Comments on: Exceptional Pastoral Ministry Internships: CHBC, TBI, NECEP, and More

By: Matthew Rose

Matthew Rose — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:03:45 +0000

So what about guys who are not so young, not so single and have five children? All the internships are great, but as I have looked into them seem to be geared to single men in their early to mid-twenties. Those outside of that demographic don’t have as many choices that I can see. Any ideas?

By: Where I’ve Been «

Where I’ve Been « — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:09:48 +0000

[...] includes the internship atop his list of “exceptional pastoral ministry internships” HERE Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)TransitionPopping the [...]

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:47:48 +0000

ClearNote Pastors College in Bloomington, In. It is run by the Church of the Good Shepherd.

By: owenstrachan

owenstrachan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:09:19 +0000

This is absolutely great. I love that people are sharing other programs. I hope readers of this post are taking notes from the comments about the other internships/training opportunities. I may try to add all of these in the future and repost it.

So keep them coming if you’re reading this and know of more ministry internships.

Also, please note that the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s College is open only to men in Sovereign Grace churches.

Nathan, the CHBC internship offers a great opportunity to read and also to watch. You read and think and write a ton, but you also go to almost every single event and meeting at the church–elder’s meetings, staff meetings, wedding rehearsal, funerals, snow shoveling, time in Mark’s study, harassing Matt Schmucker, and much more.

The CHBC internship does not try to give interns lots of opportunities to lead and teach. It’s a “learn and observe” internship. It is exhausting, more than you can handle, and exceptional.

Dave Ricard is right–it’s not going to be for everyone. So it is wise to take a look at a wide range of internships before committing to one. Apply to several. If CHBC sounds like a bit much, look at FBC Durham and a few other options, for example.

There’s no harm in learning from wise Christian leaders. I do sympathize with one of the commenters above–it would be ideal for tons of churches to have internships, especially if those internships were done really well and not at half-speed. Currently, there aren’t a ton of great ministry internships out there (hence the post), but in the future, let’s hope that tons of local churches do them, and do them with excellence.

Thanks to all who have chimed in.

By: David Ricard

David Ricard — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:00:20 +0000

Nathan,

I will not say a single word against the internship Mark Dever, CHBC, and 9Marks have pulled together. It sets a very high bar that we all strive to obtain.

However, it is not designed for everyone.

If God seems to be calling you to “something else” you might take a look at NECEP. Books are put away for a semester to focus on hearing (not reading) sermons by some of the best preachers of our day. Meanwhile each intern prepares and delivers sermons weekly, to real congregations throughout New England, that vary in size from church plants to multiple services.

So much for the commercial.

God Bless,
Dave Ricard

By: Hayden Norris

Hayden Norris — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:31:05 +0000

There is an excellent seminary run through 5 local churches connected by video conferencing called “The Expositor’s Seminary”

(http://www.theexpositorsseminary.org/)

There are campuses in Florida, Arkansas and Virgina. Check it out.

By: kschaub

kschaub — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:27:12 +0000

Lord willing, I am hoping to do the internship at FBC Durham either during my last semester @ SEBTS or once I am finished.

Andy Davis is my pastor and I agree: interning there would be a fantastic opportunity to learn from him and Andy Winn–even if you gotta move to get there!

Thanks for the post, Owen.

Kevin Schaub

By: scottjisaok

scottjisaok — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:27:47 +0000

Hey, I just came from JT’s blog and thought I’d help clarify on TBI. There are a few different tracks you can do, track 2 is what you are talking about with the ministry training. It was a 2 year, unaccredited program with a 3rd year option, but now is changing to a 4 year MDiv program through BCS. It is currently accredited through some other schools, but is moving toward it’s own accreditation.

TBI will continue to exist and perform it’s other functions (i.e. offering classes to the congregation), but track 2 will no longer exist.

By: Marcus Reeves

Marcus Reeves — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:51:37 +0000

In Australia the ‘Ministry Training Strategy’ prepares 100′s of people in ministry apprenticeships before going into formal theological training.
A whole range of options is offered from pastoral to tertiary settings with a solid mentoring program.

Was tremendously important for me.
Check out: http://www.mts.com.au/

By: Arvind

Arvind — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:17:09 +0000

Cornhill is not just in London but also in Glasgow, Scotland. I did the course in Glasgow and it was the best nine months of learning to teach and preach the Bible in a expository way. I highly recommend it!

http://www.cornhillscotland.org.uk/