If you are fortunate in your ministry to have summer or year-round interns, what are some intentional ways to design the intern program so that it is a "win-win" for all involved. First Pres Bakersfield has a great tradition and is committed to passing the baton to young adults headed toward ministry through a great summer intern program (in Children's Ministries, Jr. High Ministries, and High School Ministries.) Beginning in February of each year, we begin the search and begin planning our summers. I have been deep in
thought and prayer about what I wanted the summer to look like for the 3 college students that would be joining me this summer. I try
to be very intentional about designing a summer that is both “give” and “take”
for them. In other words, they GIVE, serve, teach, and work hard at our ministry
events throughout the summer, but they also TAKE (or receive) a lot of
training, motivation, practical hands on experience, mentorship, and a lot of
MY TIME.
Our intern program does not
make my summer easier. In fact, it adds at least 6 hours of extra time to my
week as I meet with them as a group and as individuals to see how they’re
doing, help direct their next steps, etc.
In addition to a “job description” about office hours, Vacation Bible
School, dates, and stuff like that, here are some additional EXPECTATIONS that
I have laid out for the 3 young ladies that God has brought to serve here with
me this summer. I hope these will help you, my fellow Children’s Pastors, in
defining and designing any similar training you are doing for High Schoolers or
College Students who serve alongside you.
v 1.
We expect you to be in the Word of God often,
consistently, and deeply. Even if you’ve been walking with Jesus for a long
time, He still wants to speak to you today!
v
2. We expect you to be above reproach regarding
your behavior and character. Things to
stay away from include:
o
Alcohol, Drugs, Sexual relationships and
inappropriate behavior with the opposite sex, Gossip, some Movies (if you are
watching movies with kids or students, you’d better have permission from each
parent)
o
You are representing Jesus Christ, our Church,
and our Ministry.
o
Students, Children and parents are watching you!
v
3. We expect you NOT to do everything yourself, but
to invite others to share the responsibilities that have been given to
you. ASK FOR HELP!
v
4. We expect that you will be on time! Most of the time, this means that you are
EARLY so that you are ready to begin.
(Meetings, Office hours, Church services, Bible Studies, Teaching times,
etc.)
v
5. We expect that your attitude will be full of grace,
joy, enthusiasm, and energy. It’s
infectious for children and parents! Complaining publically about your job,
your boss, your church, your pay, your hours, or a parent or student is not
allowed in any circumstance. Follow
Matthew 18 guidelines if there is a problem!
v
6. We expect you to be open to constructive
criticism about your work. We know you
are here to learn, and one of the ways that happens is to observe others in
ministry, learn from trial and error and by evaluating the work you are doing.
v
7. We expect you to be great communicators with
parents through emails, flyers, post cards and phone calls. This is one of the most crucial parts of any
ministry… communication!
v
8. We expect that you will be uncomfortable
sometimes & that you will be taken out of your comfort zone. If you are doing your ministry without
feeling stretched, then you are not experiencing a true internship.
What a rich and rewarding summer we hope you will have! We
believe it will be life changing for YOU as well as the CHILDREN you serve!
Hey Children’s
Leaders… do you have an intern program you’d like to tell us about? Please leave us a comment and tell us about
your intern or training program! How exciting to have the opportunity to “pass
the baton” to the next generation of Children’s Ministry leaders!
