Exploring a Call Through Experience
Overview of Internships
As the culture continues to shift and emerge, the church has a unique opportunity to connect incarnationally and intrinsically to it. Historically, church starts have been more successful in connecting to the culture in creatively authentic ways.
CBF encourages innovative expressions of church formation from house churches to coffee shop gatherings. This rapidly growing approach to church development has piqued the interest of the younger generations who are looking for their place in ministry. CBF desires to cultivate growing interest among our young constituency and to better prepare potential church start candidates through a carefully crafted internship program with the Church Starts Initiative.
As an intern for Church Starts, a young minister will encounter a unique vantage point of church start development from the beginning stages to that of successful and experienced church start congregations. Church start ministry requires recruiting and equipping a core team of people, engaging a vision, raising funds, and navigating the waters of bi-professional ministry in addition to the traditional requirements of pastoring a church congregation. This internship will provide training and learning opportunities as they grow in understanding of their individual calling to church starting and innovative ministry practices.
Furthermore, the Church Starts Intern will discover the fullness of resources offered to congregations within the Fellowship. The experience and leadership of CBF staff presents priceless opportunities to seek counsel and grow in Christ as both leadership and interns form together. The internship also allows access to the robust ministry opportunities and governing model of the Fellowship. CBF will be a trusted and familiar resource providing the intern with an invaluable network to call upon in the coming years of ministry.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has invested time, funds, and experienced leadership into a robust myriad of ministry opportunities and networks for the many young Baptists who have joined the Fellowship. The energy and imagination they bring to the Fellowship is well-worth these investments. As the Church Starts Initiative at CBF sees a growing interest in young constituency, adequate support is imperative so that they may answer the call on their life well-equipped and aware of the resources offered to them.