+ Why Do An Internship?

Have you ever been operated on? I have faced that unpleasant but needed experience in life. I was calmed considerably knowing the practical supervised preparation required of my doctor before he was set free to work on me.

Consider the teacher, counselor, pilot, or doctor. All of these fields and many more have long realized the need for supervised “in-field” training. This training (especially in the medical field) is known as an internship, and is considered an essential aspect of credible preparation.

What should we then think when it comes to the field of pastoral ministry? What is the level of expectation we hold for “in-field internship” training for people who believe themselves called to serve God in this way? Do you and I or the churches as a whole see such training as an essential aspect of proper preparation? I have generally found the expectation is much lower than in other arenas of service. This attitude prevails in spite of the fact that the minister (be it campus, church, or missions) is a “spiritual” teacher, counselor, pilot, and doctor.

The campus pastor, missionary, or church minister will be a teacher of eternal truths and will be called on to give counsel to countless numbers of students or other adults. He or she will have to guide (pilot) the Christian community under his/her care through many opportunities. The campus minister is a surgeon of the soul who must learn to rightly use the scalpel of the Spirit.

With these things in mind and in light of Scripture’s concern for the proper testing of leaders (1 Timothy 3:10), one wonders why we place so little stress on meaningful internships in the training of our pastors. It is time we recognize that an internship is not irrelevant, it is essential.

You may be thinking, “I’ve been to the university, or perhaps Bible School, maybe even seminary, so why should I do an internship?” Good question!

Pastoral ministry, like the surgeon, pilot, or electrician, entails much more than simply mastering theological truth and ministry philosophy in a formal classroom. There must also be an extended time of testing one’s character, discovery of one’s gifts, and the development of needed skills in “real world” settings. If this is to be done realistically it requires “hands-on” experience.

It was this conviction regarding hands-on experiential training that motivated me to pioneer the first CMIT program in the nation for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries in 1977.

My experience over the past forty plus years of training interns from Bible schools, seminaries, and secular colleges has confirmed that each and every one of them needed and greatly benefited from the practical and supervised training they received. This need for practical training is the first reason to do an internship.

Another significant reason for participating in a campus ministry internship is the need you or I have to adapt to the atmosphere of vocational pastoral work in the secular campus context.

A missionary must spend significant time becoming acclimated to his/her new culture before he can hope to become effective. In the same way the perspective campus minister needs the time afforded through an internship to become familiarized with the unique characteristics of campus ministry.

Perhaps we could sum up with the words of a wise intern: “When I came I was confident in myself, but when I left my confidence was in God. When I came I felt I had a handle on most things, but when I left I felt like I had begun to truly grasp essential things. Back then I wondered, ‘do I really need this?’ Now I wonder what I’d have done without it.”

+ What is a Campus Ministry Internship?

A Campus Ministry In Training (CMIT) internship is a ten-month long intensive training program for future Christian ministry. It is our purpose to train interns through their active participation in campus pastoral leadership under the supervision of a veteran campus minister.

Each intern will be afforded the opportunity to receive broad first-hand experience in an encouraging atmosphere before venturing out to establish or help lead a campus ministry.

+ Is the Internship Only For those Called to University Ministry?

While some internship centers elect to work with men and women who sense a clear calling to university ministry, the internship program in Bellingham has embraced a broader agenda. We gladly, room permitting, welcome men and women whose vision for serving God may be other than the university. Some have come unsure of their calling but desiring to “test” their gifts and vision. Others’ focus is on local church ministry or international missions. Still others simply want to deepen their knowledge and skills before pressing forward into their calling to serve God in the marketplace and the local church. Each is a legitimate motivation for doing an internship and we attempt to accommodate all who desire to “mature in Christ Jesus.”

+ What Does an Internship Offer?

The ultimate goal of the BXA/CCF internship at Western Washington University is to offer an authentic place of spiritual growth and excellence in preparation for service to our Lord. Rest assured that as an intern you will not be relegated to being a staff person’s gopher or a “special projects” person.

Instead, an intern joins our staff as a co-worker under training. In that position, they take on the work, experiences, and intensity that each of us face in an ongoing way as campus leaders.

As an intern you will receive consistent and personal mentoring from the staff. At all times you, your sense of calling, and your future will be treated with respect and care by the BXA/CCF staff.