Internships

Youth Ministry Internship is a supervised training experience assisting in a local church, parachurch, or appropriate ministry setting. The main objective of the internship program is to provide the student with valuable experience serving among youth in a ministry setting. Each unit of internship equals three hours work per week in the ministry, whether it be meeting with the youth, preparing lessons, building relationships, or assisting the church or organization. Junior class standing is a requirement for the Youth Ministry Internship.

Objectives

As a result of the internship the student will be able to:

1. Practice and sharpen performance skills in a ministry setting.
2. Understand leadership skills as a result of working alongside an experienced, qualified field supervisor.
3. Integrate their WJU education with a larger picture of ministry through opportunities to participate in planning, organizing and administering a youth ministry.
4. Improve their critical thinking skills and communication through the writing of book responses and compilation of the Internship Notebook.

Requirements

A bound notebook including the following:

1. Journal.
   a. The student will keep a daily journal, either written or typed, including activities participated in, meetings attended and conversations held. The journal should also include responses, feelings, and attitudes about the youth ministry.
2. Book Response(s).
   a. The student must read 100 pages of assigned, or agreed upon, reading for every unit of internship (i.e., 300 pages = 3 units of internship).
   b. The book responses are to be four to five pages in length, typed, double-spaced in an appropriate twelve point font.
   c. The responses are not merely a restatement of the book, but a personal statement on how the book has affected the reader. The following questions should be answered in the response:
             i. What new ideas did you receive from your reading?
             ii. How have you struggled or been challenged because of your reading?
             iii. What did you disagree with in this reading?
             iv. What were some of the most important concepts you want to remember or incorporate into your ministry?
   d. Include the name of the book, the author and the number of pages read.
3. Calendars and Publicity.
   a. Include a calendar that lists any activities and meetings participated in during and relating to the internship.
   b. Provide copies of any publicity the ministry produced during the internship.
4. Lessons
   a. Include any outlines or lessons you taught during your internship. If you teach on a regular basis just include two different lessons in the notebook.
5. Student's Internship Evaluation.
   a. A 3-4 page document describing your overall assessment of the internship. Answer such questions as:
             i. How valuable was the experience?
             ii. What did you learn from the experience?
             iii. At what does the church or ministry excel and what could the church or ministry do better?
             iv. How can WJU improve the current internship opportunity?

Current Students 

Below is a list of materials and forms for current students in the Youth Ministry Internship program:

• Youth Ministry Internship Description
• Field Advisor Agreement
• Internship Checklist
• Final Evaluation