship.

10. World Christian Broadcasting.

11. Lads to Leaders.

12. Youth.

Camp?
Devos?
Mission trips.

13. Nursery School.

14. Disaster Relief.

15. Transition.

  • When to leave.
  • How to leave.
  • How to start.
  • How to rest.
  • How to leave without leaving.
    • Week in isolation.
    • Sabbatical.

16. Using computers in ministry.

  • Study.
  • Writing.
  • Filing.
  • Backing up.
  • Scheduling.
  • Smartphone.

17. Benevolence.

18. Orientation to and participation in ministries.

19. Counseling.

  • Pre-marital.
  • Other.

20. Weddings.

  • Policies – whom will you marry, not marry?
  • Will you require pre-marital counseling?
  • What are the legal requirements to perform a wedding in your state?

21. Visitation.

22. Funerals.

  • Funeral sermons.
  • Visit with the family.
  • Plan funeral. I plan a trip with the intern to a local funeral home. We shop for caskets and vaults, consider cremation, fill out a funeral plan, and discuss practical suggestions for preachers and funerals.

23. Bulletin.

  • Writing.
  • Typing.
  • Printing.

24. Graduation and funeral for the intern program.

 

Report 1 to Faculty Supervisor of the summer intern: Practicum in Ministry Report 1

Report 2 to Faculty Supervisor of the summer intern: Practicum in Ministry Report 2

What suggestions do you have for helping interns?

(Visited 70 times, 13 visits today)
Jerrie Barber
Disciple of Jesus, husband, grandfather, preacher, barefoot runner, ventriloquist

One Response to “Intern Program

  • Jerrie, thank you for this useful information. Practical and succinct!
    Perhaps you would cover this under # 2 or # 3, do you recommend a weekend every year for a married man to get away and refocus on their marriage relationship? I have seen so many preachers become ineffective due to their wife feeling “left out” or even over looked?

    Thanks again brother!