Part One of this Two-part article series is available here: “Entrust to Faithful Men: An Internship Plan that Works for Small Churches.”

My favorite finds of the 21st century have been repair videos and discussion boards. As a teenager, I would autopsy a broken radio or perform maintenance on my dad’s snowblower, only to be left with a box of spare parts or a minor explosion. Today, I have a whole list of “fixes” thanks to online teachers who talk me through step by step.

However, I’ve learned there’s a big difference between working alongside an online tutor and a master mechanic. I just wasted $75 because one online tutorial diagnosed our latest dishwasher problem as a faulty drain pump. When I went to install a new pump, I found a crumbled label clogging the intake. I fixed it, but I wasted time and money.

There are some great books and videos to help young men aspiring to pastoral ministry. Read them. Watch them. You will gain much from them. But, I argue, their value pales compared to what can be learned from experienced pastors in local churches.

How can pastors and churches prepare pastors for churches? A well thought out pastoral internship stands on four legs.

Observation

Interns immerse themselves into the life of the church by becoming members. A weekly schedule includes attendance at all church gatherings, members meetings and a community group. To help interns learn about different facets of the history and life of the church, interns

arrange to meet with each of the elders and deacons for coffee or a meal, as well as getting with church members one-on-one.

Jesus called the twelve “that they might be with him” (Mark 3:14). One intern put it just that way: “It all came together as we were walking with the flock in a daily and weekly way.” Interns learn to serve the church by being with the congregation, its members and leaders. The church learns to serve the interns by sharing time, meals and life with them. Pastors, teach the congregation and the interns that a fruitful internship involves the whole church.

Engagement

In addition to regular church life, interns engage in specific pastoral ministry by attending regular elders’ meetings, pastoral prayer meetings, intern discussions, pastoral counseling, weddings, funerals, sermon reviews and impromptu meetings that may arise. Regional conferences and workshops provide pastors and interns the unique opportunity to learn and grow together.

The apostle Paul boldly tells the church and leaders of Philippi, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things…” (Philippians 4:9). As pastors provide insight into weekly rhythms and responsibilities, interns learn the ins and outs of pastoral ministry.

Reading & Writing

Reading and writing take up a large part of pastoral ministry. The better an intern develops this discipline, the better he can serve the church. One intern told us, “the internship prepared me for church ministry by forcing me to read and respond to literature focused on the nature and mission of the church.” Another said, “the reading and papers were important as they forced us to think well on matters such as church discipline.” Pastor, point interns to good books and articles that answer important questions like, “How should the church be organized?” “Who should lead the church?” “How does church membership and church polity work itself out in the local church?” Other categories might include: church history, biblical theology, the nature of the church, preaching, evangelism, membership, polity, ordinances, worship, missions, and biblical counseling.

Tailor a reading and writing plan that fits the intern’s work schedule. For example, interns working full-time jobs read and write in two-week blocks. After a short summary of the book, interns interact with the author’s thesis and explain what they have learned for pastoral ministry. Every second week, a pastor reads the reflection papers. All the interns and some of the elders then gather to discuss and defend their papers.

Practice

Last comes the practicum of preparing and preaching sermons. Begin with a sermon worksheet on an assigned text. Spend time with the intern looking over his work and listening to him practice his delivery. Then schedule the intern to preach a 15-20 minute sermon at a Sunday evening prayer meeting. Following the service, elders, interns and members give feedback in the form of a sermon review. The sermon review offers encouragement on the content and delivery and gently suggests one thing the intern might improve or do differently if he preached the sermon again.

Preaching opportunities, coupled with opportunities to teach in equipping seminars, children’s ministry and one-to-one discipleship prepare interns to rightly handle and deliver God’s Word to God’s people. Pastors and churches aim to continue the Pauline cycle as interns prove to be “faithful men, able to teach others.”

Pastoral internships can be as simple as observation, engagement, reading and writing, and practice. Churches of all sizes in towns of all sizes can both prepare pastors and benefit from the sharpening and growth that pastoral interns can bring.

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