The Internship Program

Internship occurs in any ministry context: a church setting, a mission agency, para-church organizations or camps. The minimum duration for an internship is three months on a full-time basis. Part-time internships are permitted with the approval of the Coordinator of Field Education.

The Philosophy of Internship

Internship is an integral part of preparation for ministry.  It provides you with an extended, in-depth practice of ministry and integrates field experience with your classroom learning. In addition to giving you an opportunity to practice Christian service, internship offers you a working relationship with another person in ministry. You’ll experience many forms and facets of the ministry but the main point of this experience is to be a disciple in development, learning from a pastor-mentor.

The Objectives of Internship

By the end of Internship, you should be able to:

• explore and evaluate your personal identity as a ministering part of the Body of Christ;
• discern the areas of your greatest personal effectiveness within the ministry of the church;
• evaluate lifestyle issues and ways of relating to others as you affect personal growth and ministry;
• assess the attitudes and values you hold relating to people, ministry, culture and life in general;
• measure your ability to relate to your fellow workers and to the programs of the church or para-church organization;
• analyze a ministry situation to discover needs and set realistic goals and strategies to meet those needs;
• evaluate your ministry involvement in terms of personal growth, progress toward goals, effectiveness of methods, strengths and weaknesses, etc.;
• integrate more fully your theological and doctrinal points of view with practical experience.

Internship Prerequisites and Requirements

You must complete Internship or Ministry Coaching with the approval of the Field Education department if you are in the Master of Divinity, Master in Intercultural Ministries or the Master in Leadership and Ministry program. The Coordinator of Field Education will help you find an appropriate internship and must approve your selection.

The following prerequisites must be successfully completed before an Internship can be considered; students should have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 to be considered for internship.

Master of Divinity (Pastoral Ministries Focus)

• ED 506 Discipleship Practices for the Church
• LE 503 Leadership and Leadership Formation
• MI 502 Intercultural Competence
• NT 502 Synoptic Gospels or OT 502 Pentateuch
• PR 510 Introduction to Preaching and Communication
• PT 501 Personal Formation and Development
• PT 601 Theology and Practice of Worship
• PT 610 Theology and Practice of Pastoral Care or SPC 501 Foundations of Spiritual Care
• THEO 501 The Christian Confession
   

Master of Divinity (Intercultural Ministries Focus)

• MI 502 Intercultural Competence
• MI 503 Mission in Global Perspective
• NT 502 Synoptic Gospels or OT 502 Pentateuch
• PT 501 Personal Formation and Development
• THEO 501 The Christian Confession

Master in Leadership and Ministry

Internship Application Procedures

To prepare for Internship, you must apply to the Internship Program and attend a pre-Internship orientation meeting the September before the internship begins (i.e. MLM/MIM students must apply for Internship in their first year of full-time studies and MDiv students must apply for Internship in their second year of full-time studies). At the pre-internship orientation meeting you’ll receive an assessment packet to help determine your readiness for Internship. In October, you will complete an interview with the Coordinator of Field Education to discuss and review the assessment packet.

Your internship field site will be approved, usually in February. In late spring you will attend a 3-day Internship Seminar for all ministry interns and mentors. This seminar prepares you and your mentor for an effective internship by equipping you to:

• build healthy relationships with each other and with the seminary;
• understand the importance of soul nurture;
• address ministry practice and theological reflection issues.

In order to make the most of the Internship experience, you’ll meet weekly with your mentor for evaluation and feedback sessions. To ensure that you are actively involved in ministry, you and your mentor will sign an Internship Contract specifying the type and frequency of your ministry involvement before Internship begins.

You’ll receive a monthly allowance, room and board, and a travel allowance while ministering.

Churches and ministries from various denominations participate in the Ambrose Seminary Internship program. The Seminary reserves the right to place students in participating churches.
 

MDiv Intercultural Internships

Intercultural Ministries students must complete all internship prerequisites before the end of the Winter semester. You’ll complete Intercultural Internship alongside the course MI 705, Mentoring for Intercultural Effectiveness, and you can do so on a full-time (minimum of three months) or part-time basis. Because of the nature of Intercultural Internship, you aren’t required to attend the three-day Internship Seminar. Instead, you’ll follow this process to complete your internship:

1. Secure a field site and write a proposal for Internship, which must be approved by the Professor of Intercultural Ministries and the Coordinator of Field Education.
2. Fulfill course requirements for MI 705 and the assessments and learning contract from the Field Education Department for MI 712 (the Professor of Intercultural Ministries and Coordinator of Field Education will each meet with you to go over course requirements and the syllabus for MI 705 and MI 712 before Internship begins).
3. Make your financial and living arrangements with the field site.
4. Debrief with the Coordinator of Field Education and the Professor of the Intercultural Ministries after you’ve completed the internship.