New City Presbyterian Church has established a ministry internship program to help us engage the call upon Jesus’ church to identify, train and raise up more workers for the harvest (Matt 9:37-38; 2 Tim 2:1-2). The program has been designed to help develop ministry workers at various early stages, and therefore can be flexibly applied for a candidate either with or without prior study or experience in ministry.
The program has also been designed with flexibility as to the role itself. While we anticipate the intern will enrich our own congregation, so too we see the program as developing workers for the kingdom more broadly. Therefore, in this program we seek to particularly draw upon two of our church’s seven culture points –
#2 – A family of God, where people grow and care for each other in genuine relationships built on trust. We are willing to receive rebuke and correction according to the Word of God, in a spirit of gentleness, so that the glory of God might shine in us, His church. e.g. 2 Corinthians 13:11-12; Galatians 6:1-2.
and
#7 – A wide field of view, wherein we are committed to discipleship and training as an ongoing investment in Jesus’ ongoing mission. We always want to see the kingdom beyond our own congregation. e.g. Acts 1:8; Ephesians 4:10-16.
We accept that each intern will have a unique balance between those things, and so we envisage that the program will contribute variably towards our own congregation or the kingdom more broadly. We are content to develop workers towards either outcome, while enjoying fellowship & the fruits of learning together.
About the Role
Ministry interns will learn under the Pastor, who will help guide their development in four broad areas –
- Mentoring – Scripture, Prayer, Life, Faith, Fellowship
- Church Doctrine – Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, the Westminster Confession of Faith
- Ministry Equipping & Experience – Developing ministry posture, Creating opportunities for ministry
- Spiritual Formation – Spiritual Disciplines
Each of these 4 areas would typically account for 25% of the internship, however a different balance or other areas of development may be identified to tailor the program.
The role is currently funded for 1 day per working week (i.e., not Sunday / 0.2 FTE), for 6 months. Our intent is to extend the role in the 2023/24 budget, and if suitable the candidate may continue in that role. Internships are temporary roles, and this program is designed to extend no more than 2 years in total for any intern.
About the Intern
The internship program is designed for developing ministry workers. To that end, there are no pre-requisite knowledge or skills required. Rather, the placement is designed to develop skills and competencies in the appointee, rather than to specifically draw from their prior experience. Likewise, no particular area of focus is pre-determined; Rather, the program seeks to equip the intern broadly, in a way that helps discover and strengthen any particular gifting or calling in the intern that becomes evident over the course of the program.
More fundamentally, to begin an internship will require basic Christian attributes of the applicant, and the church therefore desires to see the following spiritual characteristics in any candidate –
- A clear faith in Jesus Christ as both Lord and Saviour
- Recognition of the basic Christian posture set forth by Christ in Matthew 5:1-12, and a heart that strives towards that posture
- Agreement with our church statement of faith
- Willingness to commit to our membership, submit to our eldership, and seek to live sacrificially in fellowship with others in Christian community
- A desire to serve God and His people through vocational word ministry
Find Out More
To find out more about the ministry internship program at New City Presbyterian Church, please contact the church or find out more here.