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Christ Church Internships

Your Solid Foundation

The Christ Church Internship Program is designed to provide the exposure, experience, and education necessary to build a foundation for your calling.

  Why be a part of the Christ Church Internship Program

Sustainable Start to Ministry

One of the gaps in the current model of pastoral training is the jump from the theory of the student seat in the classroom to the reality of the leadership seat in the local church. Our goal is to create a more sustainable start to life in local church ministry.

Clarified Gifting and Calling

We believe God uses both the internal call of the individual and the external call of the leaders in the church to discern the gifts and callings of church leaders. We want to come alongside you as you hone the gifts God has given you and discern His call on your life.

Guided Ministry Experience

Our goal is to offer observation and participation in ministry, guided by a mentor. By seeing how a larger church operates and by participating in a guided, front-line ministry experience, we hope to provide vision for ministry and practical examples.

Greater love for the church

This program is intended to expose students to the real life of the church (good, bad, and ugly), but we hope you will gain a greater love for the local church. Our goal is to clear away some of the debris that often clouds the early ministry and hinders love for the church.

QUALIFICATIONS
  • Applicants should be currently or recently enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral Program.
  • Applicants should demonstrate a high commitment to Christ-like character and have a good reputation among fellow students and their local church community.
  • Applicants should embrace the Christ Church statement of faith and align themselves with the mission and vision of the church as articulated in the REACH Initiative.
  • Applicants should meet the basic requirements of a Christ Church member.
  • Applicants must have the flexibility to attend meetings on Mondays in either Fall or Spring semester.
EXPECTATIONS
  • Interns are expected to show a willingness to learn and demonstrate a teachable spirit throughout the duration of the internship.
  • Interns are expected to show initiative and an eagerness to improve the ministries in which they serve.
  • Interns are expected to be team players and embody the Christ Church Core Values.
  • Interns are expected to participate weekly in both the weekend services of Christ Church and a small group or class.
  • Interns are expected to ask a lot of questions, including clarifying questions to their supervisor to understand why Christ Church operates the way it does. (This includes, but is not limited to, areas where an intern might sense disagreement with a ministry philosophy or biblical approach to a decision.)
  • Interns are expected to fulfill the stated responsibilities of a Christ Church member.
  • Interns are expected to dress, speak, and act in a professional manner congruent with the Christ Church staff culture.

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.

Ready to Become an Intern?