Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Developing A Strategic Intern Program for Prestonwood Baptist Church A Thesis Proposal Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry By Jarrett L. Stephens Lynchburg, VA September 2011 ii LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Lynchburg, VA Dissertation Project Approval Sheet __________________ Grade Dr. Charlie Davidson Mentor Dr. Ronald Hawkins Reader iii ABSTRACT Jarrett Stephens Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011 Mentor: Dr. Charlie Davidson Internships are extremely beneficial to those entering ministry. While many churches provide internships, research shows that very few are structured and strategic. The purpose of this project is to develop a strategic Intern Program for Prestonwood Baptist Church that is transferable to other local churches. Its aim is to demonstrate how to start an intern program and what to do once that program is established. Abstract length: 87 words iv Copyright 2011 Jarrett Stephens All Rights Reserved v CONTENTS CHAPTER 1…………………………………………………..…………………………..1 Statement of Problem …………………………………………………………….2 Statement of Limitations ………………………………………………………….4 Theoretical Basis ………………………………………………………………….5 Statement of Methodology ………………………………………………………11 Literature Review ………………………………………………………..………13 CHAPTER 2………………………………………………………………………..……22 Why is an Intern Program Important to a Church? ………….…………………..22 Benefits of the Intern Program from a Supervising Minister’s Viewpoint …...…31 Benefits of an Intern Program from an Intern’s Viewpoint ………….………….35 CHAPTER 3 ……………………………….……………………………………………50 Intern Development Meetings …………………………………….………….….50 Year One …………………………………………………………………...……51 Year Two ………………………………………………………………………..54 Year Three ………………………………………………………………………59 CHAPTER 4………………………………..……………………………………………69 Purpose of Ministry Plan ………………………………………………………..69 Qualifications and the Selection Process ………………………………………..71 Objectives and Expectations ……………………………………………….……72 Moral Guidelines ………………………………………………………………..73 Schedule, Placement and Matriculation Policy …………………………………76 vi Questionnaire and Covenant …………………………………………………….77 Ministry Resources ……………………………………………………………...80 Human Resources Documents …………………………………………………..81 CHAPTER 5…………………………………………………………………………..…83 Three Options ……………………………………………………………………84 CHAPTER 6……………………………………….………………………………….…99 Five Areas of Improvement …………………………………………….…..….100 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………116 APPENDIX A: Prestonwood Baptist Church Intern Questionnaire ………………...…125 APPENDIX B: Intern Questionnaires….………………………………………………126 APPENDIX C: Minister Questionnaires ………………………………………………205 APPENDIX D: Prestonwood Baptist Church Supervisor Minister Questionnaire ……217 APPENDIX E: Intern Manuel …………………………………………………………218 APPENDIX F: Personal Calendar …………………………………………………..…266 VITA …………………………………………………………………………...………267 Chapter 1 Introduction Why the Topic is Needed Many seminaries, educational programs and church ministries exist to provide a framework and foundation for training young men and women committed to the gospel ministry. The majority of these institutions are meant to educate and equip these ministers from a theological standpoint. Academic programs prepare the student for ministry by teaching the student theology, church history, biblical languages and a host of other disciplines. However, little training is designed and offered to young ministers from a pragmatic standpoint. While many churches may have intern positions available, there is little to no specific training that is offered to them outside the individual experience they gain while on the job. While this experience is extremely beneficial, this author believes that mistakes could be avoided and the training experience maximized with an intern program that is strategic, well thought out and intentional in its development of young ministers. The approved topic for this Doctor of Ministry thesis is the following: “Developing a Strategic Intern Program for Prestonwood Baptist Church.” Background Leading to Awareness in the Problem The past experience and present job requirements of the project leader has led to the need to create a strategic intern program for Prestonwood Baptist Church. The author of this thesis not only served as an intern at Prestonwood Baptist Church to begin his ministry, but now serves as the Teaching Pastor at Prestonwood. One of the main 2 responsibilities of this job is granting supervision over the intern program from a staffing standpoint. Experience and personal involvement has led to the need to be as strategic as possible with the intern program. This topic is of great value for three main reasons. First, it will help the author personally plan, develop and execute direction and strategy in the training of the thirty- one interns on staff at Prestonwood. Secondly, this project will be invaluable to the interns-in-training because it will come alongside the classroom experience and help the intern to gain practical ministry experience as well. Finally, this project will benefit, serve and strengthen other local churches that have intern programs by helping them be as creative, strategic and as intentional as possible in the development of young men and women committed to the ministry. This project will also allow other churches to learn from the strength and weaknesses of Prestonwood’s intern program. Rationale for Choosing This Topic Many churches have interns that serve within their church and provide leadership within the congregation. The rationale for this topic is to provide a systematic approach to developing the intern in both a spiritual and practical way as well as helping to launch them into their next area of service. Statement of the Problem There are a plethora of institutions and training programs that exist to teach and train young ministers from a theological and theoretical standpoint. This project will offer local churches a tool that will help them give young ministers practical ministry 3 experience by developing them through a strategic intern program and helping them prepare for future success by ensuring they are placed in like-minded churches. Terminology Defined This project will use the term “intern” throughout its entirety. Merriam-Webster defines an intern as “an advanced student or graduate gaining supervised practical experience.”1 This is exactly how “intern” will be used in this project. Another often used term will be “supervising minister.” The supervising minister oversees the intern while he is enrolled in the intern program. While interns work in various ministries throughout the church, all of them are assigned a supervising minister. It may help to think of the term “mentor” to describe the role of the supervising minister and his relationship with the intern. Bobb Biehl defines mentoring as a relationship. He writes, “Mentoring is a relationship with someone you like, enjoy, believe in and want to see win in life.”2 While the internship provides mentoring, that is not its ultimate purpose. The supervising minister will serve as a mentor but is also the intern’s direct supervisor, which can create quite a dynamic in the relationship. It is understood that the relationship between the supervising minister and the intern is extremely important. Working in a daily relationship for a year to three years will forge a strong bond between the intern and the supervising minister. The relationship will inevitably take on a more familial role than simply that of a supervisor 1 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., 2 John H. Allen, A Primer For New Mentors, (John H. Allen and Associates, 2000), 1. 4 and employee. Forman, Jones and Miller write, “The quality of the internship experience hinges on the relationship between the pastor and intern.”3 Knowing this is the case, the supervising minister’s role toward the intern is to be exactly what John Maxwell writes in Developing Leaders Around You: an equipper, a mentor and an empowerer. He writes: “equipper is a model – a leader who does the job, does it well, does it right, and does it with consistency. The equipper is a mentor – an advisor who has the vision of the organization and can communicate to others. He or she has experience to draw upon. The equipper is an empowerer – one who can instill the potential leader the desire and ability to do the work. He or she is able to lead, teach, and assess the progress of the person being equipped.”4 This is a good example of the role a supervising minister will play in the life of the intern and the job that he has as an intern’s direct supervisor. Statement of Limitations This project is designed with local churches in mind. Its goal is to help churches in the way they develop interns spiritually, train them professionally and launch them into their next area of service. While specific to the ministry of Prestonwood Baptist Church, this project can serve as a model to other churches. This project will not cover in detail the relationship and partnership that exists between churches and seminaries nor will it address all that an intern program can do in training of young ministers. This is not an exhaustive project that is never meant to change or be added to; rather, it is a model built out of personal experience from being an intern and supervising interns. 3 Forman, Rowland. The Leadership Baton. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), 179. 4 John Maxwell, Developing the Leaders Around You. (Nashville: