Our goal is for the summer intern program is to help interns grow in their faith in Jesus Christ, cultivate vocational discernment, offer professional/personal development, and hone ministry skills within an area of specialization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions? 

Lauren Stines
Director of Youth Ministry lauren@mpumc.org

​

Role of Summer Internships

The role of summer internships at Myers Park United Methodist Church is to provide a space for vocational discernment while allowing identification and cultivation of gifts with growth in professional development in a church setting.

 

We will do this by:

• Exposing the intern to excellent ministry work and leaders.

• Developing the intern’s leadership and ministry gifts thru their interaction with key staff and volunteer leaders.

• Giving the intern equal opportunities to lead and be led.Duties will be chosen to give the intern opportunities to manage the details of programming and also to practice ministry, participating in many of the programs while they are in the department.

• Helping the intern grow in knowledge, faith, and maturity within a ministry setting.

 

The church and participating ministry area will benefit by:

• Receiving valuable ministry work and support from the intern.

• Helping to fulfill our vision to spark renewal in the mainline church by initiating, cultivating, and /or strengthening the call to ministry for the intern and thereby rising up young leaders for the church.

• Promoting ministry to the “brightest and best” as an attractive career option.

 

Looking for Three Broad Categories of Interns

• People who are exploring Vocational Ministry

• People who are exploring Vocation in Non-Profits

• 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.

 

Recruitment

The Director of Youth Ministries will oversee the recruitment of candidates working in tandem with each ministry department.  Candidates will be screened for inclusion into the program through an application process.  Preferred candidates will have at least one of the following that applies:

 

• A growing interest or “calling” in a ministry career.

• Internally identified as a candidate for a ministry career through past or existing involvement with a ministry area or familiarity with our programs and history.

 

Following the initial screen, candidates will then be passed to the respective ministry department for interviewing and discernment in hiring.  The final hiring decision will be left to the ministry department involved.

 

Supervision

Each ministry will identify a supervisor for the intern prior to the intern being hired.  The supervisor is responsible for:

 

• Setting specific job responsibilities and ministry goals for the intern.

• Weekly check-ins as to the effectiveness of their work and to make sure the ministry is meeting the expectations of the intern.

• Guiding and mentoring the intern.

 

Interns can expect to:

 

• Attend a group orientation session at the beginning of their internship.

• Build community with fellow interns by participating in a bi-weekly group of learning opportunities during the summer focusing on spiritual growth and leadership development.

• Receive exposure to the church staff as a whole thru our monthly staff meetings.

 

Selection

Interns will be hired each summer with a focus in one of the following ministry areas (not all listed ministry areas will host an intern each year):

 

• Children

• Youth

• Missions

 

During the application process, the candidate will be asked to identify their ministry choice(s).  Exposure to all locations and worship venues will be built into the summer work experience, with appropriate levels dictated by the ministry department the intern in serving in. 

 

Logistic Details and Budget Impact

Candidates:

 

• Preferred candidates will have completed their freshman year of college or have at least one year of post-high school work experience.

• May be related to current staff members, but may not be supervised by that relative.

• May serve a maximum of two summers, with exceptions allowed with Executive Director approval for strong ministry career candidates desiring exposure to multiple ministry areas.

• Will not receive benefits or housing.  However, the church may assist a candidate if needed with finding a host family for the 10 week internship period.  This will be administered thru the office of the Director of Youth Ministries.

 

Interns will be paid $3,000 for a 10 week internship.

 

Internships will begin the Tuesday after Memorial Day each summer and will conclude after 10 weeks in early August.

 

In most cases, the intern’s workspace will reside within the ministry area in which they are serving.  Because of space and IT limitations, interns may be asked to share workspaces with each other or volunteers and may have limited access to a personal phone and computer. 

 

Summary of Goals

Through this program, we will strive to:

 

• Develop a consistent internship experience across ministry departments

• Develop a process for helping the intern initiate and/or cultivate their call into a future ministry career.

• Ensure future leaders are consistently identified and developed.

• Develop consistent standards for the qualifications and call of the intern participants, thereby providing a catalyst for more of our interns to be placed as ministry professionals and/or pastors.

• Increase visibility to the congregation as a whole.  This will help in recruiting, but more importantly it will send a strong message to the congregation of our intent to identify and develop young ministry leaders for the future.

• Promote ministry as an attractive career option for young people.