The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

The FTE Guide to Creating

Pastoral Internships



PUBL I SHED BY

The Fund for Theological Education160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 300

Decatur, GA 30030678.369.6755

WWW.FTELEADERS.ORG

©2012 by The Fund for Theological EducationAll rights reserved. Portions of this publication may be reproduced for general reference purposes; reproduction for commercial use is strictly prohibited.

Parts of theVocationCARE section are taken from the previously published VocationCARE Leaders’ Guide: Congregations and Young People Exploring Call Together

©2012 by The Fund for Theological Education (FTE). All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education

of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALLISON SHIRREFFS

TH E F U ND F OR TH EOLOG ICAL EDU CAT ION

The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

Grateful acknowledgement is also made to those who created the VocationCARE curriculum and the initial guide for practitioners’ use:

The Rev. Stephen Lewis, FTE President; Dr. Courtney Cowart, Director of Congregational Learning; the Rev. Dr. Dori Baker,

FTE Scholar-in-Residence; and the Rev. Elizabeth Mitchell Clement.

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WWW.FTELEADERS.ORG

CALL YOUNG LEADERS. RENEW THE CHURCH. CHANGE THE WORLD.

PASTORAL INTERNS 2012 INTERNAL PAGES_Layout 1 2/21/12 8:31 AM Page 1

3 Introduction

7 Impact

19 Substance

57 VocationCARE

89 Support

103 Putting it All Together

117 Annotated Bibliography

TABLE OFCONTENTS

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INTRODUCTIONThe FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

PASTORAL INTERNS 2012 TABBED PAGES_Layout 1 2/15/12 4:02 PM Page TAB1

INTRODUCTION

“Very few people who become pastors have ever heard the voice ofGod calling them to ministry. Rather, many who become clergy haveheard the voices of the people of God calling them to ministry.”

REV. RICH KIRCHHERRF I R S T C O n G R E G AT I O n A L C h u R C h O F W E S T E R n S P R I n G S

When Rich Kirchherr was growing up in the 1960s and 70s in Western Springs, Illinois, asuburb of Chicago, summer time meant hanging out at the pool, riding bikes, playing LittleLeague, a trip to Wrigley Field and being part of life at First Congregational Church. Thechurch was a regular part of his family’s routine — Sunday School and worship, working inthe congregational ministries, singing in the choir, Vacation Bible School, a retreat alongthe way. And a regular part of the church’s routine was to bring its young people into churchleadership in what we today call internships. Rich saw his close-in-age peers serve as ministersto him and to the adults, and then he and his friends did the same. For a brief moment,Rich experienced the life and work of a pastor from the inside out and he was hooked. heheard God’s call to ministry through the people of his church.

Today, the church is still a regular part of Kirchherr family life, but now Rich serves as thepastor of First Congregational Church of Western Springs. And the practice of inviting andsupporting young people in experiencing the life of a pastor from the inside out once againthrives. In 2009, Western Springs reclaimed its charism for nurturing people for pastoralleadership by hosting six interns. Rich meets with them regularly and each intern has a cadreof lay people dedicated to walking and praying with them as they serve. Two have discerned acall to ministry and are on their way to seminary; the others are still discerning. The presenceof interns is also awakening the congregation to the importance of its role in ministry. Richnoticed, for example, that members of the associate pastor search committee “took it uponthemselves to testify to one another how the spirit was at work in their midst.”

THE PRESENCE OF INTERNS IS ALSO

AWAKENING THE CONGREGATION TO THE

IMPORTANCE OF ITS ROLE IN MINISTRY.

The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships presents a roadmap for congregations andchurch-related organizations to do what the people of First Congregational Church of WesternSprings and hundreds of other congregations have done. It is a how-to book for internships.The how-to knowledge grows from our observation of and consultation with a variety of

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THE FUND FOR THEOLOGICAL EDUCAT ION

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congregations who engage young people in formal ministry internships. The Guide does notoffer a one-size-fits-all pattern. Congregations must find the program “shape” that is authenticto their identity, resources and opportunities. The Guide does present sound approaches thathold the potential to create meaningful opportunities for ministry and discernment for internsand to build up the congregation itself as a calling community.

INTERNSHIPS … GIVE THE PEOPLE OF GOD

A WAY TO INVITE NEW LEADERS INTO MINISTRY.

The Fund for Theological Education (FTE), founded in 1954, exists to encourage giftedyoung leaders of faith to hear and respond to God’s call to ministry. FTE’s work is to createspaces in which God’s call might resound and to offer support for young people who say“yes.” FTE reaches into the communities in which young people are formed and in whichthey will serve — most commonly congregations — to intensify their own practices of calland response. Internships are one of those practices: they give the people of God a way toinvite new leaders into ministry and give those whom God may be calling a way to listenand respond. We are pleased to present this resource for congregations and church-relatedorganizations that understand their vocation includes calling the next generation of leadersfor God’s church.

Through Cultures of Call grants funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., FTE’s Calling Congregationsinitiative has invested in vocational initiatives in local congregations and church-relatedorganizations since 2007. Internships have been a part of that investment from the beginning.Of the 49 Cultures of Call grants awarded to congregations between 2007 and 2011, ninehave focused on internships for high school and college-age students. FTE has learned a greatdeal about internships and about congregations that create opportunities for young people toexplore the vocation of pastoral ministry. In a new initiative of targeted funding for internships,Calling Congregations has chosen to meld the energy for hosting pastoral interns with ourVocationCARE practice. Those CARE practices call congregations to:

C - Create space to explore Christian vocation together;A -Ask self-awakening questions together;R - Reflect theologically on self and community; andE - Enact the next faithful step.

Internships are an expression of the fourth VocationCARE practice. Internship programs areone of many ways congregations support young people in enacting the next faithful step intheir vocational discernment. Internships also create opportunities for congregations toexplore their role in cultivating church leaders. This is a ministry of accompaniment. In thewords of Dr. Lovett Weems of Wesley Seminary, the “church as accompanying community”


engages a journey together that belongs not solely to interns but to everyone who gatherswith them to reflect on the questions of vocation. The response of some young adults maybe to a call to pastoral ministry. For congregations, the response might be to a deepercommitment to calling young leaders.

Inviting and working with an intern at your church may change the ways you supportvocations to ministry. You become an integral part of how these vocations are formed. Youfind yourselves committed to growth — both yours as a sponsor and the growth of youngpeople as they learn to explore the call to serve Christ’s church as pastoral leaders. Yourcongregation may also find that they do, indeed, have a role in the call of the next generationof leaders and that, somehow, this is uniquely their work in a way that belongs to no oneelse. Pastoral internships are the means for making that truth a fully conscious one in yourchurch, as well as being a great service to the larger church, the one that is to come.

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IMPACTThe FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

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IMPACTFirst Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn began an experiment in 2008 called The ElishaProject, a summer internship for young people between the ages of 16 and 20. Their aimwas to give these future leaders an experience of parish ministry and an opportunity to discern their callings. They could see gifts for ministry in the young people of theircongregation, but they wondered if their young people would recognize those gifts inthemselves without a little encouragement.

Though the project was the brainchild of the pastor and associate pastor, they convened a team of eight members of the congregation and invested them with responsibility for selecting candidates and following their progress throughout the program. There were selection criteria, an application essay, interviews and more applicants than they could accommodate. But after much faithful deliberation, the team chose four students for theinaugural summer. Rix, 20, was a thoughtful and athletic young man, majoring in theologyand political science at Drake university. nicole, 19, had just finished her freshman year at university of Illinois and was sensing a call to ministry. Liz, 18, was a high school senior and talented singer, planning to major in music at Valparaiso. And Alex, 18, had justgraduated from high school and hoped to apply his scientifically critical mind in engineeringat Marquette university.

THE EXPERIENCE GAVE THEM A GREATER

APPRECIATION FOR WHAT MINISTERS DO AND

FOSTERED A DEEPER LOVE FOR THE CHURCH.

These young women and men spent 12 hours each week — a full day on Tuesdays and fourhours on Sunday morning — immersed in ministry at First Congregational Church.Alongside pastors and staff, they engaged in hands-on work across a wide range of programareas. On Sundays, the four would alternate in pairs between helping with church school andtaking roles in worship. They led prayers, invited offerings and assisted at the communiontable. And, with guidance and instruction from the pastors, each one preached a sermonduring Sunday worship during the course of the summer.

“honestly,” Alex later told the Project Elisha team, “I thought we were just going to be stuffingenvelopes and making coffee. But we actually got to do ministry.”

The interns also learned what is involved in becoming a minister. They visited ChicagoTheological Seminary and the university of Chicago Divinity School and talked with a retired pastor in the congregation about what to expect in the ordination process.

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“We try our best to make this project a holistic experience for the young people,” said Rev.Seth Carey, associate pastor, “and we believe that those who contribute to the project arelearning as well — learning what the future of the church might look like and learning thatour youth ought to be taken seriously.”

Out of that first cohort, two of the interns — Rix and nicole — enrolled in seminary andentered into the process for ordination in the united Church of Christ. Though Liz and Alexfollowed different career paths, the experience gave them a greater appreciation for whatministers do and fostered a deeper love for the church. And before the summer was over,several other young people in the congregation were asking when applications were availablefor next summer.

In many ways, this program is unique. It was conceived in the particular convictions andcreativity of the pastors at First Congregational and shaped by the distinctive gifts and faithof the congregation and the members who played an active role. But it is also just one

example of the many congregations that have recognizedthe opportunity — and responsibility — to nurture futureleaders for the church by introducing young people to thelife of ministry and by teaching them to listen for God’scall in their lives.

A Particular Kind of Internship

There are many kinds of internships and related pro gramsthat provide hands-on instruction in ministry andoppor tunities to explore one’s calling. These includeshort- and long-term volunteer missions, ministryim mersion for adults considering ordination, contextualeducation for seminary students and an increasingnumber of pastoral residency programs for young sem inarygraduates. Each one plays a vital role in shaping futureleaders for the church and all are grounded in a commonconcern for experiential learning and the importanceof reflection for ministry, vocational dis cern ment andleadership development.

This guide focuses on a particular kind of internship: anopportunity for a high school student, college student, or recent college graduate toencounter ministry first-hand in a congregational setting.


In this type of internship, a congregation engages a young person at a time when she iscontemplating for the first time some of the most important questions of her life: Who amI and who do I want to become? What do I believe? What do I want to give myself to? Whatdirection should my life take? What does God want for me?

A CONGREGATION ENGAGES A YOUNG PERSON AT A TIME

WHEN SHE IS CONTEMPLATING FOR THE FIRST TIME SOME

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF HER LIFE.

This is not only a time when students are asking these big questions, but also a time whenthe circumstances of their lives make it possible for them to explore a range of answers.Most are willing to dedicate a school term or a summer break to try something new if itwill illuminate or eliminate a particular path. Students are accustomed to living on leanbudgets in exchange for valuable knowledge, experience or guidance that helps them answertheir big questions. The internship pre sented in this guide meets these young people withtheir questions and their availability and offers them an opportunity to learn somethingabout themselves, the church and the work God may be calling them to do.

This kind of internship is designed with specific educational goals in mind. Whether forsix weeks during the summer or for the length of a school year, it offers a curriculum thatdevelops skills and knowledge for ministry and leadership. Internships are an opportunityto grow personally, intellectually and spiritually and call on a young person to take risksand tackle new experiences in an environment that is as supportive as it is challenging.

It also intends to have a formative influence on a young person, shaping his identity as a disciple of Jesus Christ and influencing the decisions he will make about life and work.The work an intern does is not simply about accomplishing tasks or fulfilling responsibilities.It is also about developing a deeper understanding of his gifts and passions and of how hemight use them for the common good. The work reveals his strengths, his blind sides andthe importance of being self-aware. he learns to think theologically about his life, hiscommunity and the larger world around him. And he develops a habit of reflection, drawingnew insight and understanding from his experience.

The internship is a real-world, hands-on encounter with ministry. A young person is givenreal responsibility for leading and serving a community of believers in a particular placeand discovers what ministry looks like the other six days of the week. She sees the good andthe bad, the petty and the peculiar, the mundane tasks and the moments of transcendence.She immerses herself in the joys and demands of ministry and, if she finds that the workmakes her heart glad, she is surrounded by people who can help her discern the next stepsalong the path to answering her call.

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THE INTERNSHIP IS A REAL-WORLD,

HANDS-ON ENCOUNTER WITH MINISTRY.

Finally, this is an internship that has been designed with care and creativity out of a consciouscommitment to raise the next generation of leaders for the church. The educational andformational impact on the intern is not a chance happening but the result of careful planningby pastors, staff and members of the congregation who possess a clear vision of the experiencethey want an intern to have. They have discovered how to provide a supportive environmentand how to challenge their intern, investing her with real responsibilities and posing questionsthat she may not have considered before, including whether or not she is called to ordainedministry. They have made a commitment to supervision and evaluation that holds everyoneaccountable to the goals of the internship. And they have framed the internship as a ministryof the whole congregation, affirming the common responsibility — and the joy — of callingyoung people to serve and to lead as members of the Body of Christ.

The Value of a Ministry Internship

The internship that we are describing here is clearly a valuable and potentially transformativeexperience for the young people involved. They acquire new skills and develop leadershipexperience. They gain greater self-understanding and discover their unique gifts andpassions. They learn to think (or to deepen their thinking) theologically about the worldaround them and attune their hearts and minds to the voices of God. And they experienceall of this within a community that wants to see them grow and flourish in the paths thatGod has laid out for them.

THE REAL AND TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF THE EXPERIENCE EXTEND

TO THE LEADERS WHO PLAN AND SUPERVISE THE PROGRAM, TO

THE CONGREGATION AS A WHOLE AND TO THE LARGER CHURCH.

The value of a ministry internship, though, is not limited to the intern. The real and tangiblebenefits of the experience extend to the leaders who plan and supervise the program, to thecongregation as a whole and to the larger church.

TO PASTORS AND PROFESSIONAL STAFFThe planning and foresight necessary for a good internship add another layer of responsibilityto the usual demands of pastoral work and ministry, and many say that they consistentlyunderestimate the time supervision requires. however, most pastors and professionalstaff who work with interns say that the refreshment and renewal that they experience

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more than compensates for the extra work. Young people bring an energy, excitementand vitality into their initial encounter with ministry that can be contagious even tothose who have been in it for decades. An intern’s questions and experiences often reminda pastor or staff person of the way their own call first emerged and an intern’s presencecan bring about a renewed love of ministry, reminding experienced professionals of whatoriginally drew them to the work.

AN INTERN’S QUESTIONS AND EXPERIENCES

OFTEN REMIND A PASTOR OR STAFF PERSON

OF THE WAY THEIR OWN CALL FIRST EMERGED.

The presence of a novice also helps focus attention on fundamentals. Especially when theaim of the internship is to introduce a young person to the breadth and depth of ministry ina congregation, pastors and staff face the challenge of defining the elements and experiencesindispensable for a full understanding of ministry, an effort that often is as illuminating forthem as it is for the intern. When interns ask difficult questions and challenge what theysee and hear, pastors and staff take a second look at the work they know so well and tooffer answers that overcome the natural skepticismof an idealistic student.

TO THE CONGREGATIONThe value that pastors and staff gain from theinternship also extends to the congregation as awhole, particularly when the internship is seenas a ministry of the congregation and a ministryinvolving the congregation.

Like the pastors and staff, a congregation can berefreshed by the presence of an intern. When membersof the congregation see young people who love Godand the church, it reawakens hope and optimismthat have been buried under doubt about the church’srelevance and long-term prospects. Young people are often a source of fresh, innovativeapproaches to venerable traditions and commitments and, if the intern is coming fromanother congregation, he brings with him what he has learned about good ministry there.

When members witness interns leading and serving in their midst, it broadens theirunderstanding of what young people are capable of doing in the life and ministries of thecongregation. And once that perspective has taken root, a congregation will often make a

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subtle shift in its thinking — a shift from allowing young people to lead in ministry toencouraging them to do so. This also marks a change in the congregation’s expectation ofitself, namely that it has a collective responsibility for nurturing young people for ministryand leadership in the church.

LIKE THE PASTORS AND STAFF, A CONGREGATION

CAN BE REFRESHED BY THE PRESENCE OF AN INTERN.

Members of the congregation who are actively engaged with interns may also see theirown understanding of ministry and vocation deepen. Watching a young person explorethe roles and responsibilities of a pastor, they may develop a new appreciation for ordainedministry and its joys and difficulties. And, as happens with pastors and staff, the responsibilityof teaching and influencing an intern challenges members to answer, for themselves, thesame questions the intern is asking. Interns embody the question of God’s call, bringing

it publicly into the life of the congregation and, if membersare closely involved with the intern, congregationsmay soon find that interns are not the only ones exploringand discerning their call to ministry.

TO THE LARGER CHURCHWhen a congregation hosts an internship, the largerchurch gains a new generation of leaders with anunderstanding and love of ministry, young people whowill go on to serve the church in vital ways as ordainedministers and committed lay people. This is the desireand vision that motivates many congregations to establishan internship. They want the church to be strong and

vital in the future and they recognize their responsibility for raising leaders who will ensurethat it is.

Ministry internships are also an excellent catalyst for the development of networks amongcolleagues and institutions that share an interest in raising the next generation of leadersfor the church. Even when an internship takes place solely within the walls of a congregation,it tends to connect the congregation to other people and places. An intern comes to acongregation from a strong campus ministry program in another part of the state and thepastor calls the campus minister the following year to ask if there are other gifted studentshe could send to them. A seminary admissions officer discovers a congregation that hasfour interns every summer and offers to pay their travel expenses if the congregation willadd a seminary visit to the internship experience. A young associate pastor always visits the

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church camp where she first heard a call to ministry to meet the summer staff. Shebrainstorms with her mentor, the camp director, about a plan to recruit the stand-out leadersto attend their denominational college, which is just three blocks from her congregation.In the interest of supporting and growing an internship, pastors and staff find colleagueswho share their interest in helping young people to consider ministry and listen for God’scall in their life. When they do this they craft a web of relationships that links congregationsand other church institutions in the common work of growing young leaders for the church.

WHEN A CONGREGATION HOSTS AN INTERNSHIP, THE

LARGER CHURCH GAINS A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS.

Internships build ministry relationships between generations. When an intern encountersa kindred heart and mind in a pastor or supervisor, there may emerge a mentoringrelationship or spiritual friendship that continues over time, guiding the young person ashe navigates big decisions and discerns his calling. Interns who become pastors or churchprofessionals may find one day that they are peers with the men and women who influencedthem during their early experiences in ministry. These relationships and shared historiespromote collegiality, collaboration and mutual affection among pastoral leaders. They alsopromote an expectation that emerging leaders will carry on the practice of nurturing,mentoring and calling the generation that follows them.

Internships as a Congregational Ministry

An internship can have a positive impact on the congregation when it is viewed as a ministrythat truly involves everyone.

In some congregations, this is not always the case. Interns often are hidden in plain sight.They arrive at the beginning of the summer or the school year with little fanfare and carryout their responsibilities in the shadows. When they are noticed, they may be seen as a sideproject of the pastor or perhaps something vaguely related to the church’s youth ministries.

THE CONGREGATION VIEWS THE WORK OF NURTURING

FUTURE LEADERS AS INTEGRAL TO ITS MISSION OF MAKING

DISCIPLES AND BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.

This guide proposes a different relationship — one in which the intern is highly visible,known and celebrated by the congregation. Members of the congregation understand theaims of the internship and take an active role in shaping and accomplishing those aims.

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And the congregation views the work of nurturing future leaders as integral to its missionof making disciples and building up the Body of Christ.

THE AFFIRMATION OF LAY PEOPLE SEEMS TO HAVE

A UNIQUE POWER TO AWAKEN A LOVE OF MINISTRY

AND THE CHURCH IN A YOUNG PERSON.

This kind of support and involvement increases value and impact for everyone. Activeparticipation by members of the congregation increases their opportunity to witness thefaith, creativity and passion of an intern as she applies her gifts in leading and serving. Andpastors and staff are relieved of some of the burden of the internship by more partners andhelping hands, freeing them to enjoy their roles as teachers and mentors.

The greatest impact may be with the intern herself. The affirmation of lay people seems tohave a unique power to awaken a love of ministry and the church in a young person.Working alongside the pastor, she will certainly develop new skills and learn a lot aboutministry, but it is often her interaction with members of the congregation that revealswhether or not ministry speaks to her heart. This is not to say that every encounter withmembers of the congregation will be positive and affirming. Every intern experiences hershare of the personal and political conflicts common in congregations. Still, in internshipprograms with strong congregational involvement, it is common for interns to say that theyare overwhelmed by the love and support they receive and that they never imagined onecongregation had so much to teach about life and faith. In that experience, an intern beginsto see how fulfilling a life of ministry might be.

The key is incorporating members of the congregation into all aspects of the internship.here are a few broad categories to shape your involvement.

LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENTFor a congregation truly to embrace an internship as a shared and supported ministry, oneof the more effective ways is articulating that at the highest level of leadership. This can beas simple as a resolution of support by the governing council or board or as substantial as apermanent endowment for the program. The essential thing is that the people who guidethe congregation understand the aims of the internship and value its contribution to thelarger mission.

VISION AND PLANNING A good internship requires more preparation than one person can handle alone. There are

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practical needs to address, such as recruiting candidates, designing an application processand providing accommodations. There are also needs that have to do with the substanceof the internship such as a clear vision and a well-rounded curriculum. Members of thecongregation can assist in all of these facets of preparation. In fact, they may have personalor professional expertise that makes their contributions particularly valuable.

LIKE ANY MINISTRY, AN INTERNSHIP REQUIRES THAT THE

CONGREGATION DEMONSTRATE ITS SUPPORT AND AFFIRMATION.

RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATIONIntroduce and welcome the intern during worship on his first Sunday with you. Create anintern blog on the church website, ask him to speak to groups within the congregation orperhaps assign him a weekly role in worship. Ask members to pray for your intern regularlythroughout his time of discernment. The aim is to remind members of your intern’spresence, recognize his work and celebrate his exploration of ministry.

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Impact

Messiah Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington, discoveredthat ministry internships have an impact well beyond the intern.

“The presence of summer interns has been energizing for both the staff and the congregation. The congregation has developed not only a culture of call through the internship program but alsoa culture of anticipation. We await the arrival of the next interns with eagerness and expectation.

Summertime worship attendance has significantly increased as members come to listen to the interns’ first and second sermons, to see them lead worship, and to listen to them discover their voice in front the congregation and within smaller groups. Everyone pulls for them.

Another positive and hoped-for outcome has been a renewal of the congregation’s sense of responsibility and usefulness in nurturing the next generation of leaders and preachers in the church.The entire internship experience has become part of who we are as a congregation. There is never a shortage of persons willing to serve in this ministry!”

A Culture of Call, A Culture of Anticipation

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IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASSESS YOUR

READINESS FOR THIS KIND OF MINISTRY.

CONVERSATION, REFLECTION AND PRAYERA fundamental aim of an internship is that a young person develop insight about herself,her faith, the church and her calling — insight that arises primarily by talking, reflectingand praying about her experience. This can be a shared responsibility of the pastor, staffmembers and the congregation. Your intern’s insights may be richer if members of thecongregation are included. Invite your intern for lunch or coffee occasionally. Formalizethe practice by creating a team of lay people who meet regularly with your intern forconversation, reflection and prayer.

HOSPITALITY AND LOGISTICShospitality is vitally important. If your intern is coming from another place and staying fora short period of time, it may be necessary to provide housing, meals or transportation. Evenif your intern is one of your own, it is a good idea to treat him to dinner occasionally ormark the beginning and end of his internship with a reception. These are great opportunitiesfor members of the congregation to connect with your intern.

FINANCIAL SUPPORTLike any ministry, an internship requires that the congregation demonstrate its support andaffirmation with a commitment to fund the program. This commitment may be expressedas a line item for the internship in the budget or as contributions from individual memberswilling to provide special funding for a period of time.

Is Your Congregation Ready to host a Ministry Internship?

Before you and your congregation decide to establish an internship, it is important to assessyour readiness for this kind of ministry. use these questions to guide your discernment:

� Is our first concern the educational and formative value of experience for an intern and not only the tasks and responsibilities that she can accomplish for us?

� Does our congregation have something valuable and important to teach a young person about ministry and following God’s call in his life?

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� As a congregation are we genuinely curious about this younger generation and what they may teach us about faith and ministry?

� How can we share in the multiple demands of planning and supervising an internship with due consideration for the workload of the pastor(s) or church staff?

� Might we require this program as much as interns in order to awaken and enact gifts in our congregation not previously recognized?

� Are there members of our congregation who are willing, ready and able to support the internship in a variety of ways?

� Are we able to pay an intern a stipend comparable to what he would earn in a part-time job during the same period of time?

Adequate financial resources are an essential part ofhosting an internship program. Most young people arenot able to take on an internship unless it can offset whatthey might otherwise earn in a part-time or entry-leveljob. Still, an excellent internship experience does notrequire extensive financial resources, especially sinceyou may be able to cover costs other than compensationwith non-financial resources.

A NOTE FOR SMALL CONGREGATIONS AND SOLO STAFF MEMBERSIf you minister in a small congregation or as a solostaff person, you may occasionally find the scope ofrecommendations in this guide to be overwhelming.You may even feel that a ministry internship is beyondthe reach of a small congregation.

Be encouraged! We have seen effective ministry internshipsacross a range of congregations from solo pastorates inrural towns to very large congregations with multiplecampuses and all types and sizes in between.

WHEN MORE MEMBERS ARE INVOLVED IT IS

MORE LIKELY THAT UNMET NEEDS WILL BE FILLED.

This guide offers principles for designing program elements to fit your particular context.Most of the ideas can be adapted to a small congregation or expanded to a large congregation.The section on supervision provides a good example. The role of a supervisor and the principles

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of good supervision are the same whether it is being done by a solo pastor in a smallcongregation or a director of internships in a large, multi-staff congregation.

A recurring theme is the importance of involving members of the congregation. Thisincreases the stake that the congregation as a whole has in the internship and the benefitthat the congregation receives from the internship, but it is also an excellent strategy forsharing the work in a congregation where staff may already be stretched thin. And whenmore members are involved, it is more likely that unmet needs will be filled.

Ideas and suggestions throughout this guide can be useful in even the most modest ventureinto a ministry internship. Do as much as you are able with the resources you have and seewhere it takes you.

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SUBSTANCEThe FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

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SUBSTANCEAll of the planning needs for your internship fall into two broad categories: substance andsupport. Substance describes the experience that you are trying to create, not only for theintern but also for everyone involved. Support encompasses all of the resources that makethe internship experience possible.

These two categories give you a planning structure that is both simple and comprehensive.

Substance

The substance of an internship program has three principle parts:

� Vision� Curriculum� Supervision

A vision describes the impact that you hope to have on the people who take part in theinternship. The curriculum outlines how you will accomplish your vision. And supervisionis the role that one or more people play to ensure that the curriculum is carried out inaccordance with the vision.

VISIONWhen you first begin making plans for an internship program, it is tempting to start workingimmediately on activities and practical concerns such as what the intern will do, whom shewill report to and where she will live. Before you get caught up in these details, spend sometime clarifying your vision for the internship.

The term vision may sound intimidating. But a vision is simply a way of expressing whatyou hope to accomplish. It is a description of the condition or outcomes that the internshipwill create.

A clear and well-articulated vision also serves as a guide star — a fixed point that will helpyou navigate the dozens of choices, changes and opportunities you will encounter as youplan and carry out the internship. A vision assures that everyone involved is working towarda common purpose.

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CHAPTER 2

Substance


Developing a vision for your program begins with two questions:

Who benefits from the internship? The interns are your first consideration, but the value ofa ministry internship extends to all of the people who benefit from what happens in andthrough the internship.

How will the internship benefit the people we have named? Your answers communicate theconditions or outcomes that you hope to accomplish. There are many ways to define benefits, but these additional questions help focus your thinking:

� What knowledge and skills will they acquire?� How will their perspective and self-understanding be enhanced? � What will they experience?� How will they be changed?

Apply these questions to others who will be involved or affected, such as clergy, staff andcongregation members.

INTERNSHIPS ARE STRONGER AND MORE

EFFECTIVE WHEN PASTORS TAKE AN ACTIVE,

PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE PROGRAM.

There is another key question: What is our deepest hope or desire for this internship program?In one or two sentences, describe the most important outcome or impact that the internshipcould have. This is your starting point for articulating a vision that will be a clear, strongstatement of purpose.

The vision that emerges should be broad and concise, easily remembered and recitable.

Visions are strongest when they are developed conversationally and dialogically as a groupexercise involving the people who will be responsible for creating, leading and supportingthe internship program.

CURRICULUM now you are ready to think about how to accomplish what you have envisioned.

Ministry internships are multi-faceted experiences. At the center are the activities, tasksand responsibilities assigned to your intern. This is the curriculum for the internship.

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Clarifying the Vision

Three questions will help you create a clear and compelling vision for your internship program.

1. Who will benefit from the internship?� Interns� Clergy and staff� Lay leaders� Other people and groups in the congregation

2. How will the internship benefit the people and groups we have named?� What knowledge and skills will they acquire?� How will their perspective and self-understanding be enhanced? � What will they experience?� How will they be changed?

3. What is our deepest hope or desire for the internship program?

Using the ideas generated by these questions, write a concise vision statement to serve as a guide for your internship program.

Because an internship resembles a job, it is easy to think that a simple job description mightbe adequate as an outline of what you expect your intern to do. A good internship includesmuch more than a list of work-related responsibilities. It includes experiences that fostertheological reflection, vocational discernment, self-awareness and spiritual growth.It is first and foremost an educational endeavor, which teaches, forms and influencesa young person according to the hopes and desires that you have laid out in your vision.

Length, Depth and BreadthThe curriculum content will be determined to some extent by how much time is available.Because internships are designed primarily for students, the length of your in ternshipprobably will correspond to a portion of the school calendar and will fall into one of thesecategories:

� Summer Internship (6-10 weeks)� School-Term Internship (10-16 weeks)� School-Year Internship (7-9 months)

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Depending on your circumstances, you may not have a choice about the length of internshipthat you can offer. If there is no college campus nearby, for instance, eligible students mayonly be around during the summer. If you are able to choose among different lengths ofinternship, though, here are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Short-term internships are well suited to ministry exposure. That is, your intern gets anexperiential introduction to one or more facets of ministry but there is not sufficient timefor him to take on significant, ongoing responsibilities within the congregation.

Longer internships, by comparison, offer more opportunity for ministry experience. Yourintern not only gains familiarity with ministry in one or more areas, but she also begins toexercise her own initiative and take primary responsibility for various aspects of the ministry.

Both kinds of internships are valuable. For short-term internships, six weeks is the recommendedshortest length if you intend for the internship to have a formative impact on your intern.

At the other end of the spectrum, an internship exceeding the length of a school year, orone that is open-ended with regard to time, isn’t advisable. At longer than nine months, thecongregation and staff may view the intern more as a regular employee and it becomesincreasingly difficult to focus on the educational aims of the internship.



North Avenue Presbyterian Church — Atlanta, GA

“Our internship program exists to help college students and recent college graduates discern theircall to vocational ministry by providing an environment for exploring their gifts, giving opportunities fortesting the intern’s “fitness” for particular aspects of ministry and offering a safe atmosphere in whichto take risks and dream about his or her future place in God’s mission to redeem the world.”

Wilshire Baptist Church — Dallas, TX

“Wilshire’s summer intern program is part of Pathways to Ministry. As such, the purpose of the internship is to nurture vocational discernment in college and seminary students through hands-on experiences in a church setting. Summer interns are not to be cheap labor to assist ministerial staff. Rather, summer interns are to be given opportunities to learn by doing as well as by observing and discussing.”

Vision Statements from Congregations

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Related to length is the question of the internship’s depthand breadth. Will you offer your intern a deep experiencein one particular aspect of ministry or a broad experiencein ministry throughout the congregation? The range ofoptions offer a choice between broad experience and deepexperience.

In an internship that offers broad experience, your interndevelops familiarity with a range of ministries within thecongregation. She may rotate through Christian education,pastoral care, worship, music, community outreach oryouth ministry. In each area, she is testing the waterswithout diving in, but she is gaining an understanding ofministry in the congregation as a whole. This approachintroduces an intern to all that congregational ministryencompasses and may help her to discern whether sheis called to ordained or professional ministry but leavesthe question of what kind of ministry she should pursueto future experiences.

THE CHALLENGES THAT ACCOMPANY

GREATER RESPONSIBIL ITY ALSO

FOSTER DEEPER SELF-UNDERSTANDING

AND PERSONAL GROWTH.

In an internship that offers a deep experience, the intern works primarily in one area ofministry. She takes on significant responsibility for programmatic aspects and has theopportunity to develop some degree of mastery in that ministry. As a result, your internmay feel a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment in her work. The challenges thataccompany greater responsibility also foster deeper self-understanding and personal growth.This kind of experience helps your intern understand whether she is called to a particularkind of ministry but leaves other ministry possibilities untouched.

It is possible to strike a balance between depth and breadth that allows you to capitalize onthe benefits of each approach. here are two examples:

Example 1 — Summer Internship (8 weeks)After a week of orientation, the intern rotates through a different ministry each week:worship, Christian education, administration, pastoral care, children’s ministry andmissions. In each rotation, he meets with the person with primary responsibility for that

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ministry, participates in one event related to that ministry and takes on a particular taskor responsibility there. To provide depth of experience, he works on a single project inone of the ministry areas throughout the summer. For example, he might help develop aset of resources and materials for families who are beginning to introduce their youngchildren into the full Sunday worship service.

Example 2 — School-Term Internship (12 weeks)After a week of orientation, the intern spends the first part of the internship in rotationthrough four ministry areas: two weeks in worship and youth ministry, two weeks incommunity outreach and pastoral care. In each rotation, she shadows the person withprimary responsibility for those ministries, attends one or two events and helps withcertain tasks as assigned. In the remaining seven weeks of the internship, she works inone area of ministry, taking primary responsibility for a particular project or program.For example, she might lead the Tuesday night Bible Study for senior high and coordinatethe youth group’s part in the congregation’s annual Spring Cleaning — a day of yard workand house repair for elderly residents in the neighborhood.

Your decisions about length, breadth and depth influence the kind of impact the internshiphas on your congregation. A longer internship may foster a stronger expectation that internsare an integral part of the regular life and work of the congregation. On the other hand, yourcongregation may view a shorter summer internship as a special occasion and look forwardto your intern’s arrival with greater anticipation. If you offer your intern a broad experienceacross a range of ministries, more of the congregation has an opportunity to interact withhim. If he focuses in one particular area, his contributions to the ministry and work of thecongregation may be more substantial. As you decide what kind of experience to offer anintern, think about the benefits and the drawbacks of that experience for the congregation.

THE BASIC TEMPLATE There are two fundamental building blocks for an internship curriculum — action andreflection.

Action encompasses all of the activities in an internship that are intended to develop skills,knowledge and capacities for ministry in your intern. It includes the responsibilities, tasksand projects that the intern takes on as well as the experiences that her role as a novice ministermake possible. Reflection comprises those activities that help your intern, and those whoaccompany them, make meaning and draw insight from what she is experiencing and thework she is doing.



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The role of pastors varies widely across internship programs incongregations. In smaller congregations, solo pastors work sideby side with a summer intern in addition to their other pastoral responsibilities. Interns in very large congregations may workwith a program director within a department overseen by an associate pastor within an extensive organizational hierarchy. Regardless of the size of the congregation, internships arestronger and more effective when pastors take an active, personal interest in the program and in the interns themselves.

It is essential for pastors to:

� Communicate the importance — to interns and congregation alike — of raising the next generation of leaders for the church.

� Raise the visibility of interns and the internship program, making the congregation aware of the larger purpose of their presence.

� Embody and model the congregation’s support for the intern.

� Develop financial support for the internship program.

Each of these roles requires a strong grasp of the vision of the program, so it is a good idea for thepastoral staff, including the senior pastor, to be included in crafting the vision from the very beginning.

A Role for the Pastor

WITHOUT REFLECTION, WORK AND MINISTRY ACTIVITIES

HAVE LIMITED FORMATIVE OR VOCATIONAL INFLUENCE.

Each of these components is indispensable. Without reflection, work and ministry activitieshave limited formative or vocational influence on your intern. And without something to do,there is nothing to reflect upon. It is important to give equal attention to both components.

There is a third component to consider: the learning. This facet of the curriculum is a littlemore difficult to define or categorize. Learning may be the result when an intern reflects onthe work that he has done but learning may also be a necessary precursor to the work.

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LEARNING IS BOTH AN ACTIVITY AND AN OUTCOME.

For example, before an intern can prepare his first sermon, he will need instruction in thebasic format of a sermon and in the use of commentaries and other interpretive resources.Once he has delivered the sermon, there is still more to learn from the experience bylistening to or watching a recording of his sermon, discussing the sermon with a supervisoror asking for feedback from other staff and members of the congregation.

Learning is both an activity and an outcome. In practice, you will probably find that theboundaries between learning, doing and reflecting are permeable and that a good internshipexperience is one where the focus of attention moves quickly and easily among thesethree facets.

Learning and DoingAn internship is an educational endeavor. Itseducational aims are carried out in a work settingwith expectations that are similar to a job. An internis expected to be present at certain times on certaindays and to take responsibility for specific tasksthat accomplish particular outcomes. And, inmost cases, she is paid for her work.

The first step in planning what your intern willdo, then, is to create a basic job description.

If your congregation has a template for creatingjob descriptions for clergy and other leaders,you may want to follow it so that the intern’sresponsibilities and expectations are consistent

with the staff as a whole. If you do not have a template, the following questions will helpyou develop a list of work-related responsibilities and activities for the intern:

� In what area(s) of the congregation will the intern work?� What will the intern be responsible for on a weekly basis?� What will the intern do periodically during the internship (i.e., 2-3 times)?� What might the intern do as opportunities arise?� What project(s) will the intern have responsibility for completing?� When will the intern be expected to be present and how many hours per

week is she expected to work?

Also, remember to make a place for the reflective aspects of the curriculum, which

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we explore later. For now, simply keep in mind that reflection is an integral part ofthe job description and plan to allow time for it in the midst of your intern’s otheractivities and responsibilities.

Once you have a comprehensive description of the work your intern will do, the nextstep is to apply a reality check: can your intern really accomplish everything that youhave designed in the amount of time available?

To answer this question, attach a time estimate to each activity and responsibility in the jobdescription, using “hours per week” as your unit of measure. Keep in mind that you will needto consider preparation time in your estimate for some activities. For example, if your internis leading a Tuesday night Bible Study for senior high youth, the estimate might include twohours for the Bible Study itself and one hour for preparing the lesson. Though it is reasonableto expect your intern to do some preparation outside of her stated work hours, failing to includepreparation time in the time estimate is a recipe for intern exhaustion and burnout.

INCLUDE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE FOR YOUR INTERN IN

THE REGULAR WORSHIP LIFE OF THE CONGREGATION.

An intern should have plenty to do, but there is a persistent temptation to assign too much. Ifyou are designing an internship for the first time, it is almost certain that you are planning moreactivities than your intern can accomplish in the time available. One way to address this problemin advance is to reduce by ten percent the workload outlined in the job description.

here is an example of how to make this reduction. Imagine that a local college student willbe exploring his call to ministry by working ten hours a week in your congregation duringspring term his junior year. his job description includes the following weekly responsibilitiesand time estimates:

� Lead senior high Bible Study on Tuesday nights (3 hours)� Write a litany for Sunday worship (1 hour)� Accompany the pastor on hospital visits (3 hours)� Attend the weekly staff meeting (1 hour) � Staff the food pantry on Thursdays (2 hours)

For a ten percent reduction, you will need to decrease the workload by one hour. Fortunately,you have several options. You can eliminate the litany or the staff meeting from his weeklyresponsibilities or you can reduce the time for hospital visits to two hours. Even though itappears that your intern is scheduled only for nine of his ten available hours, you can beconfident that extra hour will not go unused.

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Worship and PreachingInclude a significant role for your intern in the regular worship life of the congregation.Liturgical and sacramental leadership is an essential part of pastoral ministry and shouldbe an integral part of an intern’s experience.

Worship leadership develops skills, knowledge and capacities in interns that are fundamental toministry. They learn something about the theology and traditions that shape and guide worship.They discover the sources and resources that pastors and worship leaders use week after weekand, if encouraged and allowed, they begin to exercise their own gifts and creativity and to findtheir own voices in the uncommon art of drawing a congregation together in prayer and praise.

A role in worship also makes an intern visible to the congregation at large. If the internshipis to be truly a ministry of the congregation, then it is important for the intern to be seen



The summer internship program at First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is designedfor high school and college students who are members of the congregation. They host four internseach summer and provide each one an opportunity to preach. Here is how they used workshops tohelp their interns with sermon preparation:

“When inviting our seminary interns to preach, we schedule a time a few days before the preachingdate to workshop their sermon with them. The “congregation” in these workshops consists of clergyand other seminary-trained staff persons, as well as the occasional layperson.

We ask our interns to have a full manuscript prepared to emulate the experience of preaching as fullyas possible. One person reads the chosen scripture and then we listen carefully to what the preacherhas to say. Taking notes is discouraged. Rather, we are listening what really stand out regardless ofwritten notes. We ask the group to pay attention to a number of aspects of the sermon including style,diction, clarity of voice and content, inspiration, exegesis, and overall effectiveness.

After the preacher has finished her task, we invite the “congregation” to respond to a series of informal questions. What did we hear? What was the message? Did any particular part of the sermoncapture your attention, or lose it altogether? From these simple questions, discussion arises aboutthe preacher’s moves, choices, and performance. We ask the preacher to withhold her responses to this discussion until the end.

As we conclude, we summarize the best points and suggestions from the congregation for thepreacher, enabling her to make whatever changes she thinks appropriate before delivering her sermonon Sunday morning.”

Sermon Workshop

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and recognized by the congregation. Worship, as the one place where the whole communitygathers on a regular basis, provides that opportunity. It is not necessary to shine a spotlighton the intern every time he plays a part in worship but it is a good idea to introduce him tothe congregation in worship once or twice at the beginning of the internship.

The most formative experience in worship leadership that you can offer an intern is theopportunity to preach. Preaching is the most public role that a pastor assumes in the life ofa congregation and, for many people including the intern, preaching embodies what itmeans to be a pastor more than any other act of ministry. It is challenging intellectually,spiritually, emotionally and even physically. To assume the mantle of preacher, eventemporarily, gives one a sense of the great privilege, responsibility and mystery of proclaimingthe word of God for the people of God. For these reasons, an intern’s exploration of ministryis incomplete without an experience of preaching.

THE MOST FORMATIVE EXPERIENCE IN

WORSHIP LEADERSHIP THAT YOU CAN OFFER

AN INTERN IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH.

Ideally, having your intern preach at least twice during the course of her internship is thebest exposure. This provides her the opportunity to reflect on the first experience and makechanges in the second sermon based on what she has learned. To foster that kind of reflect-ing and learning, providing a means for feedback about her sermon is the parallel activity.It may be as simple as a one-on-one conversation shortly after her first sermon to talk aboutthe experience, but you might also consider ways to provide multiple sources of feedback.You can ask her to identify two or three people in advance who she trusts to provide goodfeedback. You can also arrange an audio or video recording of the sermon so that she cansee and hear herself from the perspective of the congregation.

It may not be feasible for an intern to preach in a very large congregation where evenassociate pastors preach only on a quarterly basis. Still, it is important to find a way toprovide a comparable experience. There may be mid-week services or other gatheringsapart from Sunday morning worship that offer the opportunity to deliver a short sermon.Mission trips or retreats usually include worship and may be settings where your interncan take responsibility for reflections or devotions based in scripture.

Some congregations are reluctant to turn over the pulpit to an intern. Leaders are oftenconcerned that the intern in his enthusiasm or inexperience may say or do somethinginappropriate. This is a valid concern but not serious enough to prevent you from providingan intern with the opportunity to preach. One solution is to ask the intern to prepare hissermon a week in advance so that he can review it with his supervisor. If your congregationhas multiple interns, you might establish a workshop practice where interns present their

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ideas or deliver their sermons and receive feedback from their peers and supervisors.

InterviewsIf one of your aims is to expose your intern to a broad range of ministry in the congregation,interviews are a good strategy to consider. Through interviews, interns can experience moreof the congregation than they will encounter through their primary work responsibilities.

The educational purpose of interviews is for the intern to gain an understanding of thefull scope of ministry that takes place in a congregation and an appreciation for the gifts,inspiration, leadership and work required for these ministries to thrive. however, withouta more practical application or immediate value, the intern will quickly perceive theassignment as empty busywork.

To avoid this pitfall, consider how the interviews might have a tangible benefit for a particularministry or for the congregation as a whole. Ask yourself what information or perspectivewould be useful to you or to others in positions of leadership in the congregation. Thenimagine what you would do with that information if you had it. use these ideas to create theinterview project for your intern. The key, as in all aspects of the curriculum, is to give yourintern work that makes a real contribution to ministry in the life of the congregation.

For example, you might ask him to interviewlay people in positions of leadership to find outwhat motivates them to contribute their timeand energy, what they find discouraging andwhat kind of support or resources wouldimprove their capacity to lead. Based on thisinformation, you might revise how lay leadersin the congregation are recruited and trained.See the sidebar for additional guidance onplanning an interview project.

It is also important to coach your intern onthe practice of interviewing. In additionto brainstorming interview questions, helpher think about the etiquette involved ininterviewing members of the congregation

such as identifying subjects, describing the project, scheduling appointments andfollowing up with interviewees appropriately. And depending on the subject matter, youmight also discuss issues such as confidentiality and handling difficult conversations.Interviewing is a skill and you cannot assume that your intern is ready to tackle the projectwithout supervision and direction.

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Beyond the CongregationAnother strategy for providing a broad internship experience is to include encounters withministry beyond the walls of the congregation.

It is important to consider whether there is enough time for these extra-congregationalactivities. But going beyond the congregation can help interns see the wide range ofpossibilities that are encompassed by a call to ministry.

Other ministry settings you might consider include:

� Community ministries such as hospital chaplaincies or prison ministries� Nonprofit organizations and service agencies� Denominational mission sites� Church conferences and denominational meetings

The value and impact of the experience is improved when it is hands-on and involves realresponsibility. This may be too difficult to achieve in a short-term internship where timeonly allows for introductory visits to these other ministry settings. Longer internships may

Here are some guiding questions to create an interview projectthat is valuable both for your intern and for the congregation:

What is the purpose of the interview project?

� What kind of information or insight do we want to gather in the interviews?

� Whom will we interview?

� How will we summarize and analyze the content of the interviews?

� How will we present what we learn through the interviews?

�� How will we use what we learn through the interviews?

� How will we follow up with the interview subjects?

Planning an Interview Project

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offer sufficient time and opportunity for your intern to gain additional experience in asetting outside the congregation.

THE VALUE AND IMPACT OF THE EXPERIENCE

IS IMPROVED WHEN IT IS HANDS-ON AND

INVOLVES REAL RESPONSIBILITY.

A seminary visit is another option you might consider, especially if you or your congregationhas a relationship with a seminary close by. Your intern’s hands-on experience with ministryprovides an excellent context for understanding what seminary is and why he might wantto attend. A seminary visit may also be a catalyst for ongoing conversation about his plansfollowing the internship and how he might want to build on what he has experienced.

Other ConsiderationsBe guided by your intern’s interests. At this stage of her encounter with ministry, it is importantfor an intern to see that the church needs her unique knowledge, skill and passions even asa fledgling leader. Certainly, every internship has its share of unglamorous tasks and workthat often simply comes with being the youngest and least experienced member of the team.One of the lessons of an internship is that ministry often involves work that is not particularlyinteresting or even pleasant. Still, your curriculum should include some opportunity for theintern’s work to be defined by the particular gifts that he has to offer and the interests thathe wants to pursue.

Give your intern real responsibilities that allow them to develop a measure of leadershipand authority as a minister in the congregation. In part, you can put this principle into practicesimply by treating your intern as a true colleague in ministry, as a member of the leadershipteam, despite the significant differences in age and experience. One simple way to do this



John Brennskag — St. Luke United Methodist Church, Yorktown VA

“I intend to utilize this summer to understand and explore more about myself, who God wants me to be, where God needs me to go, in what capacity the church needs future leaders and how I can continue to grow after my internship.”

A Vision Statement from an Intern

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is to provide him with his own office or dedicated workspace in the church. But this principleis most fully expressed in the work that you ask him to take on. An important aspect of anycurriculum is the inclusion of responsibilities where something is at stake, where the valuefor the congregation is real and tangible and where the intern gets to take risks and assumefull responsibility for decisions and outcomes. These are the experiences that will have thegreatest impact on your intern.

Reflecting and Learning

The expectation in a ministry internship is that the intern will use these experiences to developa deeper understanding of self, of other people, of God and of what she is being called to doin the world. To achieve this aim, give a parallel priority to the reflective component of thecurriculum and its design, as much as you would to the work-related responsibilities youhave developed for the intern.

GIVE YOUR INTERN REAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

Two practices are essential for fostering reflection in your internship program:

� Creating a Framework of Guiding Questions� Scheduling Time for Reflection

These are the fundamental building blocks for a practice of reflection in any curriculum.

Create a Framework of Guiding QuestionsAt the start, it is important to have a conversation with your intern that clarifies the questionsshe is bringing to the internship — questions about herself, about ministry, about the churchand about God’s calling in her life. These will serve as the larger framework for her reflectionduring the course of the internship.

The reflective aspects of the curriculum will touch on some of the deepest parts of whoyour intern is as a child of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Getting to know the internpersonally and spiritually is a good start. Begin with general questions about his life andbackground. Then you can move on to conversation about his experience in the churchand about his faith journey up to the present time. Once you have established this broadfoundation, you can begin to focus on how he would like to use the internship to growpersonally, intellectually, experientially and spiritually.

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GIVE A PARALLEL PRIORITY TO THE REFLECTIVE COMPONENT

OF THE CURRICULUM AND ITS DESIGN, AS MUCH AS YOU

WOULD TO THE WORK-RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES.

Throughout this conversation, pay attention to the questions that the intern is asking, bothexplicitly and implicitly. Some interns may be very adept at voicing their questions about faith,life and the church. Others may not be able to articulate exactly what motivates their interestin exploring ministry. In this case, it may be helpful to pose the questions that you hear withinwhat the intern is saying about her life and faith journey and then ask her if those questionsfeel significant and big enough to guide her reflection on ministry and God’s call in her life.

You also may want to augment this conversation by using tools for self-discovery, suchas the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram, StrengthsFinder or DISC. Theseresources help you and your intern see her through the lens of strengths, aptitudes, giftsand inclinations and provide a foundation for questions about identity and vocation.

Once you have identified several of the intern’s big questions, agree on two or three tofocus on throughout the program. It may be helpful to write them down and keep themin a notebook or file that you return to each time you engage in reflection with your intern.

This initial conversation can take place before or during the first week of the internship. It willallow you to shape the reflective curriculum around the intern’s particular questions. You mayalso want to revise the intern’s work and responsibilities based on the questions identified.



Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) — MBTI is designed to measure preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. MBTI resources are published by CPP, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.cpp.com.

The Enneagram of Personality — The Enneagram is a delineation of nine personality types and theircomplex interrerelationships. There is no single publisher or source for Enneagram materials but there are numerous books and websites devoted to the subject.

StrengthsFinder 2.0 — StrengthsFinder 2.0 is an online personal assessment produced by Gallup, Inc. Based on the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, the assessment provides a profile of the user’s top five strengths based on a system of 34 distinct attributes. For more information, visit http://strengths.gallup.com.

DISC — DISC is a personal assessment built around four fundamental patterns of behavior: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. DISC resources are distributed by Inscape Publishing. For more information, visit http://www.discprofile.com.

Tools for Self-Discovery

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By articulating the big questions that will guide his reflection, your intern is describinghis own vision for the experience and what he hopes to accomplish.

Schedule Time for ReflectionFacilitating reflection is an art. Your mastery of this art is of less importance than yourcommitment to making reflection a regular practice. Even if you are a novice, goodreflection will happen if you and your intern meet together, set other matters aside andexplore a reflective question.

Make time for reflection in the curriculum. This is harder than it sounds. The day’s tasksusually outweigh the time in which to do them. Schedules are full, demanding and alwayschanging. The unforeseen is the rule, not the exception. For these reasons, it is importantto schedule a regular time for reflection with your intern rather than wait for the opportunityto arrive. Stick to the time you have set aside and, if unavoidable conflicts intervene, set anew time immediately.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO SCHEDULE A REGULAR

TIME FOR REFLECTION WITH YOUR INTERN.

Because of time demands, you may want to combine reflection with supervisory meetings.Reflective conversations often flow naturally out of the mundane matters of work andprogrammatic responsibilities. Still, it is important to be clear about the difference betweenreflection and supervision and to make time for both. Supervision is grounded in anintern’s accountability for his responsibilities.Reflection is concerned with the meaning one drawsfrom an experience — whether it was a success, afailure or somewhere in between.

The Role of ConversationThere are many different ways to reflect on ourexperiences. At its most basic, reflection is simplypausing and paying close attention to the thoughtsand feelings coursing beneath our busyness. Wealso reflect when we pray and read Scripture. Somepeople reflect through the work of their hands,through art and creation. Others reflect through themovement of their bodies, through exercise, danceor performance. And still others let it flow out onto paper or the screen of their laptops.All of these are ways of directing our attention to our souls and to the holy Spirit.

In an internship, you will find that conversation will be the primary medium of reflection.

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It can be fruitful to integrate other forms of reflection into the curriculum, but even thoseexperiences will give rise to questions and realizations that are best explored in conversation.

What is most important is simply that you schedule a regular time for reflection and thatyou frame the reflection with guiding questions that express what your intern hopes to learnor discover during the internship.

When you are engaged in reflection with your intern, you have two primary roles. The first isto ask questions. The second is to listen. Conversations for reflection are less an opportunityfor the supervisor to impart wisdom and insight to the intern and more for those enduringinsights that the intern develops for herself. Your job is to encourage the intern to put herthoughts and feelings into words, to listen to herself, and to find the deeper meaning in whatshe is saying. There is no better strategy for this than asking good questions and listening intently.

Rich and insightful conversations can unfold from the simple question “So how are you?”In fact, the best starting point for reflection is often the experiences and concerns that aremost on your intern’s mind that day.

It is important to ask questions that direct your intern’s attention to different areas or spheresof meaning. These three categories may help you pose them.

1. Personal questions that explore your intern’s experience in the congregation and beyond.

Examples: � How is it with your soul today?� What experience from the past week is most on your mind?� Where have you felt the presence of God this week?

2.Community questions that focus your intern’s attention on the context and community where she works and lives the larger themes of human experience.

Examples: � In this situation, what is the relationship between what we say we believe

and what we are putting into practice?� Why do you think members in the congregation have such intense

feelings about [issue or concern]?� If we can’t end poverty, what do we hope for in our work to feed the hungry

and clothe the naked?� Why are we so reluctant to exhibit uncertainty or vulnerability in times of conflict?

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3. Theological questions that challenge your intern to express what she perceives in the language of scripture and Christian tradition.

Examples: � In a difficult circumstance like this one, what good is prayer?� If the prophet Isaiah or John the Baptist or Mary of Nazareth suddenly showed up

in our congregation, what do you think s/he would say to us?� What is the difference between being a minister and being a disciple?

By asking good questions, you are teaching your intern habits of mind and heart forexploring and understanding his own experience. And by your example, you will beimparting an important skill for ministry: asking theological questions that draw othersinto a deeper consideration of life and faith.

Jonathan West entered the internship program at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta,Georgia with minimal interest in pursuing ordained ministry. He thought college ministry looked fun and he needed a source of income for his senior year of college. However, through practical experience in a range of ministry areas and through ongoing conversation with his supervising pastor,he was surprised to find himself discerning a call into ministry.

This change took place slowly over time as Jonathan and his supervisor met every week for reflection. In their conversations, usually at a local coffee shop, Jonathan would review the pastweek’s experiences and respond to his supervisor’s questions: What made you feel most alive thisweek? What aspects of the work caused you to struggle? What could you do in the upcomingweeks to explore and test the meaning of these experiences?

After several months, the supervisor began to ask a different set of questions. Their earlier conversations had focused on Jonathan’s experience, developing a deeper understanding of who he was and what he cared about. Now the supervisor posed questions about the practicalimplications of what Jonathan was learning about himself: Is this experience or opportunity that youhave found in ministry available in other careers? Is there something unique to ministry that you are especially suited for and even called to? In these evolving conversations, Jonathan began tomake connections between his weekly reflections and the decisions he would soon make about a first job, graduate school and other career possibilities.

Jonathan is now in seminary, pursuing ordination for ministry in the local congregation.

For additional assistance on the power of questions, see: www.fteleaders.org/vocationcare and: www.fteleaders.org/vocationcare/approach.

The Power of Good Questions

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having asked a good question, now it is time to listen. When it is done well, listening requiresas much skill and attention as posing good questions. This kind of skillful listening is oftendescribed as active listening.

LISTENING REQUIRES AS MUCH SKILL AND

ATTENTION AS POSING GOOD QUESTIONS.

The first hallmark of active listening is your undivided attention. This means setting asideother concerns, minimizing distractions and looking directly at your intern while he talks.It is also includes encouraging him with your eyes, your body language and small verbalcues. And while your intern is talking, it is important not to interrupt, correct or re-directthe line of conversation. Even if the direction or intent of what he is saying is unclear, it isimportant to wait to see what develops or what meaning begins to emerge.

As you listen, be responsive but not reactive. That is, join her in the emotional content ofwhat she is saying but avoid the urge to heighten or minimize her feelings. If she is seriousand concerned about an experience, then mirror her seriousness. If she finds somethingfunny, then share in the laughter. This is not to say that you must share her thoughts orfeelings about the matter at hand, but it is important to be her companion in those thoughtsand feelings for the moment so that she is free to explore them fully. Even if the interndrops the biggest bombshell you can imagine, maintain a receptive, non-reactive pose thatresponds with compassion. In this way, you will establish an environment where the interncan speak honestly.

Allow yourself to be carried by the current of the conversation. It is good to be preparedwith questions in advance but it is better to ask questions that build on or deepen what theintern is offering to you to demonstrate that you are truly present and listening.

In addition to one-on-one conversation, you may also consider offering other opportunitiesfor reflection. In the sections that follow, we discuss group reflection and spiritualdirection as possible practices. These options can be offered alongside one-on-onereflection or as alternatives.

The Role of Reading and Writing While conversations are the primary medium for reflection during an internship, you mayfind that reading and writing are valuable catalysts.

Many people can point to a particular book that was profoundly influential or illuminatingat formative times in their lives. In a formative experience like an internship, the right textcan give focus to self-reflection and to conversations on big questions of faith, identity and


39

vocation. You may want to help your intern select oneor more books as companions for the exploration ofministry.

It is helpful to tailor the number of texts or books to thelength of the internship. In a summer internship, youmay only want to tackle one book. And if you include areading assignment in the curriculum, incorporate itinto the practice of reflection. This argues for keepingthe reading list short.

The possibilities for reading assignments are endless.One important criteria is your own familiarity with thebook so that you can be a good conversation partner inreflecting on the relationship of the book to the intern’sexperience. In some cases, the intern and supervisorread the same book during the course of the internship.

You might also include reading Scripture as a regularpart of the reflective curriculum. You can choose aparticular book of the Bible to read during the courseof the internship. You can read a psalm meditativelyeach time you meet or discuss the Gospel readingfrom the lectionary each week.

Writing assignments can also be useful for focusing or enhancing an intern’s practice ofreflection. You might ask your intern to choose an experience each week and write a short reflection on it. Another option is to have her write a personal statement of faith at thebeginning of the internship and again at the end of the internship. Other possibilities includemeditating through free writing, keeping a journal or writing a short spiritual autobiography.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS CAN ALSO BE USEFUL FOR FOCUSING

OR ENHANCING AN INTERN’S PRACTICE OF REFLECTION.

Keep in mind that some people find writing to be very difficult. On the other hand, someinterns may find that they can articulate their thoughts and feelings more clearly in writingthan they can in conversation. In either case, writing assignments are intended to achievethe larger purposes of the curriculum. As you design writing assignments, ask yourself howthey will support or participate in the ongoing practice of reflection with your intern.Recommending a Morning Pages exercise may greatly assist those who find writing difficult(see: http://paperartstudio.tripod.com/artistsway/id3.html).

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Discerning a Call to MinistryMost internship programs in congregations are intended, to some extent, as a way todiscern whether or not one is called to pastoral ministry. In fact, this may be one of thebig questions that your intern articulates in your initial conversation and explores as aregular topic in reflection.

Discerning one’s calling is not a simple, straightforwardor quick process. Your intern will most likely nothave a definitive answer about his calling at the endof the internship. Rather, he will have had an experiencethat suggests one or more vocational paths to explorefurther.

Focus your intern’s attention instead on two elementsthat are fundamental in the discernment of one’scalling: the gifts that he possesses and the feelingsthat accompany his ministry experiences.

THE CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING

OF CALLING IS FIRMLY ROOTED IN

THE IDEA THAT GOD HAS GIVEN

EACH PERSON GIFTS TO EMPLOY

FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

The Christian understanding of calling is firmly rooted inthe idea that God has given each person gifts to employfor the greater good or, as the apostle Paul says in ICorinthians 12, for building up the body of Christ. Animportant part of discerning one’s calling, then, is discerningwhat gifts one has been given by God. An internship is anexcellent medium for illuminating those gifts. Your intern will excel in some aspects of thework and struggle in others. With good feedback, she can use that experience to gain a clearerunderstanding of her particular gifts. This kind of feedback is primarily the role of the supervisorbut you might also consider ways that other clergy, staff and members can communicate to theintern the gifts they see in her.

One’s calling is not simply about what one does well. It is also about what one finds joy indoing. Your intern may be an absolute whiz with visual design but would much rather visitmembers in the nursing home than format the church newsletter. While the newsletter maybe a non-negotiable responsibility during the course of the internship, her feelings about the



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work offer clues about work and ministry that evoke joy in her. Connecting with that joy isno small thing in the work of discernment; it provides the wider lens for viewing whole thecall to ministry and leadership and for possibly finding one’s soul at home within that call.

HELP YOUR INTERN IDENTIFY TWO OR THREE NEXT STEPS

THAT WILL HELP HIM CONTINUE TO DISCERN HIS CALL.

As the internship concludes, help your intern identify two or three next steps that will helphim continue to discern his call based on what he has learned about his gifts and the workthat speaks most deeply to and from his heart. If he feels a strong pull toward ordainedministry, this is a good opportunity to discuss the path to ordination as it is defined inyour denomination or tradition and to connect him to other mentors and resources.

Hard ConversationsOccasionally, problems and difficult experiences will arise during the internship. Theremay be personality conflicts. An intern may make a bad decision, engage in inappropriateconduct or find herself unintentionally mired in negative dynamics within the congregation.In these cases, hard conversations will be necessary.

Because an internship is often a young person’s first experience of real responsibility in awork setting, it should be a safe place to fail. This does not mean that an intern is free from

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the consequences that may accompany a bad decision, but it should be clear to the internthat their failures and struggles are as valuable for learning, growth and self-understandingas their successes.

From a supervisory perspective, the chief concern insuch situations is often conflict resolution throughclear and open communication and an emphasis onaccountability. If the intern is at fault, let him understandthe consequences of his actions and be held responsiblefor making amends and demonstrating a change inbehavior. When the difficulties are beyond the intern’scontrol or influence, the supervisor may need to interveneon his behalf or make changes to his tasks and responsibilitiesthat distance him from the source of the difficulties.

Problem solving is not the only concern in suchsituations. Through the practice of reflection, you canhelp the intern draw meaning from difficult experiences.Once the immediate crises or consequences have beenhandled, find a time to talk together about theexperience. Ask the same kinds of questions that youpose in other reflective conversations — personal,systemic, global and theological — and give the internplenty of time and encouragement to work toward newrealizations about themselves, about others, aboutministry and about life in a congregation.

The Value of GroupsA group offers dimensions of reflection that are difficult to achieve in one-on-one conversation.First, it offers an intern the opportunity to listen in as other people make meaning out of theirexperiences and grapple with their own questions, giving him a larger palette of insight andwisdom to draw from in his own reflection.

Group reflection also challenges interns to listen attentively to others and to ask good questions.They have the opportunity to develop skills that will make them good companions in reflectionwith others, both in their current responsibilities and in future ministry roles.

If you have multiple interns at the same time, this is a great opportunity to develop a practiceof group reflection. You might convene the interns as a group every other week to complementthe one-on-one conversations they are having with their supervisors. In this case, one pastoror supervisor should facilitate the group, guiding the interns to ask each other good questions,

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At Crozet United Methodist Church in Crozet, Virginia, an internsupport team is an essential part of the curriculum for their summer internship and one of the most transformational facets of the experience — for both their intern and the Team members.

Composed of ten members of the congregation, this group gathers every other week during the ten-week internship for conversation with Crozet’s intern. They meet in the homes of team membersand a good dinner is always part of the agenda.

The intern and the team members are the only ones present at these gatherings. No clergy or staffmembers take part in the conversation. The pastor does provide some guidance, though, in the formof questions that serve as conversation starters. There are three questions for the group to pose to the intern based on her assignments from the previous two weeks, such as:

� You preached your first sermon this week. What was the experience like and what did you learn from it?

� Pastor Doug has been assigning you theological texts to read. What do you like or dislike about reading theology?

� You have been doing pastoral visitation recently. How did the experience compare to your expectations for this kind of ministry?

The pastor also asks the intern to bring questions that she wants to pose to the group, questions that evoke their insightsabout faith and ministry.

To recruit team members, an open invitation is extended to the whole congregation. The pastor alsomakes a few strategic invitations to ensure the best team possible. They aim for a diverse group with a good balance of younger and older adults, singles and couples, well-established members and thosewho are relatively new. They also make sure that there are two or three people who can provide informalleadership for the team, coordinating practical matters and making sure the group stays focused.

The pastor is attentive to finding people who will make positive contributions to the conversation andto their intern’s experience as a whole. In particular, he looks for members with these qualifications:

� Able to maintain confidentiality� Supportive of the congregation’s ministries� Emotionally and spiritually mature� Able to deal with hard questions and deep feelings� Able to appreciate the larger Church beyond the congregation � A good sense of humor

Intern Support Team in Practice

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listen attentively and respond with compassion and insight.

The Fund for Theological Education has developed a set of practices for discernment andtheological reflection, known as VocationCARE. These practices are outlined in theVocationCARE section of this Guide. FTE recommends VocationCARE as a disciplinedway to engage vocational exploration and discernment over time, and as further way to shapea culture of vocation in your congregation or ministry context.

Intern Support TeamIf you are hosting one, two or multiple interns, we recommend that you include groupreflection as part of the curriculum. An intern support team is one excellent way to dothis and, because of its unique advantages, some congregations regularly employ thispractice in their programs with multiple interns.

An intern support team is composed of members of the congregation who are willing to meetconsistently with your intern for reflection and conversation grounded in the larger aims of theinternship. The team may be as few as three or as many as ten and, in most cases, does not includethe clergy or staff members who have a direct role in the internship. The team and the internmeet according to a pre-determined schedule. For a short internship, they may meet everyother week. In a longer internship, the conversations may take place on a monthly basis.

The intent of the support team is to expand your intern’s experience of reflection and learningbeyond his supervisor or the clergy and staff by tapping into the wisdom of people who liveout their callings in the pews and beyond the walls of the congregation. If the team is diverseand well balanced, the conversations will provide your intern with a range of perspectiveson faith, ministry, vocation and real life in a community of disciples. The team can also bea source of affirmation for (or challenges to) your intern’s gifts for ministry. This practice isalso a source for a congregation’s increased capacity to notice and nurture callings in theirmidst, especially those of other young people.

For these conversations to be valuable, they must be honest and open. This requires ahigh degree of trust, safety and confidentiality within the team and between the teamand your intern. It is important that the team be made up of members who demonstratea high level of maturity, both spiritually and emotionally. Also, because these conversationsmay be unsupervised by clergy or staff, it is important that members of the team can beentrusted with the best interests and well being of your intern.

Though the pastor or supervisor may not be present when the intern and the team meet,she may, out of her knowledge of and experience with an intern, supply a framework oragenda for the conversations. The simplest approach is to agree with the support groupupon a set of questions to prompt and guide discussion. Because the aim here is open


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dialogue that engages everyone, arrange for questions for the team as well as for the intern.In both cases, though, the questions are best when grounded in the intern’s current assignments.For instance, if the conversation coincides with your intern’s two-week rotation in worship,questions for her might focus on the experience in planning and leading worship while theteam is asked to talk about what makes worship meaningful for them and how they understandtheir role in worship as lay people. In addition to questions, the guiding framework might alsoinclude suggestions for integrating prayer and scriptureinto the gathering or other creative ideas to inspireconversation and fellowship.

Where this practice has been adopted, it has had a verypositive impact both on the interns and on the membersof the team. Participants often discover that the educationalexperience is a two-way street. Interns learn about faith,leadership and ministry from members of the team butmembers of the team also draw insight and inspirationfrom interns.

Spiritual DirectionSome congregations provide their intern with aspiritual director in addition to a supervisor.

A spiritual director is a person who serves as acompanion and guide to an individual who is seekingto deepen his understanding of and relationship toGod. Spiritual directors train for this role and somemay represent a particular tradition with a distincthistory, values and practices.

In some ways, spiritual direction is similar to therapy or counseling. The director and theindividual meet on a regular basis for a prescribed amount of time, during which the directorlistens intently and helps the individual see her life and experience more clearly. Directorand directee act as witnesses to the activity of God in an individual’s life. The individualusually pays a set rate for these sessions. Spiritual direction, however, is not the equivalentof therapy or counseling and is not intended as a treatment for emotional, psychological orbehavioral difficulties. A further differentiation is that directors often recommend spiritualexercises or disciplines such as particular practices of prayer and scripture reading, formsof meditation and retreats.

Spiritual direction can be a great addition to the internship. It provides the intern with a

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confidential environment in which she can reflect honestly and openly on his experienceand it offers an opportunity to focus more attention on his own spiritual growth beyondthe responsibilities of the internship.

THE GUIDING RUBRIC OF AN

INTERNSHIP IS LEARNING BY DOING.

A similar possibility is including a spiritual retreat during the course of the internship.In this case, a spiritual director may help design and facilitate a format that guides yourintern or interns through a contemplative experience that builds on the reflective aspectsof your curriculum.

There are online resources for finding a spiritual director such as the Web site for SpiritualDirectors International (http://www.sdiworld.org). It may be good to begin your search,however, by asking your colleagues about local pastors, ministers or others who practicespiritual direction within your city, denomination or tradition.

Final Thoughts on CurriculumTwo kinds of activities have limited educational value in an internship. The first is “gruntwork” — activities that do not require or develop skills and insight. Collating and foldingbulletins may be genuinely vital to the worship life of the congregation but your intern isnot likely to learn much from it. The second is any activity where your intern sits passivelyand watches, such as attending meetings simply to learn about that facet of congregationallife or lecture-style presentations on an aspect of ministry. The guiding rubric of an internshipis learning by doing.

As you design the curriculum, put yourself in the place of the intern and create an experiencethat you yourself would like to have. If internships were part of your formation as a pastoror leader in the church, draw on that experience. What made them excellent? What madethem awful?

MAKE ROOM IN THE CURRICULUM FOR THE INTERN TO TEACH AS WELL AS TO LEARN.

Finally, recognize that your intern is coming to you with skill, insight and experience thathe can share with you and the congregation at large. he offers a window into the perspectiveof young adults about faith, the church and the world around them — insight that mostcongregations say they struggle to gain. If your intern is coming from another congregation,he may have ideas for ministry that you have not encountered before and, because mostyoung people are not wedded to how things have always been done, they often see fresh,


creative ways to approach familiar or traditional activities. This may be particularly truewith regard to technology. Young people are native to the digital world and have an intuitivegrasp of the Internet and social media that can help enhance your congregation’s ministry.

Make room in the curriculum for the intern to teach as well as to learn.

SUPERVISIONThe supervisor is the steward of the internship’s substance. Once the vision has beenrefined, the cur riculum designed and the role of members of the con gregationdefined, those elements are placed in the hands of the supervisor, who is responsible formaking sure the internship is as successful in practice as it promises on paper.

Who Should SuperviseThere are two key principles to keep in mind as you select a supervisor for your intern.

First, your intern should have only one supervisor. This is a natural choice where an internis working in a single department or ministry but, if your curriculum calls for the intern torotate through a range of ministries, you may be inclined to rotate supervisors as well.having multiple supervisors, however, is hard on an intern. She is constantly adjusting toa new relationship and the rotation undermines elements that provide continuity and stabilitysuch as reflection and setting goals.

YOUR INTERN SHOULD HAVE ONLY ONE SUPERVISOR.

Second, the right supervisor has responsibility for or a direct connection to the ministryarea your intern is serving. A supervisor is not simply fulfilling an administrative function.Rather, he or she is a teacher, a role model and a companion in reflection for your intern.

There are circumstances where exceptions to these guidelines are understandable. Forexample, large congregations with multiple interns serving throughout the year sometimesdesignate a staff person to direct the internship program. Interns work in departmentsthroughout the congregation but they are supervised and supported by the internshipdirector, or the director shares the supervisory role with the pastor or staff person workingdirectly with the intern. What is most important is to provide the intern with supervisionthat is stable and provides direct support and guidance.

The Responsibilities of A SupervisorThe intern’s supervisor will need to be prepared to:

� Establish expectations and set goals with the intern

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� Plan the intern’s work� Meet with the intern on a regular basis� Provide instruction and guidance for tasks and responsibilities� Be a consistent resource and source of support for the intern� Review and evaluate the experience with the intern at the end of the internship

here are some considerations for each of these responsibilities.

Expectations and goalsBy establishing expectations, the supervisor ensures that the intern understands the fullscope of the internship. Focus on these elements:

� The job description� The daily/weekly schedule� The process for reflection� The approach to supervision

It is important not only to establish expectations about what your intern will do but also whatthe experience will be like. Do you expect your intern to work hard and be task-focused orshould he give priority to relationships, conversations and simply being present? What are thevalues that shape the work of the staff and congregation? Is having fun just as important asaccomplishing goals? Are order and decorum absolute requirements or does the congregationprefer things to be a bit more relaxed? Part of establishing expectations is helping your internunderstand the unique spirit and personality of your congregation and how to work within it.

In establishing expectations, you are communicating to your intern what you want to happenin the internship. In setting goals, you are asking your intern to say what she hopes willhappen in the internship.

Generally, goals will fall into two categories: work-related goals and reflection-related goals.Goals related to work involve the intern’s practical duties and responsibilities. These goalsmay also focus on skills that your intern would like to develop. For example, your internmight set a goal of creating a contemplative worship service for college students on Sundayevenings during the school year. She might also have a goal that emphasizes learninghow to plan worship and how to grow a new ministry.

Goals related to reflection engage your intern’s questions about her faith, her passions,the world she lives in and the call of God in her life. Because they emphasize personaldevelopment, spiritual growth and vocational clarity, these goals can be more difficult toarticulate than work-related goals. You can assist your intern by asking, “What could youaccomplish during this internship that would shed light on your biggest questions?”


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Conventional wisdom says that a good goal is a SMART goal. That is, the goal is expressedin terms that are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and time-bound. This is agood formula to use with your intern. Specifically, here is how the five facets of SMARTmight apply to the goals that she sets:

� Specific — The goal provides a clear description of the activity and the context. � Measurable — There is a clear way to know whether the goal has been accomplished.� Action-oriented — The goal is primarily an expression of something your intern will do.� Realistic — Your intern can accomplish the goal within the length of the internship and

with the resources available to him.� Time-bound — Your intern will accomplish the goal by a particular date or end point.

The following examples show how the SMART formula might be applied to both work-related and reflection-related goals:

� Establish a five-person advisory council for youth ministry and hold two meetings by the end of the summer.

� Prepare and deliver two sermons. Use the intern support team’s feedback from the first sermon to improve the second.

� Develop a personal habit of waking up early to pray and meditate on Scripture at least three days a week during the internship.

� Complete Section 1 in the discernment workbook for ordination and submit request for candidacy to the Committee on Ministry.

It can be tempting to think more goals will add up to a more valuable internship experience.But setting too many goals can be counter-productive and prevent the intern from feelinga sense of progress and accomplishment. A few focused goals can direct the intern’s energiestoward what is most important.

Balance the number of goals with the length of the internship. Typically, a summerinternship will involve three to four goals, while a school year internship may havefive to six goals. It also may be helpful for you to set monthly goals that can make attainingthe internship goals more manageable. They can act as stepping-stones along the pathto reaching the final ends of the internship.

Goals are only guidelines to give the internship shape and focus. They are not rigid markersof success or failure. Invite your intern to explore, discover and pursue significant personaland professional questions with the goals as a guide. Do not hesitate to return to the originalgoals and revise them in light of your intern’s experience. This can be valuable to the internas she learns how to adapt her goals in light of what she is discovering about herself.

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PlanningIf you have developed a clear and com prehensive jobdescription, then you already have a good outline andstarting point for your intern’s work. For each respon sibilityand activity in the job description, the supervisor will needto help the intern develop a clear under standing of thework. This includes an understanding of what he needs toaccomplish, what he needs to know and what resourcesand people are available to help.

At the beginning of the program, the supervisor mayneed to confer with the intern on a daily basis. Overtime, the intern may develop greater capacity to planand implement on her own. In longer internships, infact, work planning may be incorporated entirely intoregular super visory meetings.

Regular MeetingsA fundamental aspect of supervision is simplyscheduling time for conversation. A general rule ofthumb is one hour per week set aside specifically as asupervisory meeting.

A significant amount of supervision happens informallyin the midst of day-to-day interaction. You will confer

together as you work on particular projects and there will be plenty of conversation inpassing, as well as questions, emails and other messages back and forth. As with the practiceof reflection, set aside time to talk about the larger questions.

These questions will arise in part from the expectations and goals that you haveestablished. You will want to ask about her progress on tasks, activities and projectsthat are her responsibility. It is also important to ask probing questions about whatshe is experiencing and how she is feeling in the work that she is doing, such as:

� Do you have what you need to carry out your responsibilities?� Do you feel adequately challenged in your work? Too little? Too much?� What difficulties are you encountering?� How are your relationships with staff members and other ministry partners?


Instruction, Guidance and SupportThe supervisor plays an important educational role, providing the guidance, instructionand support that makes it possible for your intern to succeed.

Learning is often a pre-requisite for doing, especiallywhen an intern is tackling new responsibilitieswith no previous experience. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to equip your intern with theknowledge or resources that he needs for the work. This might include a lesson on singing theprayers for an upcoming service of baptism, a sample outline for preparing a Bible Study or a listof people who are always happy to chaperone youth retreats.

This is one of the trickiest parts of supervision. If you provide too much guidance or instruction,then there is no room for your intern’s own talents and creativity to emerge. But without enoughguidance or instruction, the work may be too daunting or overwhelming. This is a balance thatyou will learn through experience.

Encourage your intern to ask questions and to be transparent about what he does not know orunderstand. You can make an educated guess about what he needs to know for a particular taskor responsibility, but his questions are the best guide. Don’t assume your intern is comfortableasking for guidance and help. he may feel he is supposed to figure things out on his own orthat he should not pester the busy staff with questions once he has been given a job to do. Especiallyearly on, your intern should know that questions are welcomed and encouraged.

Keep in mind is that a little failure can be instructive. There is nothing that illuminatesour gaps in knowledge, skill and understanding quite like missing the mark. Your internmay not know what to ask you before he leads his first Bible Study but if it is a rocky experience,he will have no shortage of questions the next day. The aim of an internship is for yourintern to be free to succeed or fail, to learn from each experience and to apply what helearns to his next attempt.

Finally, the supervisor is a source of insight, encouragement and emotional support for anintern. It is difficult to schedule this aspect of the supervisor’s role, but it is just as important.It is fostered by an open door and an open heart. It is conveyed in the questions a supervisorasks and the stories she tells. It happens when she celebrates an intern’s successes and achesfor his failures, when they laugh together and pray together, and when conversations wanderoff the agenda.

Concluding Review and EvaluationIf you meet with your intern regularly for supervision, then you are engaging in an ongoingpractice of evaluation. But it is also helpful to conclude the internship with a formal evaluativeconversation.

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The purpose of this conversation is to review the experience together to evaluate how wellit accomplished the intentions of the internship.

A concluding review and evaluation has two primary parts: feedback from the supervisorand self-evaluation by your intern. These components should be prepared by both the internand the supervisor in advance and in writing.

Though most of the concluding conversation should be devoted to your intern’s self-evaluation, feedback from the supervisor plays an essential role. The supervisor hasobserved the intern’s work over time and can offer observations on aspects the experiencethat the intern may not be able to see as clearly for herself. Specifically, the supervisor’sfeedback should be concerned with two questions:

� How well did the intern meet the expectations for her work and responsibilities?� What gifts, talents and passions were most evident in the intern’s work and ministry?

having offered feedback on these two questions, the supervisor’s role in the remainder ofthe conversation is to facilitate discussion based on the intern’s self-evaluation.

While the supervisor’s feedback proceeds primarily from the job description and theexpectations set by the curriculum, an intern’s self-evaluation is grounded in his goalsand in the reflection that he has done throughout the internship. You may want to use thosecategories as a basic outline for the self-evaluation, framing them in the form of questions:

� To what extent did you accomplish the goals that you set for yourself?� What insights, knowledge or realizations did you gain from the experience?

The review and evaluation should also help your intern look ahead and think about how tobuild on what he has accomplished, learned or realized during the internship. This mayinclude taking steps specifically in the direction of ordained ministry such as entering intothe candidacy process or investigating seminaries more seriously. But it might also meanseeking out other exploratory paths to a deeper understanding of his faith, his gifts andhow he may be called to use them in service to the church and the world. To open up thesepossibilities, include in your intern’s self-evaluation future-oriented questions such as:

� What new questions or desires has the experience raised?� What new experiences might build on what you have learned or

discovered in the internship?� What next steps will you take toward those new experiences?


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This concluding conversation is also an opportunity for him to help you evaluate whetheryou and the congregation are achieving the aims articulated in your vision for the internship.Ask your intern about her experience of the program and her recommendations for changes.Questions might include:

� The vision of the internship is [insert vision statement]. From your perspective, how well does the internship program succeed in achieving this aim?

� What was most valuable for you in the internship? Least valuable?� What changes would you recommend for the internship program?

The answers to these questions provide insights that can be used to improve the programfor future interns.

With the concluding review and evaluation still fresh on your mind, you may want to writea letter of recommendation for your intern or draft some notes for a future letter. havingwitnessed his talents and gifts for ministry and leadership so closely, you are a natural choiceto write a letter of recommendation or provide a reference when your intern applies forseminary, graduate school or his first job out of school. Your notes on your intern’s timewith you can be highly effective for awakening memory if the letter is composed later. Youmay also want to share the content of the letter with your intern so that he knows what kindof recommendation he can expect from you.

Pitfalls and ConcernsMany pastors and staff members who work with interns say that it is one of the mostenjoyable and enlivening parts of their work. Young people bring enthusiasm and freshhearts and minds to ministry in a congregation that can be contagious. Still, supervisionis not without pitfalls and concerns that, if not recognized or addressed, may developinto significant problems.

YOUNG PEOPLE BRING ENTHUSIASM AND

FRESH HEARTS AND MINDS TO MINISTRY IN

A CONGREGATION THAT CAN BE CONTAGIOUS.

We have mentioned already the common pitfall of having an intern report to multiplesupervisors. Another common pitfall is underestimating the time and effort that supervisionrequires. The best strategy is to ensure a supervisor understands the real scope of her role.Otherwise, the responsibility may develop into a source of stress and frustration.

Depending on the length and scope of your curriculum, intern burnout may be anotherconcern. You may find that at some point your intern becomes unusually exhausted, frustrated,

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unmotivated or depressed. There are a number of factors that contribute to burnout but,in general, the root cause is a condition of imbalance. For example, your intern may havea large number of new responsibilities but not enough guidance or instruction on how tocarry them out. his work may call on him to be constantly involved and engaged withmembers of the staff and congregation without providing time for planning, quiet reflectionor solitude. It is also important to remember that many interns are involved in other activitiesduring the internship, such as school. In this case, imbalance may mean that the demandsof the internship outweigh the time and energy that your intern can devote to the work.

Finally, you may encounter pitfalls through failure to establish and maintain appropriateboundaries among those who are involved with the internship. Boundaries can be physical,emotional and spiritual. Many factors can contribute to situations where transgressingboundaries is a possibility or likelihood. Age is often a leading concern. For example, if yourintern’s responsibilities include working with students, he will probably be close to them inage and perhaps even to the pastor or supervisor with whom he is working. he may beinclined to see them more as peers and interact in ways that compromise safety, confidentiality,responsibility and accountability within the group.

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Gender is a similar contributing factor. Crossing appropriate boundaries is often born outof dynamics common between men and women or even between members of the samegender. Examples include competition, intimidation, role bias or limitation, and unwelcomeexpressions of affection or attraction. Your intern’s experience would be significantlytarnished and undermined by any of these experiences. This is not to say that supervisionshould be segregated by gender. Rather, it is a reminder that gender differences andsimilarities can have an impact on what happens in the supervisory relationship.

It is important to be mindful and watchful, as a natural part of care for any good workingand learning relationship. As a habit vital to good ministry, maintaining appropriateboundaries should be fundamental to what your intern learns and experiences from thesupervisory relationship. Since this is an area that contains much that may be unknownto an intern, a conversation that addresses boundaries forthrightly is a very good practice.

AFTER THE INTERNSHIP — MAINTAINING CONTACTFuture-oriented questions in the concluding review and evaluation lay the foundationfor an ongoing relationship with your intern. You and your congregation have investedtime, effort and love in this young person at a formative and transitional period in herlife when big decisions are on the near horizon. Asking about next steps and future planslets her know that you will remain interested and supportive as she pursues new paths inpursuit of her calling.

The simplest way to express this ongoing interest and support is to check in on yourintern periodically by phone, email or letter. Depending on your proximity, you mightalso invite him to coffee or lunch to catch up and talk. Your formal responsibility forsupervision and reflection with your intern has ended, but your shared history ofconversations allows you to inquire about his ongoing discernment a bout God’s call inhis life. These discussions may also remind him of experiences he may have forgotten,encourage him in the pursuit of new insight and hold him accountable to questions heposed to himself during the internship. Over time, you may find that you are not onlyextending the impact of the internship but also developing a long-term friendship witha colleague in ministry.

Maintaining contact with your intern should not be limited to the supervisor. Invitecongregation members to communicate with former interns to encourage them in theirongoing vocational discernment. As your interns finish their education and make theirfirst choices about career and calling, members of the congregation get to witness theimpact the internship makes on young people.

It is also important to give the entire congregation a sense of the influence it has had in the

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lives of the young women and men who have served as interns. If, over time, the congregationconsistently sees its interns growing into leaders for the church, it will begin to see this as anessential part of its identity and mission. here are several suggestions:

� Ask your intern to send regular life and ministry updates for the church newsletter or website.

� If your intern keeps a blog, publicize recent posts and encourage members of the congregation to subscribe or check for updates.

� Include an annual “Where Are They Now” article in the church newsletter, highlighting the activities and experiences of former interns.

� Invite your intern to return periodically to preach, lead in worship or speak to a Sunday school class.

� Provide opportunities at council, board or committee meetings for former interns to share how the internship influenced their faith and vocation.

� Host an annual dinner where current and former interns can meet, discuss their experiences and engage with members of the congregation.

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VocationCARE:The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

A Social and SpiritualProcess for DiscerningChristian Vocation

Vo

catio

nC

AR

E


VocationCARE:A Social and Spiritual Process for

Discerning Christian Vocation

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

MARY OLIVERT H E S U M M E R D AY

What is VocationCARE?

VocationCARE is a set of practices designed to help congregations become places whereeveryone — particularly young people exploring Christian vocation and the call to pastoralministry — hears and responds to God’s call in their lives.

A good, substantive internship includes a practice for vocational discernment in the midstof the other activity that helps young people explore a call to ministry. VocationCAREoffers you a set of practices to guide the discernment process for interns, those whoaccompany them as spiritual companions, and congregations that are committed to creatinga vibrant culture of call.

All congregations and communities need gifted leaders. VocationCARE helps identifyand support future leaders through practices that enable all Christians to grow togetherinto a life “worthy of the calling we have received” (Ephesians 4:2, nAB).

VocationCARE taps into a deep collective “heart force” within us — one that we callleadership. When you practice VocationCARE, you provide a framework for taking deepdives into that inner source. It’s an opportunity for everyone engaged in discernment toparticipate in a clarifying and unifying experience.

Vocational discernment practices are unique in each church, tradition and context. Still,we have consistently observed four core congregational practices central to VocationCARE:


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Why do VocationCARE?

VocationCARE can help your congregation1 prepare for the future that is already at hand.Look around you. Church is changing. We need diverse, inspired leaders of all ages whogreet this change with creativity and a sense of adventure. Many leaders will come fromcongregations like yours. Others may be attracted to your congregation as they searchfor a place to explore God’s call.

VOCATIONCARE CAN HELP YOUR

CONGREGATION1 PREPARE FOR THE

FUTURE THAT IS ALREADY AT HAND.

Practicing VocationCARE will tap into the robust stories of vocation revealed in theeveryday lives of the people around you. These stories — when shared over time — cantransform individual lives and entire communities. They hold wonderful potential torenew the church, call young leaders and change the world.

The pages that follow will:

� Introduce each of the VocationCARE practices;� Describe how to invite others into the practices;� Provide insights on how to grow shared leadership among those who witness

to the work and discernment of pastoral interns;� Offer exercises and resources for using VocationCARE within and beyond your

work with interns and others in the discernment process.

VocationCARE Practices and Pastoral Internships

VocationCARE has a deep connection to Christian principles of discernment as cultivatedin spiritual practices since their earliest beginnings.

The admonition to Christian communities throughout the new Testament is to bediscerning of “the good, acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). Paul praysthat Christians’ “ … inward eyes may be illumined, so that you may know what is thehope to which Christ calls you … and how vast the resources of his power are open touse who trust in him” (Ephesians 1: 18, 19, nEB).

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1 We use the term congregation interchangeably with faith community. Your context might be better described as a campus ministry, spirit café or denominational body: all are welcome.


Generations of Christians testify to the practice ofdiscernment as key to the development of thrivingcommunities — and to forming the leaders whoemerge from them to do God’s work in the world.

Discernment of God’s call remains vital to the church’swork right now.

VocationCARE emphasizes stories, self-awakeningquestions and disciplined reflection to reveal the workof the holy Spirit in people’s lives. These practices canawaken those who use them, and the entire church, tothe purpose and future God calls them to explore.

Discernment during a pastoral internship concentrateslargely on the first three VocationCARE practices(Create Space, Ask Self-Awakening Questions andReflect Theologically).

But the fourth practice, or “E,” to Enact the nextFaithful Step, is just as important. In fact, there will be“E-moments,” large and small, throughout your practicetogether. These are calls to action. They occur for theinterns and for those who accompany interns on theirjourneys. By hosting interns, congregations are alreadyfaithfully enacting the discernment of vocation; thiscan lead to other faithful steps of even greater scopeand vision.

One of the gifts of the holy Spirit experienced through discernment is increased capacityfor vision and imagination. Congregations see the life and passion that interns offer as awindow that opens to the church’s future work, within the congregation and beyond.Interns, too, expand their own imagination about the call they have received.

ONE OF THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT EXPERIENCED

THROUGH DISCERNMENT IS INCREASED CAPACITY

FOR VISION AND IMAGINATION.

The use of VocationCARE has an exciting double effect: as you pay specific attention tothe call of one person, you awaken the call of those around them. Whole congregationsmay be awakened in compelling and life-changing ways.

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A Framework for VocationCARE

Individual and group theological reflection and discernment over time leads to action inthe world — action that is inspired by God’s call to us.

The spiritual practices recommended in this guide foster a continuous cycle of reflectionand action. Only in God’s time will we know the implications of our practice in ourcommunities and in the broader world.

This diagram shows the process that supports the VocationCARE approach:

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Your Story

Cognitive Level

Emotive Level

Soul Level

(Acts 2:1-4)Reflect Theologically

Our Collective StoryAllow the inner Knowing/Spirit to emerge.

What is the Holy/God up to? What are our roles?

New Emerging Story & FutureIncarnation

of NowEmerging Story

AccessYour

OpenMind

OpenHeart

OpenWill

EmbodyingWhat’s Possible or

Next Faithful StepsEnact Next

Faithful Step(Acts 8-10)

ExploreIntention &

opportunities

(Acts 2-7)

Letting ComeWalk into

Group Reflection Process

Belief ReleaseLetting Go

Practicing QsFraming &

(Lk. 10:25-27)Awakening Qs

Ask Self-Testimony

Holy ListeningCovenants

(Lk. 10:38-42)Create a Space

Slowing Down

the Future

KenosisDeath to Self & Old Story

y g

The Process

Adapted from Otto Scharmer’s Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges.


The “u” frame suggests that learning is not only linear and cognitive. The mosttransformative and profound learning is deeply emotional. It touches us at soul level.

The journey of discernment invites us to slow down — to approach our experiences withan open mind, heart and will, and to “love God with all our heart, soul, mind andstrength” (Luke 10:27). It opens us to an encounter with the holy — an encounter thathelps us envision and enact the future to which God calls us.

THE JOURNEY OF DISCERNMENT

INVITES US TO SLOW DOWN.

What VocationCARE Reveals

Each of the VocationCARE practices offers a series of actions to take as a group. Theylead to a type of spiritual meeting place — a place of divine mystery, with the primarymystery being our own lives.

Doing this work helps reveal how our individual and collective lives participate in the lifeand will of God. You’ll be introduced to new behaviors that allow everyone in your group,in small steps, to begin to see their lives through a vocational lens.

DOING THIS WORK HELPS REVEAL HOW

OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE LIVES

PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE AND WILL OF GOD.

Simply put, VocationCARE wakes us up to the creative action of God in our lives — and,together, guides us to discern how we are called to live in the world.

Other Times for VocationCARE

VocationCARE can enrich and enliven a variety of events and timeframes, including:

� Weekend Retreats: Retreats with adults and young adults may create a way to “pay VocationCARE forward” to the whole congregation or to other young people.

� Weeklong Programs: Use the VocationCARE practices with small groups as a curriculumor with other kinds of ministries, such as Vacation Bible School.

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� Over Several Months: Use VocationCARE to help older adults and young people discern and act on their sense of call and involvement in ministry, within the congregation or elsewhere.

� Seasonal Practice: Use VocationCARE as a curriculum for Advent, Lent or Pentecost.

The VocationCARE Practices

This section presents the four “CARE” practices to use with your pastoral interns andcongregation:


PRACTICES AT A GLANCE:

1. Create SpaceSet the stage: creating physical, inward and relational spacea. Covenants of Presenceb. Holy Listeningc. Testimony

2. Ask Self-Awakening Questionsa. Frame and practice self-awakening questionsb. Letting Go and Walking into the Future

3. Reflect Theologically on Self and Communitya. Awaken your purpose through theological reflectionb. L.I.V.E.

4. Enact The Next Faithful Stepa. Engage and design an action planb. The future of VocationCARE in your congregation or ministry

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PRACTICE 1 : Create a Space

Creating a space to explore Christian vocation requires attention to physical, inner andrelational spaces. VocationCARE cultivates them all. The goal of this first practice is to fosterharmony between the inward reflection you seek and the outward, physical arrangementof the space where you will gather.

Physical Space

Tend to physical space for VocationCARE by identifyinga place that is “set apart,” away from distractions. Selecta space conducive to quietly engaging the presence ofGod and the anticipated activity of the holy Spirit amongthose gathered. Arrange chairs or furniture in a circleto recognize the equality in Christ of all participants.Offer a coffee/tea and snack service and other forms ofhospitality to shape anticipation of the good that everyonewill find in one another’s company. If the room is typicallyused for other, dissimilar purposes, try to arrange it ina way that lets these other purposes recede for the timeyou are gathered.

Create a sacred focal point at the center of your circle.This centers attention and intention. The focal pointmay be a small table with a candle and flowers. It canalso be a sacred image that represents the presence ofGod and highlights the communal nature of gatheringtogether. Your aim is to create a safe and honest conversational space where everyone’sdignity is honored — a space where the gifts of each participant, especially the person indiscernment, may come to the fore. Your denominational or spiritual tradition, or the will ofthe group, will help you determine how elaborate or simple you want the focal point to be.

YOUR AIM IS TO CREATE A SAFE AND

HONEST CONVERSATIONAL SPACE WHERE

EVERYONE’S DIGNITY IS HONORED.

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Relational Space

You can help create a relational space in three ways:

� Have the person convening the group remind everyone of the gathering’s purpose. Give a brief overview of why they are there and what you aim to accomplish together.Summarize what led to this gathering, who in the congregation is responsible and why each person gathered has been chosen to participate in the discernment process.

“UNTIL YOU SEE ME I DO NOT EXIST. WHEN YOU SEE ME, YOU

BRING ME INTO EXISTENCE.”

� Reflect a growing awareness of participants’ relationship to one another in Christ by using an exercise that helps them shift focus away from self and toward others. Engage the exercise called, “I see you.” The point of this exercise is reflected in a Swahiliproverb, Sawa bono Sikhona, which means “Until you see me I do not exist. When yousee me, you bring me into existence.” In this exercise, stand up from your chair andwalk toward another member of your group. Introduce yourself by name and by anyother self-description you wish to use. Then say to that person, “ … and I see you,[name].” Do this at the group’s first meeting, involving everyone. While it may feelawkward at first, this practice highlights the importance of relationship as primarilyseeing someone in a way becomes an important spiritual practice (see Matthew 25: 31-46).

� Use Covenants of Presence (see below), formulated by the Center for Courage and Renewal, to align the group in a shared intention of listening for the Holy Spirit in eachother’s lives. The covenants represent a way of showing up for one another in this space.They are intentional toward creating space for what Quaker activist Parker Palmernames as the “shy soul.” The shy soul cannot show up without the assurance of safe relational space. That soul is bound to retreat if it feels that others are being too intrusive or are “crashing” toward it to establish intimacy. The Covenants of Presencecare for the shy soul within each of us. Read the covenants at every meeting to embodyyour intention to be present to one another in a transformative way. Avoid rushingthrough the covenants. Take a few moments for them to engage your thoughts. Repeated use of these covenants will have an effect on the way you and other participants relate to one another and move through the world.

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THE SHY SOUL CANNOT SHOW UP WITHOUT

THE ASSURANCE OF SAFE RELATIONAL SPACE.

Covenants of Presence2

1. Be fully present, extending and presuming welcome. Set aside the usual distractions ofthings undone from yesterday, things to do tomorrow. Welcome others into this story spaceand presume you are welcome as well.

2. Listen Generously. Listen intently to what is said; listen to the feelings beneath thewords. As Quaker Douglas Steere writes, “To listen another’s soul into life, into a conditionof disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest gift we can offer to another.”

3. Author Your Story. We all have a story. Some might say, “I don’t have a story” or “a storyworth telling,” but you do and the world is in need of hearing it. You must claim authorshipof your own story and learn to tell it to others so they might understand you, be inspiredby you and discover what calls you to be who you are, to do what you do or to love whatyou love.

4. We come as equals. We don’t have the same gifts, limits or experiences, but no person’sgifts, limits or experiences are more or less important than another’s.

5. It is never “share or die.” You will be invited to share stories in pairs and in a largegroup. The invitation is exactly that. You will determine the extent to which you wantto participate.

6. No fixing. We are not here to set someone else straight, right a wrong, or provide therapy.We are here to witness God’s presence and movement in the sacred stories we share.

7. Suspend judgment. Set aside your judgments. By creating a space between judgmentsand reactions, we can listen to another person, and to ourselves, more fully.

8. Turn to wonder. If you find yourself becoming judgmental or cynical, try turning towonder: “I wonder why she shared that story or made those choices?” “I wonder whatmy reaction teaches me?” “I wonder what he’s feeling right now?”

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2 Adapted Touchstones used in The Center for Courage and Renewal’s Circles of Trust Retreats


9. Hold these stories with care. There are many people who will benefit from the stories they hear during our time together. Imagine hearing another as you would listen to Scripture — attentively, mindfully and open to the holy.

10. Be mindful and respectful of time. We all have something important to share and thediscipline of time invites us to focus and make particular choices about what to shareand how much to share so that we might hear the deep longings of another’s soul.

11. Practice confidentiality care. We create a safe space by respecting the nature andcontent of the stories heard. If anyone asks that a story shared be kept in confidence, thegroup will honor that request.

12. Welcome discomfort and dislocation. In the midst of new and uncomfortable placesand the company of strangers, move against an instinct to construct a mental space ofsafety or to check out. In what causes unease, see another world to be discovered. Perhapsit already lives secretly within you.

13. Love the questions themselves. Let your questions linger. Release the compulsion toanswer them or to have them answered. Trust the questions to guide you toward lovingfirst what you do not altogether understand. As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke says, “havepatience with all that remains unsolved within your heart.”

14. Believe that it is possible for us to emerge from our time together refreshed, surprisedand less burdened than when we came. Expect that our work together can provide renewal, refreshment and possibilities for what we can do together to create the futurethat is waiting to be born, and that seeds planted here will keep growing and flourish in the days ahead in service to God’s church and renewing work in the world.

EXPECT THAT OUR WORK TOGETHER CAN

PROVIDE RENEWAL, REFRESHMENT AND

POSSIBILITIES FOR WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER.

When all the covenants are read into your gathering space, ask if everyone will acceptand abide by them. Ask, too, if there are any covenants that should be added — and ifparticipants want to identify which covenants attract them and which challenge or givethem trouble.

This exercise makes clear that getting used to the space is learned over time, notinstantaneously. The covenants help to create a different kind of listening, engendered byhabitual (not perfect!) engagement.

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Evocative Readings

Read a Scripture passage or poetry as another element of creating space together. Thispractice further plugs us into a space of deep listening. Scripture and poetry both havethe effect of breaking the ice within us — they overcome inner resistance and open oursouls to be awakened to the voice of God. Select readings with the aim of awakening mindand heart. Scripture and poetry evoke testimony (or story-telling) and holy listening, helpingus listen to one another as we would to Scripture.

SCRIPTURE AND POETRY BOTH HAVE THE EFFECT OF BREAKING THE ICE WITHIN US.

Some Scripture passages for you to consider:

Luke 10:38-42 (Martha and Mary)Luke 24: 13-32 (The Road to Emmaus)Jeremiah 1: 4-5 (Jeremiah’s call to prophecy)John 1: 35-42 (Jesus calls the disciples)

The Scripture reading can stand by itself or be used as an antiphon before and after thereading of a poetic passage. For example, read Jeremiah 1: 4-5 before and after readingDr. howard Thurman’s The Sound of the Genuine, or try reading Matthew 13: 31-32 beforeand after reading Trust in the Slow Work of God, a meditative poem by Pierre Teilhard deChardin. These and other passages (from authors like Frederick Buechner, Martin LutherKing, Flannery O’Connor and other saints, poets and theologians) act as provocateurs, asnecessary preludes to holy listening and testimony. They prepare us to tell stories thatwitness to the presence of God in our lives.

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The Sound of the Genuineby the Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman3

There is in every person something that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine inherself [or himself] … There is in you something that waits and listens for the sound ofthe genuine in yourself. nobody like you has ever been born and no one like you willever be born again — you are the only one.

If you cannot hear the sound of the genuine within you, you will never find whatever it isfor which you are searching and if you hear it and then do not follow it, it was better thatyou had never been born. You are the only you that has ever lived; your idiom is the onlyidiom of its kind in all the existences, and if you cannot hear the sound of the genuine inyou, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.

So the burden of what I have to say to you is, “What is your name — who are you — andcan you find a way to hear the sound of the genuine in yourself?” There are so many[voices and] noises going on inside of you, so many echoes of all sorts, so many internalizingof the rumble and the traffic going on in your minds, the confusions, the disorders bywhich your environment is peopled that I wonder if you can get still enough — not quietenough — still enough to hear rumbling up from your unique and essential idiom thesound of the genuine in you. I don’t know if you can. But this is your assignment.

The sound of the genuine is flowing through you. Don’t be deceived and thrown off byall the noises that are a part even of your dreams [and] your ambitions that you don’t hearthe sound of the genuine in you. Because that is the only true guide you will ever haveand if you don’t have that you don’t have a thing. Cultivate the discipline of listening tothe sound of the genuine in yourself.

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3 This text is based on excerpts from Dr. Howard Thurman’s Baccalaureate Address at Spelman College, May 4, 1980, as edited by Jo Moore Stewart for The Spelman Messenger Vol. 96 No. 4 (Summer 1980), 14 -15.


Above All, Trust in the Slow Work of GodPierre Teilhard de Chardin

(Cited from Spiritual Activism: Spiritual Practices for Teams Committed to Personal and Social Transformation, © Life Together: The Diomass Intern Program and the Leadership DevelopmentInitiative, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts)

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

We are quite naturally impatient in everything

to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way

to something unknown,

something new.

Yet it is the law of all progress that it is made

by passing through some stage of instability

and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.

Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.

Let them shape themselves without undue haste.

Do not try to force them on

as though you could be today what time

— that is to say, grace —

and circumstances

acting on your own good will

will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new Spirit

gradually forming in you will be.

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holy Listening and Testimony: Gateways to Sharing Our Stories

holy listening is a way to invite people to slow down and speak the truth of their livesout loud to one another. Testimony is the practice of sharing the stories that give meaningto our lives.

These two practices work together as we create our space for vocational discernment.

HOLY LISTENINGholy listening is very different from the common, everyday listening we do most of thetime. In many of our daily conversations, we listen to what’s being said only long enoughto inject an opinion at the earliest possible moment. We listen with our “outer ear” while,with the rest of our minds, we prepare our own response.

HOLY LISTENING IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE COMMON, EVERYDAY LISTENING WE DO.

In holy listening, the focus is on the speaker. The listener practices a disciplined postureof care, hospitality, relaxed awareness and attentiveness. This practice creates space forcalm abiding with one another, and for the shy soul that longs to be admitted.

As Quaker scholar Douglas Steere says in the Covenants of Presence, “To listen another’s soulinto a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service any humanbeing performs for another.” Consider reading this quote aloud when your group gathers.

TESTIMONYIn some church settings, testimony means standing up to tell one’s conversion experienceor personal salvation story. For our purposes, testimony is simply telling the truths of ourlives to one another. As we share our stories, we testify to our life’s truths. This is how wecan look together for the ways God is at work in our lives. We testify so that “the work ofGod in us may be made manifest” (John 9: 3).

WHY STORY?Stories are the best containers for our dreams and our truths. We use stories in VocationCAREas the primary lens for viewing vocation.

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1. Stories communicate our passions, values andcommitments through the language of our heart andemotions.

STORIES COMMUNICATE OUR PASSIONS, VALUESAND COMMITMENTS.

2. Stories foster relationship. They engage others andcreate empathy between the storyteller and thelistener.

3. Telling our stories helps us elicit call narratives forourselves and one another. Sometimes we discover anew truth about our lives only in the moment oftelling it to another person.

4. Our feelings, our hopes, our cares and obligations —not simply what we know in our heads — ultimatelyinspire us to act with courage. Since our stories relateour values through our lived experience (rather thandogma, debate or argument) they help us create a moreneutral territory where we find common purpose.

5. Stories lead to action. Through stories we become empowered to act on our own senseof vocation and enable others to do the same.

6. Storytelling opens our hearts, minds and wills, and fosters communion with God andneighbor. This is because storytelling is an act of exchange — of giving and receivingour deepest selves. It calls us to treat with care many things we may have previouslyignored as insignificant.

Story Prompts

Story prompts help us get started in the space of holy listening and testimony. They turnattention to how our lives are instruments and vessels of grace, bearing their own divine

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messages. When storytellers speak from their hearts, their stories call listeners to attentionthat is focused on how the Word of God is “living and active” in our lives. Here are a seriesof tips and directions to guide you through this process.

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FIRST HEARING

TIPS FOR FIRST HEARING OF ANOTHER’S STORY

Undivided AttentionMake eye contact with the storyteller and give him or her your full attention as if there was nothing else more important than listening to his/her story.

Holy ListeningListen reverently as if you were in the presence of the Holy and witness the truth of this sacred story with no expectation of responding. Hold the space with your presence and receive the precious gift in this story.

JournalingJournal after listening and consider: What feelings emerged as you shared your stories?Where did you identify with one another’s stories? How did this experience feel? What, if anything, might this experience suggest for you?

FIRST TELLING

TIPS FOR FIRST STORYTELLING

Tell a story about a time when some insight into who you are came to you because you heard the sound of the genuine. Be SpecificTalk about what actually happened. It helps to begin stories with “One time … ” or “I remember a time when … ”

Be DescriptiveUse images, feelings and places to provide texture, color and description to your story. Use the 5Ws: who, what, when, where and why.

Be Self-ReflectiveWho noticed me or saw the genuine in me?How did I know? What did he or she say? Or what did I realize?What did I feel? How did it feel to reckon with my genuine self and have it named?


We include steps for two rounds of storytelling. This hones the practice and takesVocationCARE participants to a deeper place in their souls. It prepares them for the otherpractices that follow. The steps are similar in each round; only the prompts for storieschange.

Notes: The concept of the genuine may be too abstract for the first time you try thispractice. If so, here are other prompts to consider:

� Tell a story of a time when someone noticed you and your gifts and you knew it.� Tell a story about why you do what you do, love what you love, care about

what you care about.

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SECOND HEARING

TIPS FOR SECOND HEARING OF ANOTHER’S STORY

Undivided AttentionMake eye contact with the storyteller and give him or her your full attention as if there was nothing else more important than listening to his/her story.

Holy ListeningListen reverently as if you were in the presence of the Holy and witness the truth of this sacred story. Hold the space with your presence and receive it as a precious gift. Imagine you are listening with God’s ears.

JournalingJournal after listening and consider: What images, key words, or phrases stand out as meaningful to you? Is there a question you might ask your partner that would move the conversation deeperinto “the heart of the matter?” What did you enjoy or find yourself wondering about?

SECOND TELLING

TIPS FOR SECOND STORYTELLING

Tell a story about a time when you created something from hearing the sound of the genuine.Be SpecificTalk about what actually happened. It helps to begin stories with “One time … ” or “I remember a time when … ”

Be DescriptiveUse words, images, feelings and places to provide texture and color to your story description. Cover the 5Ws: Who, what when, where and why.

Be Self-ReflectiveWhere was I?What happened? What did I create? (Such as a program, relationship, artistic expression or an interpretation of an experience)

What was I feeling at the time? What mattered most to me at the time?


� Tell a story about a time when something you cherished was challenged and youhad to make a choice.

Journaling between rounds of storytelling or when you have finished this practice mayseem like an interruption of your process with one another — but it is a great wayto capture aspects of the experience to guide you in reading your conversations with oneanother. It is also helpful to the next practice, Asking Self-Awakening Questions.

PRACTICE 2 : Ask Self-Awakening Questions

The experience of self-awakening questions begins with hearing the evocative readingand listening to the story prompts. Our stories naturally lead to additional wonder questions,such as, “I wonder why he did that?” “I wonder what else helped her make her choice?”“I wonder what her parents/friends/siblings might think or say if they could hear herstory told as she told it today?”

Self-awakening questions wake us up to our lives. As we share our stories, we considerwhere and how they interact with God’s great story. When we ask the storyteller self-awakeningquestions, we help them explore new, perhaps unexplored, dimensions of their story.

In other words, self-awakening questions help the storyteller reflect on feelings, images,passions, concerns, hopes, values and purpose — as well as themes and patterns. Ourquestions are not designed to push solutions to perceived problems.

here are some guidelines to asking questions that help open up the storyteller to discerningthe work of the holy Spirit:

how to Frame Self-Awakening Questions4

1. The best questions are simple, brief and to the point.

2. Think of questions that you could not anticipate the answers to — questions that invitethe storyteller into deeper self-reflection on his or her faith, gifts and sense of call.

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4 Adapted from Caryl Hurtig Casbon’s “Framing Open Questions” and the Center for Courage and Renewal’s “Guidelines to Asking Open and Honest Questions.”


3. Avoid asking questions with right or wrong answers. Instead, ask “how,” “what” or“why” questions. These questions focus inquiry, encourage reflection, touch a deepermeaning and generate curiosity.

4. Explore questions that invite images or metaphors because they can open things up inways that more direct questions don’t.

5. Ask questions that help the storyteller to reflect on clarifying feelings, vivid images,passions, concerns, hopes and values as well as patterns and themes in his or her story.

6. Ask questions that help the storyteller explore his or her inner realities as well as theoutward facts — what he or she loves, cares about or values.

7. Ask questions aimed at helping the storyteller remember the risks or challenges, choicesand outcomes in their story.

8. Pace questions to allow some silence between the last answer and the next question.Questions that emerge too quickly often feel a little intrusive, cutting off the deepreflection that can help the storyteller.

9. Trust your intuition in asking questions. If you are not sure about a particular question,sit with it for a while and wait for clarity.

10. As you listen deeply to the storyteller, allow your questions to emerge from a placewhere your head and heart are open to the presence of the holy.

A Simple Exercise for Asking Self-Awakening Questions

Discuss the story told by the person on your left (if you are arranged in groups). First, sitwith the story. See what question emerges for you to ask for the storyteller’s benefit. Aftera few minutes of pondering, pose your question. The storyteller is not obligated to answerbut is invited to sit with the question. he or she may respond by saying how or where thequestion takes them in deeper relationship to the story and its meaning. The storytellermay also choose to simply hear and hold the question without comment.

As with holy listening and testimony, the process of asking self-awakening questionsis well-served by journaling. This allows each person to capture the questions andimpressions that the process has stirred.

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“Creating conditions under which students can conduct aninner search does not mean dictating answers to inner lifequestions which, by definition, do not have answers in any

conventional sense. It means helping students learn how to askquestions that are worth asking because they are worth living,questions one can fruitfully hold at the center of one’s life.”

PARKER PALMERH E A L I N G T H E H E A RT O F D E M O C R A C Y

Additional Exercise:

Close your session by using everyone’s journal notes on the stories and self-awakeningquestions. Construct a wall of post-its (of one color) of words or phrases that name thediscoveries and truths your time together has revealed. Make a commitment to them astruths to be upheld and protected by your lives and actions.

Exercises for Letting Goand Walking into the FutureTwo helpful exercises — Letting Go and Walking intothe Future — can be used as you bridge to the nextpractice, which is Reflect Together Theologically.

These exercises foster a deep place of vision andimagination for our lives together. They support us in“calling in” God’s new Creation. They help integratethe work you have done in the practices thus far.

We use Letting Go and Walking into the Future toencourage us to see our lives in God as deeply connected— even more than our stories and questions wouldsuggest. Both exercises have a sacramental quality.They support our response to God’s calling of us toawakening and deep renewal. They open us to a futurethat is distinct from the past. This is a core intent ofVocationCARE — to take our first steps into that future.



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Letting Go and Walking into the Future work best in large groups, but you can also usethem in smaller gatherings. Since these are visionary exercises, you will use them moreinfrequently than the L.I.V.E. model presented within this section. But they are instrumentalin creating a space for theological reflection. We find them especially valuable for acongregation-wide practice of visioning how God is interacting with your church anddiscovering where God is calling you to be in God’s greater story.

We suggest you use these practices in one of your initial meetings at the end of storytelling or after asking self-awakening questions. You can also do these exercises at regularintervals with the L.I.V.E. model.

The Letting Go Exercise

holy listening and testimony put us back in touch with our deep values, realigning or“tuning” our minds, hearts and wills to what really matters most.

Self-awakening questions help sharpen our attentiveness to where and how the holy Spiritis moving in our individual and collective lives.

But with a human nature that is often resistant to change, there is yet another discipline weneed to practice — Letting Go. Letting go of old habits of the heart, mind and will is necessarybefore we are really ready to let new ideas and inspirations fill us and move us into the future.This practice helps us empty our “old wine skins” and make room for the “new wine,” orthe creativity and joy of Pentecost (Luke 5:33-39, Matthew 9:14-17 and Mark 2:18-22).

Letting Go is an opportunity to suspend patterned ways of knowing that may be “stuck,”or that serve as a crutch that we no longer need. Letting Go is aimed at our tendency toexercise sole control over our lives. It is an invitation to the renewing work of the holySpirit — which holds our lives, both the good and the bad, and offers transformation.

� Seated in a chair, take a moment to center yourself. Take a few deep breaths, in and out. Get yourself ready to be present to this moment.

� Find a place on your seat that you can grip with your hands. Imagine that there is zero gravity in this room and the only way you can stay in your chair is to hold onto it for dear life. Imagine that if you let go you would float away.

� Don’t stop holding the chair. Close your eyes and begin to imagine a negative belief youhave about yourself or something you are ashamed of. Now, holding your chair evenmore tightly, imagining that you are holding on to this negative belief. Hold it tightly for eight seconds — as if your very life depended on it.

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� Now, as you release your grip on the chair, also release this negative belief. Experiencethe belief floating away, up away from your body, over your head, through the ceilingand into the sky. Let it go. Un-tether it. Feel yourself being untied from it.

� Now imagine a positive belief about yourself or something you are really proud of.� Grip it tightly as if your identity depended on it. Hold onto it tightly for eight seconds.� Now release it. Unhand it. Just let it go.� Next, focus on a negative opinion or judgment you have about someone in the room. � Grip it. Really hold onto it tightly. Tense your muscles as you concentrate on this

negative opinion. � Now, release it. Open your hands and let it go.� Focus on a positive opinion, something you like or admire about someone in the

room — maybe a quality that you are envious of or wish you had.� Grip it.� Release it. Let it go.� Now focus on a negative belief you have about the church. Something you think

is perhaps a major, unsolvable problem.� Pour your energy into gripping this negative belief, this problem. Really feel yourself

focused on its power.� Let it go. Feel it release.� Now focus on a positive belief you have about the church. Something you think

is wonderful and gives you hope about the future.� Allow yourself to feel the energy of your hope, your desire, in the way you hold

it tightly. Grip it. Hold it for eight seconds.� Now, release it. Let it go.

A Walk into the Future Exercise

A Walk into the Future is a guided, embodied meditation. The exercise is intended to slowus down long enough for an encounter with God. It supports envisioning a glimpse ofthe future within us that is waiting to emerge, an echo from Luke’s Gospel that the “Kingdomof God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

Throughout the Christian story, we find ordinary people who have done extraordinarythings because of their encounter with the holy. We cannot enact what we have not firstseen within us and among us. When we engage this meditation, we become more awareof the presence of God and more conscious of the deeper longings within us.

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THROUGHOUT THE CHRISTIAN STORY, WE FIND ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.

This process suggests that the seeds of the futurerepresent a deeper longing that is grounded in oursense of vocation and call, and formed in community.We have a responsibility to pay attention to what Godseeks to do through us to bring about this future —and the role we can play in it. This future is planted inthe stories we have heard and shared. It representsopportunities for ministry — invitations to do God’shealing work in the world. The first step to enactingthe future requires that we practice cultivating acapacity to see a compelling future worth enacting.

The visionary space this exercise invites us to has beendescribed by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline as “aninner gate,” one that “requires us to drop the baggagewe’ve acquired on our journey … When this ‘threshold’is crossed collectively people offer many differentaccounts of the experience. Some talk about extraordinarycreativity, some about almost boundless energy, yet othersabout a dialogue where people forget who is sayingwhat … Getting to that ‘different place,’ which allowspresencing to occur, begins as we develop a capacity tolet go and surrender our perceived need for control.”

� Find a comfortable place and position. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Release. Free your mind of your worry, concern, questions, excitement or enthusiasm.Open your mind, heart and will. Now journey down from your head into your heart.Try to become in tune with your feelings and surroundings.

� Imagine standing at a doorway of a possible future where your church is caring for vocation and enacting opportunities for people to explore their sense of purpose.Is it a future where young people are responding to a call to ministry and leadingthe church in your context?

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First 10 minutes:

� Take one step forward. What do you see past that doorway into the future?� Step through the threshold of the doorway into the future.� Turn around 360 degrees. What do you see? What’s different? Who is there? What are

people doing? How are people relating to each other between generations? What is themood of the community? How are you feeling? What are the sounds? How are you and others caring for vocation in young people and adults who work with them?

Next 10 minutes:

� From that future place, look back through the doorway to the past and find yourself.What advice do you give to your past self to move toward the future you see?

� Walk back through the doorway and return again to the present. Write what you saw,felt and heard. Be as specific as you can about the images, feelings and activities thattook place in your vision.

Activity after the Letting Go and A Walk into the Future Exercises

using your journal notes, construct a set of post-itnotes (green) that reflect, in a single word or phrase,what you saw when you walked into the future and anotherset of post-its (orange) acknowledging by word orphrase the things you let go of as you moved across thethreshold (the doorway) into the future.

When everyone posts their notes on the wall of yourpractice space — together with the first set of post-itnotes from your storytelling/self-awakening questionsexercise — you construct an emerging portrait ofyourselves as a church together, a Fifth Gospel, so tospeak, one that may indicate the future that wants tobe born. Take a walk through this gallery of post-it notesand see what themes emerge. In this constellation ofexpression, themes are apt to repeat themselves andconnect with others. Take some time to discuss togetherwhat you saw, felt and connected to in the wider contextof Christian discipleship. Also discuss whether youwere provoked to do something new or embrace a new



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habit of being because of what you saw, felt anddiscovered. One way to illuminate what is emergingfrom this gallery wall is to follow the L.I.V.E. model inpractice three, Reflect Together Theologically on Selfand Community .

Another way is to engage a kind of lectio divina or“holy reading” of the wall, especially of commonthemes, to hear more deliberately what God is sayingto your gathered community. What words or phrasesstand out or which ones hold invitations, not just forindividuals but for everyone to consider?

PRACTICE 3 : Reflect TogetherTheologically on Self and Community

Our third practice is a disciplined way to put our lives and experiences in conversationwith our religious heritage. We look for the places where our stories intersect with God’sstory. We let our questions act as a bridge to wonder about how God might be present toour deep ponderings and longings about our life and its purpose.

WE LOOK FOR THE PLACES WHEREOUR STORIES INTERSECT WITH GOD’S STORY.

The Scriptures present stories that serve this reflecting together. From the new Testament,we look again at the story of the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35) toask ourselves how Jesus is present and walking among us in our practice together. We mayalso turn to the story of the Woman at the Well (John 4: 5-30) as an example of how God’sstory intersects with a very human story about the longing to be known as we really are.5

You can also use stories from the hebrew Bible to help your reflection, such as the storyof Jacob’s dream-vision at Bethel (Genesis 28: 10-17), where he recognized that “surelythe Lord is in this place and I did not know it.” Or, you might use the story of Jacob’swrestling with the divine being at Peniel (Genesis 32: 22-32) and Jacob’s discovery thathe has looked into the face of God “and lived.” The call stories of Moses, Samuel, Isaiahand Mary are other possibilities.

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5 Thanks to the Rev. Cynthia Hizer, Church of the Epiphany, Atlanta, for this description of John 4.


however, the best references, biblical or otherwise, occur spontaneously in your reflectiontogether. Our stories have almost automatic associations, not only with Scripture but alsowith hymns, spiritual practices, poetry and other memories that we associate with theHoly. These help us view our stories and questions with an even greater appreciation ofGod’s work and presence.

Reflecting together theologically is intended to be habit-forming for your work withpastoral interns. It can also be incredibly fruitful in your life as a congregation.

Taken together, the four VocationCARE practices create a structure for practicing discernmentthat places the exploration of vocational ministry in a conversation of learning and listeningto the holy Spirit speaking through one another, indicating through that conversationwhere or to what an individual or community is called or what action to take.

The L.I.V.E. Model for Reflection6

L.I.V.E. is an acronym for the steps you move through in the VocationCARE practice ofReflecting Together. Briefly described, these are:

1. Listen carefully to the story from Scripture. Breathe deeply and allow yourself to be fullypresent to the story. Allow it to wash over you with the expectation that God is somewherepresent to your own life. Listen to the nuances, images, colors, smells and sights in the story.

2. Immerse yourself in the feelings and associations of the story, as well as the feelingsthat the story evokes. A good way to uncover feelings is to pay attention to your body.Did you identify with anyone (or more than a single person) in the story? What storiesfrom your life does it recall?

3. View the Story In Wider Perspective.Open your vision to see where this story connectswith larger stories. how does this story remind you of what you know about God? howdoes it challenge what you know? Is there any association from the Bible, a snippet of asermon, or a line from a hymn, song or poetry that you have absorbed? Does it connectwith a holy memory from childhood or another time from your life when you felt at homein God’s universe? What does God look like as you ponder this story through a wider lens?

4. Explore “aha moments” and actions or attitudes to which the story and your reflectioncall you. Is there something from reflecting on this moment that you want to take withforward with you into the day, and into your life? Is there some action, large or small,that you would like to take today in response to this story or to God’s call in your life?

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6 Examples of this method can be found in the book The Barefoot Way: A Faith Guide for Youth,YoungAdults and the People who Walk with Them by Dori Baker (Westminster John Knox Press, 2012).


Ways to use L. I.V. E.

1. In circles of people called together to help pastoral interns process their experiences,invite interns and church members to write a story, using this prompt: Tell a story abouta time when your gifts were used in God’s work. use the steps of L.I.V.E. to awaken theconnections between your callings and biblical calling.

2. At the end of the day on a mission/service trip, ask someone to tell a story about “aplace where you experienced God today.” Practice the steps of L.I.V.E. when the story hasbeen told.

3. In a youth group, Sunday School class, or intergenerational gathering, invite and collectstories from everyone at the beginning of a season. Set aside 30 minutes at the beginning orend of the session to practice the steps of L.I.V.E. with a different story from week to week.

4. Watch a film or a clip from a film or view a play to name the connections between theplot and characters and the stories of our lives, and the threads of God’s story as revealedthrough Scripture, tradition and our everyday experience.

You may find, with repeated practice, a built-in capacity and inclination to this kind ofreflection. It will strengthen awareness of the movements of God in your life and yourmovement in the life of God, individually, and as a community.

Through repeated practice, you will develop antennae for the presence and movement ofthe holy Spirit.

THROUGH REPEATED PRACTICE, YOU WILL DEVELOP ANTENNAE FOR THE PRESENCE AND MOVEMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The VocationCARE practices will have a number of possible applications in yourcongregation or ministry context. Your use of them with pastoral interns may be only abeginning. You can practice VocationCARE in other settings and connections with youngpeople, especially those that foster intergenerational conversation.

VocationCARE has a cumulative capacity to provoke discoveries that demand action.These discoveries identify a future to be explored and lived, IF we allow ourselves to beled toward seeing and planning the future that God creates through us.

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VOCATIONCARE HAS A CUMULATIVE CAPACITY TO PROVOKE DISCOVERIES THAT DEMAND ACTION.

This is what organizational expert C. Otto Scharmer calls “presence-ing.” It is beingpresent to the reality of our lives together, in all its potential and limitations. It is a way toaccess the future that the holy Spirit longs to see enacted. The exercises we have done tothis point are experiential introductions to this kind of presence-ing. They create in usan ability to envision “a compelling future worth enacting.” They are spiritual exercisesthat prepare us to “think like designers” in God’s company.

PRACTICE 4 : Enact the Next Faithful Step

now we will introduce a design process that will help you Enact the Next Faithful Step.These faithful steps are applications of VocationCARE in contexts of your congregationor ministry, beyond internships. It is a process for developing and putting flesh on thatthing you are given to do by God — what you discern your next step to be.

In VocationCARE, our stories are the key to discerning what “that thing” is, for us asindividuals and for all of us as a community. So far you have discovered, re-experiencedand mined those stories by creating space, asking self-awakening questions and reflectingtogether. These are ways of tracing the threads of Divine activity in our individual andcollective lives.

now, you can use the Design Studio process to take what you have discovered and beginto shape (with God) that “new thing” God is creating in the world (see Isaiah 43:18 ff.),in this case, in the lives of your interns or in your life as a congregation.

Why Do Design Studio

Your internships already have an established form and this Guide is intended to serveyour program where it is today. But it may be that the VocationCARE practices sparkimagination for their adaptation and use in other ways. You will want to think and plansystematically for these uses. (To see other Grant-related adaptations, go to: www.fte leaders.org/VocationCAREadaptations).

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Critical to the success of enacting the next faithful step is a core question that begins tomove you toward a plan: How might the practice of VocationCARE serve us in that thingwe are given to do by God? This is one example of a design question. Your design questionbecomes the anchor for brainstorming and solidifying ideas that give life and substanceto your localized version of God’s dream for the world.

HOW MIGHT THE PRACTICE OF VOCATIONCARE SERVEUS IN THAT THING WE ARE GIVEN TO DO BY GOD?

The Design Studio exercise builds on the visionary focus you have developed. It also showshow to create a blueprint for further action using VocationCARE. The blueprint will addressthe practical aspects of roles, organization and necessary gifts, individual and collective,to achieve your outcomes.

Like the other three VocationCARE practices, the way we Enact the next Faithful Step isdisciplined. It requires focus and careful listening to one another, which demonstratesthat it is possible for communities to flourish and be spaces where everyone has a voice.The question of vocation applies to everyone who engages in your practice — whosoevercommits to take this journey together. As you move through the steps of the design process,consider referencing the Covenants of Presence as a guide to fruitful conversation andwork together on brainstorming possibilities, identifying actionable ideas and choosingyour goal.

Thinking Like Designers

IDEO, an award-winning global design firm in California, has a video on their versionof the design workshop which can be viewed on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM . More information on IDEO and its projects is available at:www.ideo.com.

You should work over the course of a day, or no more than two days in the DesignStudio process. Day two enables you to sleep on and re-visit prototypes developed inday one. You may choose to work with a single design team or if your imagination asa parish or ministry context gives birth to more than one executable “big idea,” youcan work with several teams.

The steps you will follow for this process include:

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1. Brainstorming or hearing all ideas into your design space. Entertaining multiple ideas,however wild, without censoring them is an important initial step. Depending on the timeyou dedicate to the entire process, you should allow at least 50-60 minutes for brainstorming.This could be your Pentecost moment, a time for an outflow of Divine energy before thedeeper work of discerning and choosing ideas. (See Tips for Brainstorming on the followingpage.)

2. Choosing 3-4 Compelling Ideas. These are ideas that contain the most attractiveoptions for a design group. They highlight your program goal and reflect action steps.Choosing compelling ideas is difficult because you will need to let go of the multitude ofpossibilities brainstorming generates and select ideas that more actionable. These selectedideas also reflect what the holy Spirit invites you to do. Recall what the exercise, WalkInto the Future, may have opened for you in order to help with clarity and provide a wayof measuring together how a common vision may be enacted (60-75 minutes).

3. Settling on One Main Idea. Choose one idea or design statement that most faithfullyembodies what you want to bring to action. This involves careful listening to one another— to discern that common compelling vision and the means of acting together (90 minutessuggested maximum).

4. Designing your Prototype. What can you do in the next 45-60 days to bring your goalto life in your church or ministry? Carefully review the steps and questions of Creating aBlueprint for Action on the following page. This part of your process will probably take atleast two hours or the remaining design studio time.

5. Testing your Prototype. Discover feasibility for your prototype by giving a hearing. Ifyou are a single team, find others in the congregation — vestry, church board, parishcouncil, Christian Ed or other committee — to serve as hearers. If there are multiple designteams, present to one another. Your collaboration in this work will facilitate an appreciativereception for your designs. This exercise will also strengthen your presentation with othersin your context who have yet to engage VocationCARE. Ask listeners what they see orhear in your prototype that strikes them as prophetic and feasible.

6. Implementing your Prototype. The courage gathered through the ”CARE” practices,especially the “E,” finds its true embodiment in your implementation. You are sharing thefruits of your prior engagement of VocationCARE. This requires its own kind of couragebut it also contains a particular joy - showing what is possible for communities willing tofollow the holy Spirit by listening for how the Spirit sounds through one another’s livesand calls us to deeper collective courage in the work of incarnating God’s love in the world.

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Tips for Brainstorming

I. Defer judgment: There are no bad ideas at this point.

2. Encourage wild ideas: It’s the wild ideas that often create real innovation.

3. Build on the ideas of others: Think in terms of “and” instead of “but.” If you dislikesomeone’s idea, challenge yourself to build in it and make it better.

4. Stay focused on the topic: You will get better output if everyone is disciplined.

5. Be visual: Try to engage the logical and the creative side of your brain.

6. One conversation at a time: Allow ideas to be heard and built upon.

7. Let ideas flow quickly: Let your ideas come quickly and naturally and remember thereis no need to make a lengthy case for your idea since no one is judging.

DESIGn STuDIO:Creating a Blueprint for Action

As you create your blueprint, use the questions below to think through all the necessarycomponents of your idea and your plan to make it happen.

� Who is our target audience? Who do we want to engage or impact? Who do we want to participate? Who will be resistant?

� What is our goal?� What do we want our prototype to look like? Think of tactics in chronological sequence

(first, next, then … ) Your prototype will adapt the VocationCARE approach and practices. Consider these questions as you design a prototype for your strategy.

1. Is it relevant (does it matter)?2. Is it right (does it address the root causes of the things we have to let go of inorder to achieve our vision)?3. Is it revolutionary (is it new; could it empower us and others, including youngpeople and adults, to live more fully into what is genuine in us and in them)?4. Is it rapid (can we develop experiments right away)?

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5. Is it rough (can we do it on a small scale right where we are in our respectivecontexts)? 6. Is it relationally effective (does it leverage the strengths, interests, competenciesand possibilities of our networks and communities)?7. Is it replicable (can we take it to scale in different contexts over time)?

� When: What time or season of the year will we implement? When will we begin and end? � Where: What location will we use? Where are the opportunities?� How: What support and resources do we need? Whose endorsement would help?

We hope you experience the VocationCARE practicesas important disciplines for forming, caring for andinspiring Christian community.

Caring for the vocation of young adults in yourcommunity builds capacity and cultivates conditionsthat serve the spiritual journeys of young people andof congregations. This includes tapping into abilitiesfor shared leadership.

The church environment is changing dramatically. Weneed the assurance we are not left alone as we imaginetogether what God might be up to. This involvesengaging the truth of our lives.

VocationCARE gives to the church the power to engagethis truth together. It indicates that — more urgentlythan ever — our common task is to call young leaders,renew the church and change the world.

“This is a theology which does not stop with reflecting on the world but rather tries to be a part of the process through which the world is transformed.”

GUSTAVO GUTIÉRREZA T H E O L O G Y O F L I B E R AT I O N

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SUPPORTThe FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

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SUPPORTSupport for your internship is composed of four principle parts:

� Planning � Recruitment� Care and Compensation� Funding

The size and scope of your program will determine the depth and detail needed in eacharea. For example, a six-week introduction to ministry for high school students in thecongregation needs less attention to recruitment than a program that hopes to attract studentsfrom campus ministries throughout the state. This is not to say that the program for highschool students requires no attention to recruitment. Even though it is simple and closeto home, it will benefit from a careful consideration of how the opportunity is promotedand how students are selected. The same holds true for the other facets of support.

Planning

There is a direct relationship between the quality of preparation and the quality of theinternship experience for everyone involved.

Good planning contributes to coherence and consistency among all of the parts of theinternship: the vision, the curriculum, supervision and all of the people and resourcesthat are necessary to make it happen. It ensures that everyone involved has a commonunderstanding of what you are trying to accomplish and what it will take to get there.

Good planning also protects you from the tyranny of the urgent once the internshipbegins. Your intern will arrive right in the middle of normal work and ministry in thecongregation with all of its demands. If you have not made decisions about his work,supervision and support well in advance, most of your good intentions could well be sweptaway by a tide of too much to do. Ample attention to planning communicates to yourintern that you value her presence enough that you have prepared carefully for her arrival.

START EARLYAs a general rule, begin planning an internship one year in advance of your intern’s arrival.For instance, if you intend to host a summer internship, start the planning process in Juneof the preceding year.

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This timeline may seem inordinately long, especially for a program that may be as shortas six or eight weeks. Even the shortest internship, though, requires a clear vision, a solidcurriculum, a clear supervisory structure and a thoughtful evaluation process. And eachof these elements takes time to design. Also, if you plan to recruit your intern from outsidethe congregation, promotion and advertising for the position should start as early asnine months in advance. At that point, you should be able to provide a basic description

of the curriculum and other details suchas compensation, benefits and housing.

Another benefit of beginning a year inadvance of the internship is that yourplanning process is happening at thesame time of year that the intern will bepresent in your congregation. It can behard to remember all that happens duringthe summer when you are in the middle ofLent. But if you start work on the curriculumas the summer ends, all of the opportunitiesand possibilities for an intern’s work arestill fresh in your mind.

USE A TEAM APPROACHWhen it comes to planning, it takes an entireteam to map out and host a successfulinternship intern.

The intern support team is the group ofpeople in the congregation who spend timein reflection and conversation with yourintern. It is also a good idea to organize ateam to help with planning and other

administrative aspects of the internship. Members of this group may be a part of the internsupport team or play other supporting roles with your intern — but their primaryresponsibility is to prepare for the internship, to gather resources and to build awarenessand momentum for the program within the congregation.

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A planning team commits to:

� Develop the vision and plan the curriculum� Publicize the internship and recruit candidates� Manage the interview and selection process� Coordinate housing and hospitality� Evaluate the program and propose revisions

In these roles, the planning team provides support for the pastor or staff member who isresponsible for the internship. Convening a planning team is a good way to ensure that noone gets overwhelmed by the work. It is also another great way to engage a larger part ofthe congregation in the ministry of raising the next generation of leaders for the church.

Recruitment and Selection

Some congregations attract interns from around the country. Other congregations focuson looking in their own pews. Regardless of where you find your interns, it is importantto look for young people whose interests and passions are a good match for the internshipthat you have designed. A good match increases the chances that everyone involved inthe program — intern, supervisors and internship team alike — will have an enjoyableand rewarding experience. Creating this good match means being attentive to how yourecruit and select interns.

CREATE AN INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION The first step in recruitment is developing a description of the internship and of the youngperson who will be a good candidate for the program. This is how you will communicatewhat you have to offer.

THE FIRST STEP IN RECRUITMENT IS DEVELOPING

A DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERNSHIP.

To create a description, draw from your vision and curriculum to draft a short summary ofthe basic elements of the program such as goals, a sample of activities and responsibilities,and the ministry areas the intern will serve. Describe unique aspects of the program, yourcongregation or your context. Will the internship include an outdoor ministry component?Is your church in an urban or rural setting? Do you have a strong youth program or a richpractice of Christian education? If so, highlight those qualities for a young person who maybe unfamiliar with your congregation. The description should also include information oncompensation, housing and other benefits.


Messiah Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington, dividesthe responsibilities of planning and managing the internshipamong three groups. An internship administrative team of 4-5people selects the intern(s) and is responsible for planning theprogram including the intern’s welcome into the community,exit interview, and farewell festivities. A separate internshipsupport team of 10 -12 persons is assigned to each intern. The co-pastors and program staff plan and supervise the intern’s ministry rotation and daily tasks.

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Once you have described the internship, describe the kind of person who will be a good fitfor it. This will let potential interns know if they qualify and it will also serve as helpfulselection criteria if you have multiple applicants for the position. Include these categories:

� Age and/or education level� Previous work or ministry experience� Particular skills, qualities or accomplishments� Vocational interests and objectives

Consider whether or not the intern should be a member of your congregation.

When you select a young member of your congregation as an intern, you are building on thefaith formation that has already taken place in the congregation. The internship experiencemay foster deeper support of the intern by the congregation and vice versa. It also can raisethe young person’s stature as a leader in the congregation. With these benefits, though, comesthe risk that your intern will have difficulty transitioning into a different role and relationship.It may also be hard for people in the church to see this “child of the church” as a grown andmature person with responsibility and authority for real ministry.

An intern who is not a member of the congregation may find it easier to step into a leadershiprole within the congregation. With no prior history, he and the congregation see and accepteach other solely in the terms of the internship and there are fewer preconceived notions.


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Because of his unfamiliarity with the congregation, however, his learning curve will bemuch steeper. The relationship with a non-member is short-lived and the congregationmay not have an opportunity for more formation and influence beyond the tenure of theinternship. One of the greatest advantages of a non-member is that he brings an outsider’sperspective to the congregation’s life and ministry. he sees old challenges with fresh eyesand brings experience from other congregations.

PROMOTE THE INTERNSHIPPromoting the internship is an exercise in networking. Think about the people andorganizations you know who have connections with the kind of young women and menthat you are seeking. This includes people you know personally, such as long-timefriends in ministry, or pastors and staff in congregations nearby. It also includes contactswithin your denomination or tradition, like church-related colleges, campus ministers,volunteer corps coordinators or seminary admissions staff. If you have had previousinterns, they are valuable advocates for your program. Create a list of potential promotersand provide them with information about your program.

PROMOTING THE INTERNSHIP IS AN EXERCISE IN NETWORKING.

It takes time for news to circulate through networks, so you will be rewarded for beginningyour planning process early. Promotion is not a one-time activity. You cannot rely on asingle email blast or announcement in a denominational publication to carry your message tothe right people. Rather, see promotion as an ongoing practice. Plan to circulate informationto your contact list two or three times during the months preceding your application andselection process. Follow up personally with certain contacts that you know interact withlarge numbers of young people and give them a stronger sense of the aims of your programand your ideal candidate. If you are consistent with promotion over time, you may findthat you have developed a reputation and a referral network that helps you attract excellentcandidates with less effort.

APPLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWSOnce you begin actively promoting your internship throughout your network of colleaguesand contacts, create a formal selection process. This will offer a fair and objective way tochoose among many gifted candidates.

There are two key components to a formal selection process: an application and an interview.The application requests the initial information that will determine whether a candidatequalifies for your program. The interview helps you decide which candidate among all whoqualify will be the best match for your congregation and curriculum.




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THE APPLICATION SHOULD PROVIDE YOU WITH A SENSE

OF THE INTERESTS AND INSIGHTS THAT ARE MOTIVATING

THE CANDIDATE TO PURSUE THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Think of the application as a questionnaire version of the intern criteria that you developedas part of your program description. The purpose of the application is to find out whether acandidate meets your basic requirements. You will want some general data from a candidatesuch as contact information, age, gender, education level and home congregation. You willalso want to find out about his background as it relates to the focus of the internship. Youmight ask about particular skills or talents, other jobs or internships he has held, previousministry experience or even his spiritual journey to this point. The application should provide

you with a sense of the interests and insights that aremotivating the candidate to pursue this opportunity.What does he want to learn or gain from the internship?What gifts or passions does she plan to explore? Whatquestions does he hope to answer?

Your application should also include a request forreferences: two or more people who can verify theinformation provided on the application and canattest to the candidate’s qualifications for theinternship. You may ask the candidate to submitletters of recommendation from his references orsimply ask for contact information so that you cancommunicate with the references directly. Referencesshould know the candidate well and be able to speakhonestly and objectively about them. This wouldinclude pastors, campus ministers and teachers, notrelatives or friends.

Once all of the applications are in, it is time to selectcandidates to interview. The first step is to review theapplications and remove candidates who do not meet

the basic criteria for the internship. If you have a small number of applications, you may beable to interview all of the eligible candidates. This is advantageous because you may discoveran excellent candidate in the interview stage whose application was unremarkable. If you havea large pool of applicants, however, you may need to limit interviews to the top three or fourcandidates.


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Messiah Lutheran Church promotes its summer internship program on college campuses in thewestern United States where there are Lutheran campus ministry offices. Messiah provides aninternship description and application forms on its website and members of the internship teammake personal contacts with campus pastors, emailing the internship description and applicationdocuments directly to them. The campus pastors post and publish the opportunity for all students to see, but Messiah also asks the campus pastors to play an active role in recruiting individualstudents, identifying junior or senior students who have the potential to be great pastors orprofessional church workers but don’t know it … yet.

Recruiting through Campus Ministry Partners

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LOOK FOR THE CANDIDATE WHO DEMONSTRATES A COMPELLING MIX OF CHARACTERISTICS.

Consider convening a team to conduct the interview. This group can be made up ofrepresentatives from the planning team or the intern support team or both. Multipleand diverse perspectives improve your capacity to assess candidates fully. Individualteam members may perceive gifts and potential (or red flags) in a candidate that otherscannot see.

For guidance in making the final selection decision, remember that no single trait guaranteesthat the person you select will be an excellent intern. Rather, look for the candidate whodemonstrates a compelling mix of characteristics that contribute to good ministry, such ascompassion, intelligence, courage, imagination, perseverance, gentleness and a good senseof humor. The right candidate for your internship may or may not not be the one with thebest grades, the most ministry experience or the most articulate statement of faith. The bestmatch might be the young person who most needs what your congregation can offer interms of encouragement, challenge, discernment and experience.

Work to ensure that the application and interview process are not too extensive oronerous. You are selecting an intern for a short-term experience, not a full-time job,and the selection process should reflect the demands of the position. If you need helpdesigning a selection process, seek out a member of the congregation who hasprofessional experience in human resources or personnel decisions. This is anotherimportant and practical way that a member of the congregation can get involved.


First Congregational Church — Glen Ellyn, IL

“Our interns are selected from among our congregation’s high school and college youth by a searchcommittee composed entirely of lay people. Candidates are asked to write a brief essay of 500 words or less describing their interest in the program. Interns are selected then on the basis of their interest inprofessional ministry, their record of service and their overall level of maturity and excellence. While thesupervising clergy lend their insight during the selection process, they do not participate in the final vote.After interns are selected, the search committee serves as a pastoral relations board, meetingoccasionally with the interns during their tenure.”

Messiah Lutheran Church — Vancouver, WA

“The internship administrative team conducts a 10-20 minute phone interview with each intern candidatethat is partly interview and partly ‘this is a great opportunity to spend a summer in wonderfully healthycongregation located in a very beautiful part of the country’ promotion. We hope it is motivational.”

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Care and Compensation

STIPENDS AND SALARIESThe largest cost of an internship is the stipend or salary paid to your intern. Withcongregational budgets already stretched thin, this can present a significant challengeto hosting an internship. Some congregations address the financial obstacles by offeringunpaid internships. Though this approach is a viable option, it suffers from a numberof drawbacks. Because most students rely on part-time jobs to defray their school expenses,an unpaid internship has difficulty competing with other options. Also, if a congregationdoes not offer even a small stipend, the intern and congregation may interpret thisas a lack of interest or low priority for the program as a part of the congregation’smission. And even if an intern accepts an unpaid internship, she may discover thatthe lack of compensation becomes a demoralizing factor over time.

For these reasons it is preferable to compensate your intern at a rate comparable to what hewould earn at a summer job. Currently, a reasonable and customary wage, depending onone’s location, falls between $10-12/hour. Interns who are working full-time or over a longertime frame (i.e., a full school year) often make slightly more and may receive additionalcompensation in the form of expanded benefits.

As you settle on the intern’s compensation, it is important to integrate the internship


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program into the congregation’s personnel policies. Involve the financial or human resourcesadministrator for the congregation early in the planning process to advise you on suchissues as categorizing your intern as an hourly or salaried employee, eligibility for benefits,tax questions, background checks or required employment documents. If your programincludes multiple interns, it is important to have uniform standards and practices forcompensation.

In addition to a stipend or salary, you may choose to provideother forms of compensation to the intern. For instance, youmight provide your intern with the use of a car or help covertravel expenses. Some congregations also collect an offeringon their intern’s behalf at the end of the internship to assistwith school expenses. This is a great way to increase anintern’s total earnings and provide a tangible expression ofthe congregation’s appreciation without burdening theprogram budget. This practice is usually more successfulwhen an intern has had broad exposure to the congregation,working in several areas of ministry.

ROOM AND BOARDAnother way to enhance compensation for your intern is to provide room and board,especially if she is traveling from out of town. Interns who do not have contacts in the areawill not be in a good position to arrange their own housing and the congregation’s assistancecan be a great benefit.

The most common approach is to locate a host family with whom your intern can live forduration of the internship. The meals and housing provided significantly reduce his cost ofliving and it is a great way to involve members of the congregation. The intern’s presencein a member’s home brings her into the very heart of a family’s life and provides anothersource of support.

It is important to balance the comfort of the intern with the comfort of the host family.

The arrangements should provide your intern some measure of privacy, independenceand personal space. The family dynamics and setting should make her feel at ease. And theresponsibilities of hosting should not be too difficult or disruptive for the family. Do theyhave the necessary financial resources? Can they accommodate the schedule and lifestyle of astudent intern? Recognizing that hosting a guest for eight to ten weeks can be a significantcommitment, some congregations have their interns rotate among two or three host families.

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Occasionally, conflicts can arise between the intern and the host family, so it is importantto check-in with your intern regularly. Supervisory sessions are a great time to do this. Beprepared with back-up arrangements in case the situation does not work.

Celebrate and recognize your intern before the congregation as a whole, and rememberto express appreciation for the host family as well. Acknowledge the important contributionthey are making. It is also appropriate to help defray food costs or other expenses withfinancial support. This and public expressions of gratitude increase your chances of recruitinga host family for the next intern.

If you cannot provide a host family, it is reasonable to expect an intern to contribute towardher own housing costs, but the congregation will need to subsidize some of the expenses.If you host more than one intern at a time, you may be able to rent an affordable apartmentor house for the interns to share. Shared housing reduces costs and provides a space formutual support between the interns. When arranging accommodations, however, makesure to take gender dynamics and personal boundaries into account and be prepared to resolveconflicts that may occur.

Regardless of his housing arrangements, your intern will bear some responsibility for hisown food costs. Still, it is a good idea to look for opportunities to help him stretch his budget.This might include asking members of the congregation members to host your intern fordinner occasionally or having staff members taking him to lunch regularly. This can makea huge difference in the intern’s ability to save money during the internship experience.

BENEFITSAlthough the intern is present for a short amount of time, she is an employee of thecongregation and may be eligible for benefits provided to other staff members, such ashealth insurance. This will vary depending on your context and the circumstances ofyour intern’s employment. Include your financial or human resources administrator insetting explicit policies about these aspects of compensation in the job description.

Funding

A stipend is no guarantee that a young person will have an experience of ministry that isformative and transformative. Still, without financial support, the best laid plans forcurriculum and supervision will remain just that — plans.

Funding for your program will be determined by the particular capacities of your congregation.

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Congregations that host internship programs donot necessarily have special knowledge aboutfundraising or access to hidden sources of financialsupport. They have simply decided that an internshipis important for them and have done the hard workof finding the money that makes it possible. Theseguidelines will help focus your efforts.

CREATING A BUDGETBefore you begin looking for funding for yourprogram, you will need a clear picture of whatyour internship costs. The first step is to create abudget that takes into account all of the expensesthat will be required to host the program.

Scan through the curriculum and the description of the internship and list all items andactivities that will require funding. Then attach a cost estimate to each item or activity.This will include obvious costs like compensation and housing but may also include lessvisible expenses such as books, registration fees for events or mileage reimbursement.

Once you have listed all of your anticipated costs, combine similar expenses into categoriesand indicate the total cost for each category. These include:

� Compensation & benefits� Taxes/FICA� Room and board� Books and materials� Travel, conferences and events� Miscellaneous expenses

The sum of all expense categories is the total budget for your internship.

The cost of your internship will be unique to your particular circumstances, but a reasonableminimum budget for hosting an internship is $3,200. This amount will support one summerintern working for 25 hours/week for ten weeks at a wage of $11/hour and will provide asmall remainder for other expenses. The cost will increase as you expand elements such aswork hours or duration and add features such as a housing allowance or participation inevents and conferences.

In addition to the estimate of expenses, a budget includes an estimate of assets and other

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rsources that will fund the program. Thetotal of these assets must meet or exceed thetotal expenses for the program.

Keep in mind that monetary resources arenot the only way to cover costs. For example,a host family in the congregation maydonate room and board for your intern.Make sure to include contributions of thiskind in your budget to indicate how thecorresponding expense will be covered.

FINDING THE DOLLARSMany congregations tackle the question offunding before they start to imagine the

scope and content of an internship. We encourage you to begin instead with a vision and acurriculum, to create a compelling case for engaging partners and cultivating support frompeople who want to see something exciting happen in the life of the congregation.

An internship program often relies on a special source of funding outside of the normaloperating budget of the congregation. This could be a designated gift from a member ofthe congregation with a strong interest in theological education or faith formation withyoung people. It could be a portion of a capital campaign designated for leadershipdevelopment, a bequest to be used at the discretion of the church council or unspentfunds from another project.

The pastor is often in the best position to identify these non-budgetary sources of funding.he or she knows where there may be budget surpluses available or which members in thecongregation would be enthusiastic about cultivating young people for pastoral ministry.

non-budgetary financial resources should only be considered as seed money or start-upfunding for your internship. Once your internship is up and running, it should then bebrought into the congregation’s general operating budget at the earliest opportunity.

Doing so ensures long-term sustainability. This places the program within the oversightand responsibility of the congregation’s governing body, at least where funding is concerned,and raises the visibility of the program with the core leadership of the congregation. A placein the operating budget also means that the internship benefits from the congregation’sgeneral income and requires fewer special fundraising efforts. Most importantly, itestablishes the program as an integral part of the congregation’s mission and ministries.


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Calling 21 was initiated by Shenandoah University in partnership with the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Each summer, college students from across Virginia are placed in internships that immerse them in the life of a local church, not their own, where they can discernGod’s call into church leadership. Each host congregation commits to a $2,500 stipend for its internas well as support for additional expenses such as housing and travel. Shenandoah University and the Virginia Conference support the congregations by managing recruitment and placement and providing training for supervisors. In some cases, they identify financial resources to support an internship in a congregation that otherwise would not be able to afford it. For more information, visitthe Spiritual Life pages at http://www.su.edu.

In the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Board of Ordained Ministry hascreated The Isaiah Project, an effort to identify, encourage, and support young people who are feelinga possible call to the ordained ministry. As part of the initiative, the Board of Ordained Ministry provides funding and administrative support for congregational internships for students in college and seminary. The Board will fund half of the $4,000 stipend for a ten-week internship if the hostingcongregation provides the other half. They also ask that hosting congregations provide a broad base of ministry experience for the intern, allow the intern to preach at least once and involve a lay training committee in the intern’s supervision and reflection. For more information, visithttp://www.isaiahprojectumc.com.

Denominational Support for Internships

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In tough financial times, your internship program will be subject to budget reductions andscrutiny from members who may not see it as an essential ministry of the church. For thisreason, your internship needs staff and members who will champion the program duringbudget discussions and vouch for its importance to the larger mission of the church. Theircase will be aided by positive internship experiences over time.

GETTING CREATIVE Though securing a place in the general operating budget is ideal, you may find that specialfundraising efforts are necessary to sustain your internship programs. In some congregations,internship programs are supported by a particular group within the congregation, such as amen’s or women’s ministry, a Bible Study or a missions group that adopts the internshipprogram. The group may provide financial support directly or hold fundraising events.Fundraising ideas range from a silent auction or car wash to a congregational talent show orplay. These events also do double duty for the internship, raising not only money but alsothe visibility of the program in the congregation.




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Another way to generate support for your internship program is to develop partnershipswith other organizations that are interested in raising the next generation of leaders forthe church. Denominational offices recognize the importance of preparing young leaders

for ministry and launching initiatives thatfoster interest in ordained ministry. Insome cases, these initiatives includefinancial support for local programs but,even in the absence of funding, yourdenominational office may be able toprovide other resources such as access tocooperative housing, assistance withpublicity or administrative support.

Campus ministries and college chaplainsalso have an interest in providing youngpeople with opportunities to developskills for ministry and leadership. It isunlikely that they can provide directfinancial support but they may be familiarwith student-related resources that cancontribute to the quality of your internship

program. Also, some church-related colleges have programs for students interested inministry as a career, which may include scholarships or other benefits. Finally, seminariesand theological schools are keenly interested in programs that encourage youngwomen and men to explore ministry as a vocation. They see such programs as part oftheir pipeline of potential students. If your program involves a seminary visit, they mayhave resources to help minimize that expense or eliminate it entirely. In some cases,seminaries will even provide a small grant to cover travel expenses to and from theschool.


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER


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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER With all the possibilities at hand, you can create a vibrant internship that is a true expressionof your congregation and the formative experience it can offer a young person.

here are several templates to help you plan and structure your program.

In each case, these templates and checklists are meant to serve as examples and roughguides for planning. You will need to adapt them to fit the circumstances and interestsof your congregation.

Seven Steps for Creating a Ministry Internship

This template presents the planning process as a series of steps, each one building onthe one before. Within each step, there is a list of essential tasks.

1. LAY THE FOUNDATION

Gain the support of the church council and senior leadership. Convene a team to plan the internship. Develop a vision for the internship. Identify sources of funding to support the internship.

2. DESIGN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE INTERNSHIP

Decide on a timeframe for the internship. Create a rough draft of the curriculum. Create a job description for the internship. Develop selection criteria to describe the candidate who is the best match

for your internship. Identify the person(s) who will supervise your intern(s).

3. DEVELOP SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNSHIP

Create a budget for the internship. Define compensation and benefits in conversation with the congregation’s

financial administrator.




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Recruit members of the congregation to provide housing and other aspects of hospitality.

Recruit an Intern Support Team.

4. SPREAD THE WORD

Create an internship description and application materials. Identify people and organizations to serve as your recruitment network. Send the internship description and application materials to your network.

5. SELECT AN INTERN

Receive and review applications. Interview candidates. Extend an invitation. Talk further with your intern about particular interests, areas of focus and

possible projects.

6. PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERN’S ARRIVAL

Refine the curriculum based on the interests of your intern. Create a comprehensive schedule for the internship. Create a weekly schedule for your intern. Provide an orientation for the Intern Support Team. Make arrangements for housing, meals and transportation as needed.

7. WELCOME YOUR INTERN

Give the intern an orientation to working in the congregation. Set goals and expectations for internship in conversation with the intern. Create a framework of guiding practices engaging VocationCARE. Introduce your intern to the congregation as a whole.

A Sample Timeline — Planning a Summer Internship

This template presents the steps of the planning process in chronological order. It providesa one-year timeline for designing and implementing an internship from the ground up. Ifyou already have an internship underway, the timeline may be useful for scheduling essentialsteps such as recruitment, selection and preparing for your intern’s arrival.


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JULY

Convene a team to plan the internship. Identify the person(s) who will supervise your intern(s).

AUGUST

With the planning team and supervisor(s), develop a vision for the internship program.

Identify sources of funding to support the internship.

SEPTEMBER

As a team, develop the basics of the internship, including:- Time frame- Rough draft of curriculum- Job description- Selection criteria for intern

Create a budget for the internship. Define compensation and benefits for the intern. Identify people and organizations to serve as your recruitment network

OCTOBER

Create an internship description and application materials. Send the internship description and application materials to your

recruitment network. Develop a funding request to submit in the congregation’s annual

budgeting process.

NOVEMBER

Work with the budget committee or governing board to establish a line item the internship in the congregation’s operating budget.

DECEMBER

Finalize available funding for the internship. Recruit members to assist with reviewing applications,

interviewing candidates and selecting an intern.

JANUARY

Send a follow up note to people and organizations in your recruitment network.

Recruit an Intern Support Team.


FEBRUARY

Applications are due from candidates. Review applications and choose candidates to interview. Recruit members of the congregation to provide housing and

other aspects of hospitality.

MARCH

Interview candidates. Select an intern.

APRIL

Send invitation or acceptance letter to the intern you have selected. have a conversation with your intern to discuss particular interests,

areas of focus and possible ministry projects. Finalize housing arrangements with families in the congregation.

MAY

have a second conversation with intern to finalize areas of focus and ministry projects.

Finalize a list of responsibilities and activities for the intern. Create a comprehensive schedule for the summer. Create a weekly schedule for your intern. Post an announcement asking families to host your intern for

dinner during the summer (one family per week) hold an orientation for the Intern Support Team.

JUNE

Welcome your intern and get started!



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Sample Schedule — 20-hour WorkweekThis is a weekly schedule for an internship that is the equivalent of a part-time job. The intern,Mattie, is scheduled for 16-18 hours during the week. This makes room for another 2-4 hoursof unscheduled work or special activities each week, such as accompanying the pastor on ahospital visit, visiting a local seminary or meeting a member of the congregation for coffee.

SUNDAY

9:00am — 12:00pm — Sunday Services and Activities

On Sunday mornings, Mattie assists with Christian Education and has a role inworship, such as leading prayers, reading Scripture or assisting with Communion.

5:00pm — 7:00pm — Dinner with Intern Support Team (every other week)

MONDAY — OFF

TUESDAY 12:00pm — 2:00pm — Supervision and Reflection

Mattie and her supervisor meet each week for two hours. Over lunch, they discusswork-related items. They spend the remainder of the time in reflective conversation.

2:00pm — 5:00pm — Ministry Rotation

Each week Mattie shadows a pastor or staff member in one of four ministry areas:worship, Christian education, pastoral care and community ministries.

WEDNESDAY 2:00pm — 5:00pm — Office hours

During office hours, Mattie works on ministry projects or prepares for weeklyresponsibilities such as the Senior High Bible Study or worship leadership on Sundays.

6:00pm — 8:30pm — Bible Study for Senior high Youth

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THURSDAY 2:00pm — 5:00pm — Office hours

6:00pm — 8:00pm — Family Dinner

A different family in the congregation hosts Mattie for dinner each week.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY — OFF

Sample Schedule — Ten-Week Summer Internship

This final template shows what a full internship looks like once you put all of the piecestogether. In this example, the intern Taylor is coming from out of town to spend ten weekswith his host congregation. his supervisor will be the associate pastor for congregational care.

In advance conversations, Taylor and the associatepastor decided that he would focus in two areas:senior adult ministry and worship. Taylor will assistwith GoldenAge, the congregation’s eldercareprogram built around a community lunch onWednesdays. he will also join the senior adultclass on Sundays and accompany his supervisoron pastoral visits to older members who are sickor shut-in. In his worship responsibilities, Taylorwill join the Worship Team for their weekly meetingsto plan for the coming Sunday. he will have aleadership role in worship each week and willpreach twice during the summer. As a ministryproject, he will also interview members of thecongregation about their experience in worship.

These interviews will inform the Worship Team’s consideration of some changes to worshipthat would integrate more traditional elements into their predominantly contemporary style.

Taylor is scheduled for 18-22 hours of work each week but will probably do another 3-4hours of work outside of his schedule. he meets with his supervisor for two hours eachweek — one hour on Monday for supervision and one hour on Thursday for reflection. heis in the office for four hours each Wednesday and Thursday, working on his ministry


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project or preparing for weekly responsibilities. In the fourth week, Taylor joins the annualintergenerational mission trip to the Red Lake Reservation where members do home repairsand host a day camp for children on the reservation.

Members of the congregation play an active role in Taylor’s internship. he has an internsupport team that meets with him over dinner every other Sunday evening. his supervisoralso helped him recruit a sermon reflection group that meets with him during the weeksfollowing his two sermons for feedback and discussion. Three families provide housing forhim over the course of the summer and, every other Tuesday, a family in the congregationhas Taylor over for dinner.

Taylor is a little concerned about earning enough during the summer, so he asked aboutworking part-time outside of his internship. A member of the congregation offered to lethim work at his business for ten hours each week, filing and archiving documents. Taylorworks there on Tuesdays and Fridays.

WEEK 1

Saturday Taylor arrives and settles in with his first host family

Sunday Sunday Worship — Taylor is introduced to the congregationLunch — The planning team and intern support team meet Taylor

Monday Orientation — Introduction to the church officeSupervision — First conversation to discuss goalsWorship Team Meeting

Tuesday Off

Wednesday GoldenAge Eldercare ProgramSupervision — Second conversation to finalize goals

Thursday Reflection — First conversation to set guiding questions

Friday Off

Saturday Off


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WEEK 2

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult classWorship — Leads corporate prayer

Monday Supervision Worship Team Meeting

Tuesday OffDinner with a family in the congregation

Wednesday GoldenAge Eldercare ProgramOffice Hours

Thursday Reflection Office Hours

Friday Off

Saturday Off

WEEK 3

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult class.Worship — Leads the opening litany.Dinner with the intern support team

Monday Supervision First conversation about sermon preparationWorship Team Meeting

Tuesday Off


Thursday ReflectionPastoral Visits — Joins his supervisor on visits to hospital and shut-insOffice Hours — Interviews for worship project


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Friday Workshop — Taylor attends a workshop on the Enneagram of Personality offered by the congregation’s counseling center.

Saturday Taylor moves to his second host family.

WEEK 4

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult classWorship — Reads Scripture

Monday Departs on mission trip to Red Lake Reservation

Tuesday Mission Trip

Wednesday Mission TripWorship project interviews with members on the trip

Thursday Mission Trip Reflection

Friday Mission Trip

Saturday Return from mission trip

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WEEK 5

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult class.Worship — Leads the Confession.Dinner with the intern support team

Monday Supervision — Mid-point evaluation of goalsSecond conversation about sermon preparationWorship Team Meeting

Tuesday Off


Thursday ReflectionPastoral Visits — Joins his supervisor on visits to hospital and shut-insOffice Hours — Interviews for worship project

Friday Off

Saturday Off

WEEK 6

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult classWorship — Preaches his first sermon



Wednesday GoldenAge Eldercare ProgramOffice HoursSermon Reflection Group — Meets to discuss first sermon


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Thursday Reflection Office Hours — Interviews for worship project

Friday Off

Saturday Taylor moves to his third host family.

WEEK 7

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult class.Worship — Taylor gets a break from worship leadership.Dinner with the intern support team


Tuesday Off


Thursday ReflectionPastoral Visits — Joins his supervisor on visits to hospital and shut-insOffice Hours — Begins summarizing findings from interview project

Friday Off

Saturday Off

WEEK 8

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult classWorship — Assists with Communion.

Monday Supervision — Discuss format and instructions for final evaluationWorship Team Meeting — Presents summary of interviews


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Thursday Seminary Visit — Taylor, supervisor and two other college studentsin the congregation take an overnight trip to visit a seminary.

Friday Off

Saturday Off

WEEK 9

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult class.Worship — Preaches his second sermon.Dinner with the intern support team


Tuesday Off

Wednesday GoldenAge Eldercare ProgramOffice HoursSermon Reflection Group — Meets to discuss second sermon

Thursday ReflectionPastoral Visits — Joins his supervisor on visits to hospital and shut-insOffice Hours — Begins summarizing findings from interview project

Friday Off

Saturday Off


WEEK 10

Sunday Sunday School — Attends a senior adult class.Worship — Celebration and prayers of blessing for Taylor.Reception — Coffee and pastries following worship in Taylor’s honor.

Monday Supervision — Final EvaluationWorship Team Meeting

Tuesday OffDinner — An appreciation dinner for the host families and Taylor

Wednesday GoldenAge Eldercare Program

Thursday Taylor departs for home.

Final Thoughts

You are now prepared to tackle everything from a year-long planning process to the detailsof your intern’s workweek.

While planning is essential, it is equally true that you do not need to have everything workedout in perfect detail before you launch your program. Internships are conducive to on-the-job learning — both for interns and for the congregations hosting them. Don’t be afraid toget started and make changes as you go. Many congregations tell inspiring stories aboutlearning from mistakes and improvising as they went along.

SOME CONGREGATIONS HAVE BEGUN TO WONDER

OUT LOUD WHY THEY ARE NOT CREATING A SIMILAR

ENCOUNTER WITH MINISTRY AND GOD’S CALL

FOR EVERYONE IN THE CONGREGATION.

Your ultimate aim is to create an experience that introduces a young person to the joysand challenges of ministry, attunes her heart to God’s call and surrounds her with acommunity that celebrates her gifts for leadership and service in the Body of Christ. Theimportant thing is to accomplish the vision that motivated you to create an internshipin the first place. Keep your eye on that destination and make corrections when youthink you may be getting off course.

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If you create that kind of experience in your congregation,you may discover that the internship represents a newbeginning. For many congregations, a successful internshipwhets their appetite to do more for their interns andincreases their ambition to raise a new generation of leadersfor the church. For others, a ministry internship has a rippleeffect, inspiring them to think about other age groups theycan influence. And some congregations have begun towonder out loud why they are not creating a similarencounter with ministry and God’s call for everyone in thecongregation.

Consider this, then, before you put into practice what youhave learned: Calling can be contagious!

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church was one of the first congre-gations to take part in Calling 21, a summer internship programfor college students created by Shenandoah University and theVirginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Rev. DougGestwick, the pastor at St. Luke’s, describes the impact the internship had on the congregation.

“Toward the end of the summer, I did a short sermon series entitled ‘My Call, Your Call, and Our Call.’It began with me sharing my own call story the first week. The next week I talked about how to discernGod’s call on your life using Ephesians 4 as a model. In the third week, I concluded with a sermon onhow we live into our calling together. We had an altar call at the end and more than fifty adults cameforward to say, ‘Here I am, send me.’ At least two of them are actively pursuing ordained ministry nowand I am sure more will follow. The congregation also committed to at least three more years with theCalling 21 program. The congregation is really living into helping young people clarify their call.”

An Internship Was Just the Beginning

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Annotated Bibliography

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT DISCERNING, INCLUDING A CALL TO MINISTRY

Baker, Dori. The Barefoot Way: A Faith Guide for Youth, Young Adults and the People whoWalk with Them.Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.

The Barefoot Way invites people to ask big questions about living a life that matters. InExodus 3:5, God says to Moses, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place onwhich you are standing is holy ground.” An FTE VocationCARE resource, this bookwelcomes people to stand with others on the holy ground of emerging vocation. Itdoes that one story at a time, using a process called L.I.V.E. to help glimpse God insimple, everyday moments. The Barefoot Way is designed for individuals, face-to-facegroups and online networks who want to engage in the practice of theologicalreflection on their emerging vocation, call and purpose.

Baker, Dori. Doing Girlfriend Theology: God-Talk with Young Women. Pilgrim Press, 2005.

Girlfriend Theology is a model of religious education that helps nurture voice andauthentic spirituality in girls and women. It provides a healthy faith-based antidote tothe dangers many girls face as they approach adulthood. The author introduces thisgroundbreaking method and shows how to set up a Girlfriend Theology group; discernthemes within the stories the girls tell; ask or prompt theological questions; and adaptthe information of the book to groups other than girls. Leaders of retreats and smallgroups will find this especially valuable.

Baker, Dori and Joyce Mercer. Lives to Offer: Accompanying Youth on the Quest for Vocation.Pilgrim Press, 2007.

Lives to Offer incorporates the narratives of teens, popular films and literature, andleading research in adolescent development and culture. Baker and Mercer definevocation as “the practice through which people offer their lives in response to God’scall, amid a world in need.” Sensitively written and offers an approach to vocation asthe central theme for youth ministry. Provides a series of concrete suggestions foractivities and practices that can be integrated into youth groups and other learningcommunities for young people.




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Brouwer, Douglas J. What Am I Supposed to Do with My Life? Asking the Right Questions.Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006.

In this short, helpful book, Douglas Brouwer offers a personal, spiritual response tothe vocational questions that people commonly ask. he links our true purpose tofollowing Jesus’ greatest commandment — love God and love your neighbor — andexplores how we find meaning and purpose by living, not for ourselves, but forsomething larger outside ourselves. Incorporates inspirational stories of people andvocation from throughout his ministry, and includes discussion questions at the endof each chapter.

Campbell, Dennis M. Who Will Go for Us? An Invitation to Ordained Ministry. AbingdonPress,1994.

Written for all Christians of any affiliation, this primer challenges readers to think seriouslyabout the nature, role, and work of ordained ministry in the church. This wise book willhelp you recognize the importance of choices about theological education; understand theservant role of the ordained minister; identify the unique work and activities of theordained minister; and clarify the types of ministers who are sought by various churches.

Cetuk, Virginia Samuel. What to Expect in Seminary: Theological Education as Spiritual For-mation. Abingdon Press, 1998.

In What to Expect in Seminary, Virginia Samuel Cetuk looks at the various facets oftheological education — the call to ministry, classroom learning, community life, fieldeducation, financial realities, time-management challenges — through the lens ofspiritual formation. In each chapter, she challenges readers to view particular aspectsof theological education as avenues to spiritual growth. Offering readers the conceptualtool of reframing, she draws upon psychology, Scripture, and her years of experiencein theological education to help readers see both challenges and rich opportunitiesrelated to ministry and spiritual formation.

Chatham, James O. Is It I, Lord?: Discerning God’s Call to Be A Pastor. Westminster JohnKnox Press, 2002.

James Chatham’s Is It I, Lord? offers a conversational, personal reflection on the processof discerning a call to ministry. Written by a veteran pastor and filled with movingand often funny anecdotes about ministerial life, the book provides an opportunityfor reflection on whether pastoral ministry might be one’s proper vocation.


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Cullinan, Alice R. Sorting It Out: Discerning God’s Call to Ministry. Judson Press, 1999.

Sorting It Out walks Christians of all ages through the questions and uncertainties thatcome with a person’s call to ministry. Ideal for students of Christian colleges, Bible schools,and seminaries, this book is also appropriate for admission counselors, youth pastors andothers who might be called upon to advise persons seeking God’s calling in their lives.

Farnham, Suzanne, Joseph Gill, R. Taylor McLean and Susan Ward. Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community. The Christian Vocation Project in arrangement with Morehouse Publishing, 1991.

This book explores the themes of call, discernment and community and their relationship toone another. It asks readers to listen to their hearts to discover their inner selves.

Farnham, Suzanne, Stephanie hull and R. Taylor McLean. Grounded in God: ListeningHearts Discernment for Group Deliberations. The Christian Vocation Project/Listeninghearts in arrangement with Morehouse Publishing, 1999.

A discernment guide that presents a new model for meetings to accompany groups asthey ponder questions of discernment and wrestle with related issues. Through thisprayerful and practical guide, groups will learn how to incorporate creative silence,attentive listening, imagination, intuition, scripture and prayer into routine meetingsand working retreats.

Fluker, Walter. Ethical Leadership: The Quest for Character, Civility and Community. Augsburg-Fortress Press, 2009.

For leaders and emergent leaders in business, non-profit, academic, religious and othersettings. Fluker grounds leadership in story, and the appropriation of one’s roots as abasis for personal and social transformation. he then explores the key values of character,civility and community for ethical action in the personal, public, and spiritual realms.

Fortune, Don & Katie. Discover Your God-Given Gifts. Chosen Books, 2007.

using the listing in Romans 12:6-8, this book helps readers see how these “motivational”gifts are the driving force in our lives, shaping our personalities and helping us serveGod and others more fully. With interactive worksheets and guides, readers recognizetheir own unique gifts and why they act and think the way they do.




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Gallagher, nora. Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment, and Mo-ments of Grace. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.

In the highly praised memoir, Things Seen and Unseen, nora Gallagher reflected on a yearof spiritual renewal and the fact of mortality with uncommon wisdom and grace. InPracticing Resurrection she searches for direction in the wake of her brother’s death. Adesire to reclaim her own “wild life” and a sense of the sacred in the world compels herto assess everything: her marriage, her writing career, and her commitment to parish life.

Kise, Jane A.G., David Stark and Sandra Krebs hirsch. LifeKeys: Discover Who You Are.Bethany house, 2005.

This updated, comprehensive guide helps people discover how God has uniquelycreated them. Engaging stories, inventories, self-tests, and other easy-to-use exercisesmake Discover Who You Are a one-of-a-kind tool. It will help those longing to find ordeepen meaning in life, considering volunteer opportunities, contemplating careerchanges, or desiring to become more useful to God. The book, workbook and leader’smaterial provide everything needed for a LifeKeys workshop.

Levoy, Gregg. Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life. Three Rivers Press (a divi-sion of Random house), 1997.

Drawing on the hard-won wisdom and powerful stories of people who have followedtheir own sense of call, Gregg Levoy shows us the many ways to translate a calling intoaction. he presents an illuminating and ultimately practical inquiry into how we listenand respond to our calls, whether at work or at home, in relationships or in service.Callings is a compassionate guide to discovering God’s calling and negotiating thetight passages to personal power and authenticity.

Mahan, Brian. Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose: Vocation and the Ethics of Ambition. Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Brian Mahan considers the question of how it is possible to create a meaningful spirituallife while living in a culture that measures us by what we have rather than who we are.Drawing on nearly two decades of teaching experience, Mahan shares stories of personalstruggle and triumph that demonstrate how those who seek meaning and purpose havereclaimed their authentic selves by resolving the tension between personal ambition andspiritual vibrancy.


Myers, William h. God’s Yes Was Louder than My No: Re-Thinking the African AmericanCall to Ministry.

Moving beyond ethnographic descriptions, Myers has placed call stories and narrativesin theoretical perspective, relating them to traditions of hermeneutics and theologicalreflection. Bringing multiple perspectives to bear, Myers argues that the call is not onlya kind of religious hermeneutic but also a form of ritual and of narrative.

neafsey, John. A Sacred Voice is Calling: Personal Vocation and Social Conscience. OrbisBooks, 2006.

Goes beyond commonly held notions of vocational discernment that stop at individualfulfillment or destiny. A Sacred Voice offers an approach that challenges readers torecognize calling as intimately connected to the wounds and needs of the world. “Thevocational question,” neafsey writes, “has to do with identifying those for whom wehurt.” Written from a Christian perspective, the book also draws from a variety ofreligious sources, cultural wisdoms, and philosophical traditions. The insights of BlackElk, Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Jr., Carl Jung and Thomas Merton,among others, are offered alongside contemporary statistics and narratives.

Palmer, Parker. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Jossey-Bass, 1999.

A confessional and compassionate guide to seeking your true calling by listening to thevoice within. In this honest and compelling meditation, Parker Palmer reflects uponvocation, spirit and the life journey with a depth of insight for anyone who yearns foran authentic way of standing and serving in the world. using stories from his own lifeand the lives of others who have made a difference, Palmer raises the urgent question,“Is the life I am living my own?” The result is a moving and illuminating book.

Parker, Ronald E. Do I Belong in Seminary? The Alban Institute, 1998.

A clearly-written, helpful guide to the practical issues surrounding the decision toenter seminary. It is for those intending to prepare for a career in the ministry andthose exploring other types of Christian leadership. The book offers a detailed andwell-organized glimpse at the issues necessary for considering whether the path ofseminary is the right one for you. Parker encourages an open-minded discernmentprocess that affirms the role of communities and mentors in helping individuals todiscern their vocational call. Parker reminds us that a sense of “call” should never beconsidered outside the context of realistic, faithful reflection.

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ABOUT VOCATION

Badcock, Gary. The Way of Life: A Theology of Christian Vocation. Wipf & Stock Publishers,2002.

Beginning with the Bible, and drawing on theological sources both Protestant andCatholic, Gary Badcock develops a constructive theology of Christian vocation, rescuingit from both secular and sacred distortions. Badcock argues that Christian vocation isessentially the call to love God and neighbor. For those struggling to discover a propersense of vocation in a society obsessed with prestige and financial gain, this volumeprovides a solid, readable and theologically informed account of what it means to be“called of God”.

haughey, John C. Revisiting the Idea of Vocation: Theological Explorations. Catholic university of America Press, 2004.

This volume’s ten contributors, all theologians at Loyola university Chicago, presentoriginal essays that explore vocations or callings. Authors explore the mystery of vocationin relationship to spirituality, history, doctrine, psychology or theology. The volumeincludes essays written from a Jewish and from an Islamic perspective.

hillman, James. The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling. Grand Central Pub-lishing, 1997.

James hillman presents a brilliant new vision of selves not defined by familyrelationships or the mentality of victimization. Drawing on the biographies of suchdisparate people as Ella Fitzgerald and Mohandas K. Gandhi, James hillman arguesthat character is fate and shows how the soul, if given the opportunity, can assert itselfeven at an early age. The result is a reasoned, powerful road map to understandingone’s true nature and discovering an array of choices — from the way we raise ourchildren to career paths and social and personal commitments.

Larive, Armand. After Sunday: A Theology of Work. Continuum, 2004.

Many people devote themselves to their work. But does it follow that devotion to workis bending the knee to idolatry, giving service to mammon? Could it be precisely theplace to encounter the divine? This book presents a positive theological frameworkfor a Christian understanding of work.

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Palmer, Parker. The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring. Jossey-Bass,2001.

The Active Life is Parker Palmer’s graceful exploration of a spirituality for the busy,sometimes frenetic lives people lead. Telling evocative stories from a variety of religioustraditions, including Taoist, Jewish and Christian, Palmer shows that the spiritual lifedoes not mean abandoning the world but engaging it more deeply through life-givingaction. he celebrates the problems and potentials of the active life, revealing how muchthey have to teach us about ourselves, the world, and God.

Placher, William. Callings: Twenty Centuries Of Christian Wisdom On Vocation. Wm. B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.

This anthology gathers select passages on work and vocation from great writers inChristian history. William Placher has written insightful introductions to accompanythe selections — an introduction to each of the four main historical sections and a briefintroduction to each reading. While the vocational questions faced by Christians havechanged through the centuries, this book demonstrates how the distilled wisdom ofthese saints, preachers, theologians and teachers remains relevant to Christians today.

Schuurman, Douglas J. Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.

Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life explores current responses to the classic viewof vocation and offers a revised statement and application of this doctrine forcontemporary north American Christians. According to Schuurman, many Christianstoday find it both strange and difficult to interpret their social, economic, political andcultural lives as responses to God’s calling. To renew a biblical perspective, Schuurmanargues, Christians must recover the language, meaning and reality of life as vocation.

Schwehn, Mark R. and Dorothy C. Bass (Eds.). Leading Lives That Matter. Eerdmanns Pub-lishing Company, 2006.

Leading Lives That Matter draws together a wide range of texts — including fiction,autobiography, and philosophy, Instead of prescribing advice, Schwehn and Bassapproach the vocational process as an ongoing conversation. They include some of theWestern tradition’s most significant writings on human life — its meaning, purpose, andsignificance — ranging from ancient Greek poetry to contemporary American fiction.Including Tolstoy’s novella, The Death of Ivan Illych, as an extended epilogue, LeadingLives That Matter will help readers clarify and deepen how they think about their lives.



Thurman, howard. The Creative Encounter. harper & Brothers, new York, 1954 (subse-quently published by Friends united Press, 1972).

The Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston university and mentor to Martin Luther King,Thurman wrote about religious experience as “in its profoundest dimension the findingof humans by God. This is the inner witness. The moral quality (of which) is mandatorybecause the individual must be genuine in his/her preparation, motivation and response.”

ABOUT MENTORING

hendricks, Patricia. Hungry Souls, Holy Companions: Mentoring a New Generation of Chris-tians. Morehouse Publishing, 2006.

This book helps church leadership understand and mentor young people. hendricks,director of the Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, helps to clarify the identity ofyoung adults and the issues they face. She offers a step-by-step guide for mentoring.

Johnson, Abigail. Shaping Spiritual Leaders: Supervision and Formation in Congregations.The Alban Institute, 2007.

Supervision — the shaping of spiritual leaders — occurs formally and informally in manyaspects of congregational life. This book provides a hands-on approach to supervision,addressing key areas such as identifying a learning focus, forming covenants, managingconflict, understanding and using power and authority, offering and receiving feedback,and celebrating and ending the supervisory relationship.

Parks, Sharon Daloz. Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Searchfor Meaning, Purpose and Faith. Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Building on the foundation she established in her classic work, The Critical Years,Sharon Daloz Parks urges thoughtful adults to assume responsibility for providingstrategic mentoring to young people. She also reveals ways young adults are influencedby individual mentors and mentoring environments.

Sellner, Edward. Mentoring: The Ministry of Spiritual Kinship. Cowley Publications, 2002.

An important contribution to understanding one crucial aspect of spiritual direction.Defines mentoring not as a profession, but as a calling and a gift that is more commonthan perhaps previously thought. Mentoring, says Sellner, is a form of love, a mutualrelationship in which one spiritual friend helps another encounter a deeper self andenrich his or her relationship with God.

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The Fund for Theological Education (FTE) advocates excellence and diversity in pastoral

ministry and theological scholarship.

Through our initiatives, we enable gifted youngpeople throughout the Christian community

to explore God’s calling in their lives.

We seek to be a creative, informed catalyst for educational and faith communities in developingtheir own capacities to nurture men and women

for vocations in ministry and teaching.

We also aim to awaken the larger community to the contributions of pastoral leaders and

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The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships

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