Christ Church Internships

Intern stipend is $1,000 per month, with the exception of December 15-January 15 when the internship is on hiatus. So a total of $11,000 per year including the summer months, which are optional.

SAMPLE WEEK

A 15-hour Intern work summary is as follows:

• Attend all staff meetings relevant to their assigned campus (average of 3 hours/week).
• At weekend services, assist the campus pastor in supporting the guest experience, leading worship services, and other duties as needed. (4 hours)
• Play an active role in planning and leading a core weekly ministry (i.e. SHYG, Cove, Men, Women) and/or a seasonal ministry (i.e. Alpha, FPU). This gives an opportunity to be involved in teaching, shepherding and leading in an area of interest. (4 hours)
• On Fridays, participate with other interns and staff in a formation and development group. This group discusses relevant issues in pastoral ministry, analyze sermons, etc. (2 hours)
• The remaining two hours vary depending on need and schedule, including a bi-weekly mentoring meeting with a supervisor. (2 hours)

ORGANIZATIONAL & REPORTING STRUCTURE

Interns will report to the campus pastor of each campus, but will share a common director of the internship program for the purposes of training and coordination. Interns will be assigned a primary supervisor according to their area of interest who will serve as their mentor and coach throughout the year. In conjunction with the campus pastor, evaluations will be completed by the supervisor (some cases this will be the same person).

EVALUATION PROCESS

The most constant evaluation will come from the interns supervisor as they go about the work of ministry. Ultimately, one of the goals is that we have invested in our interns in such a way that they have a greater potential to become the type of candidate who could join the Christ Church staff. Interns will go through regular informal assessment in the following 4 areas:

1. Character – demonstrate growth in Christlikeness (Observation and feedback from staff mentor/supervisor over the course of the internship)

2. Competence – demonstrate growth in administrative practices (planning, calendaring, executing projects/programs, etc.) and ministry competencies (teaching/training, small group leading, recruiting, and personal discipleship).

3. Culture – demonstrate an awareness of the Christ Church Core Values, unwritten DNA, and staff dynamics. This is done primarily through a qualitative exit interview and includes observation, interpretation and critical feedback.

4. Convictions – updating your own final Philosophy of Ministry statement to reflect what you learned at the conclusion of your internship.

We recognize that the waterline of the internship program cannot rise above the waterline of the staff culture. Interns will be invited to participate in the life of the church staff in a significant way. Below are the values that we hope define our teams and individuals on our teams. Staff culture is not limited to these 7 values, but they should be ingredients that every intern tastes and even begins to embody.

1) Make It Better – Everyone on staff participates in making things better. Question: What am I doing to help us improve organizationally?

2) Make It Personal – Believe in the Christ Church mission and vision. In all that we do, beinvolved. Questions: How am I personally invested, outside of my job, in serving God’s kingdom here?

3) Work With Collaboration – Not too proud to ask for help and not too busy to be able to help. Question: Where am I leveraging the talent and skills of those outside my primary team?

4) Replace Yourself – You’ll always have a place if you are helping others move up. In a great organization, people are moving up. Question: Who am I empowering? Who can take my place?

5) Laugh at Yourself – God wants us to be joyful, and that’s hard to do when we take ourselves too seriously. We also do better work when we’re having fun. Question: What does my face look like when I’m working? When is the last time I smiled?

6) Maintain Healthy Balance- Our personal lives come to work with us. The more responsibility you have in an organization, the more important it is for you to stay fit -spiritually, physically, mentally, financially, and relationally. Question: How am I taking care of myself physically, spiritually, relationally, emotionally and financially?

7) Remain Open Handed – In a growing organization, there will be constant change. Effectivestaff and leaders have to be open to change. Build a culture that experiences change in a goodway. Palms up living: it’s easier to remain calm when your palms are up.

All Staff Training / Campus Specific Opportunities

Training opportunities will be offered on an ongoing basis through all staff and campus specific staff meetings. Examples of this include leadership interviews, evangelism methods, diversity training, best practices with safety and care concerns, emotionally healthy spirituality, goal setting, etc. Some learning opportunities will require reading and preparation prior to the gathering times. Some learning opportunities will include activities or off-site experiences intended to broaden the horizons of an interns understanding of life in full time ministry.

Regular participation in weekly staff meetings will also expose interns to the basic operational steps involved in doing the work of ministry: praying and caring for church members, planning and evaluating programs/events, steps to assimilate guests and enhance the weekend experience, follow up on needs or situational issues in the lives of congregants, etc.