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Introduction
Why an internship program?
A key Vineyard value is to equip believers to do the ministry. In addition to this, we want to train those who are called into full time service to plant and/or pastor churches with Vineyard values and philosophy of ministry. For those who participate in our internship program, our desire is that through the internship we would produce leaders who 1) are equipped to lead in a significant ministry role in a church 2) pastor in a church 3) plant a Vineyard church.
Interns will gain first hand knowledge and experience in what it is like to be a part of a pastoral team. In addition, they will learn to manage their lives and ministries: setting goals, establishing priorities, making plans, and evaluating their work and significant relationships for more effectiveness and better planning.
Internship description
This internship program offers three different tracks:
Track 1
This is a two-year track that:
¨ Consists of 6 four-month rotations with supervising pastors/directors. The intern will gain a broader understanding and receive first hand experience being apart of a church staff.
¨ Includes free tuition for the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI) training program, which covers many of the doctrinal and theoretical aspects of the church leadership. VLI classes are taught via video and are viewed on a predetermined night each week (usually about 2-3 hours) and during weekend intensives (8-10 hours of video twice a semester).
¨ Includes a $200 per month stipend.
¨ Includes a Vineyard church-planting bonus of $500 per month for the first 5 months of the internship to be held in an account until the conclusion of the internship and the intern plants a Vineyard church.
¨ Includes a $500 conference budget for the entirety of the internship to be authorized by the supervising pastor/director and the VIP director.
Track 2
This is a one-year track that:
¨ Consists of 3 four-month rotations with a choice between 3 of six supervising pastors/directors. At the end of each rotation will be an evaluation of the intern and supervising pastor/director. The intern will gain a broader understanding and receive first hand experience being apart of a church staff.
¨ Includes free tuition for VLI intensives only. These occur one time each quarter and are 8-10 hours of classroom work. These start Friday night and finish Saturday afternoon.
¨ Includes a $200 per month stipend to be held in an account until the conclusion of the internship and the intern plants a Vineyard church or becomes the senior pastor of a Vineyard church.
¨ Includes a Vineyard church-planting bonus of $300 per month for the first 5 months of the internship to be held in an account until the conclusion of the internship and the intern plants a Vineyard church.
¨ Includes a $200 conference budget for the entirety of the internship to be authorized by the supervising pastor/director and the VIP director.
¨ Includes the cost of the church planting assessment.
¨ Consists of a required reading list from the supervising pastor/director.
Track 3
This is a university/college track that:
¨ The school sets parameters (hours needed, specialty, or general).
¨ If general parameters are set, the intern will go through rotations as in Tracks 1 or 2 that will be set up by the staff.
¨ Has no stipend.
¨ Includes $150 conference budget for the entirety of the internship to be authorized by the supervising pastor/director and the VIP director.
Important information
èTracks 1 and 2 will require 20 hours of service weekly from interns This time
commitment does not include time devoted to attending or studying for VLI or other
training classes.
èAll three tracks will be required to have an exit interview with the VIP coordinator
upon leaving the program.
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3 Foundational Goals
The Heartland Vineyard Internship Program exists to:
1) Equip Disciples to Serve God’s Church
In Mark 9:35, Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Our primary goal in offering VIP is to teach disciples how to serve God’s church. Interns play a key role in the life of the Vineyard, providing service in countless areas during their time here. We are thankful for this service, and look forward to the day when we send them out to serve and bless thousands of people in other cities.
2) Equip Disciples to Grow Spiritually and Personally
As servants of God, we are called to live balanced, integrated, and holy lives, worthy of our calling. This includes speaking the words, doing the works, and living the life that Jesus did. Interns will be challenged to grow in personal discipleship through the practice of daily Bible reading, prayer, worship, and the spiritual disciplines. Interns will grow to be more Christ-like as they become entrenched in doing Kingdom stuff.
3) Equip Disciples to Lead God’s Church
The Vineyard® Community of Churches is a growing movement, and the Heartland Vineyard is a key church within the Midwest Region. One of the foundational goals of the internship program is to develop leaders who can:
· Plant new Vineyard churches
· Participate on church planting teams
· Take staff positions in growing Vineyards
· Serve as lay-leaders in their home church
This goal implies that leadership development is a central piece of this program, and also implies that Vineyard vision and values are a central component to the program.
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Expectations of Interns
Whatever one’s view of “calling” into ministry, deciding to become a paid servant in God’s Kingdom is not a call to a life of ease. There are constant struggles, ups and downs, victories and defeats in ministry. This is true for lay leaders, and it is especially true for pastors. The decision on the part of an intern to invest in learning and being trained at ministry is a wise yet costly decision.
Cost #1: Wealth and Position
People do not usually enter into the ministry to become rich and famous. In particular, being trained for ministry is not glamorous or lucrative. An internship is even less so because there is no official diploma on the other end to show the incredible investment interns have made into learning how to operate as a servant in God’s Kingdom. It takes faith to trust that Kingdom riches are more wonderful and more eternal than earthly riches.
Cost #2: Spiritual Warfare
Satan does not want people to be trained for Kingdom works. He does not want people to be successful at learning how to plant powerful, effective Kingdom-oriented churches. He aims some of his fiercest darts at future pastors. Interns will need to pray vigilantly and have great endurance.
Cost #3: Risk of Failure
In ministry, one thing is inevitable: failure. Particularly when trying new things they have never done before, interns will generally fail several times before learning how to do something well. Failure hurts. We learn a great deal from it, and it benefits us, but it is also painful. People will be around to give help and encouragement, but if an intern cannot learn to deal with failure, being an effective Kingdom leader will be difficult.
Specific expectations of interns:
1. A contagious and consistent relationship with Jesus Christ and a reputation that is excellent within and outside the church community. A well established set of disciplines in worship, bible study, prayer, repentance, purity, service, giving, witnessing, submission and guidance from the Holy Spirit. If single, remain pure and maintain a good example in relationships with the opposite sex. Be pursuant of character qualities found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
2. A track record of tithing to the local church, serving in ministry, loyalty to pastoral leadership, and evidence of leadership and calling to full-time ministry.
3. Free from addictions and life dominating sins.
4. Demonstrated competence in doing the work of the ministry. The intern should be able to demonstrate gifting and ability as necessary for pastoral ministry.
5. A commitment to the Vineyard Statement of Faith, values, practices and philosophy of ministry.
6. If married, a spouse who enthusiastically supports participation in the program and who will freely and solemnly commit to seeing it through.
7. The time and energy to work at least 20 hours a week as an intern.
8. Financial provision to be able to do an internship in light of the amount of time spent doing ministry.
9. Intention to plant a Vineyard Church or serve on the pastoral staff of a church soon after completing the internship.
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Service Activities
The following are examples of the kind of activities that would qualify as part of the 20 hours/week of service:
§ Activities directly related to training received from mentoring pastor, generally above and beyond what is expected from the average lay leader in any given situation
o “Working the Celebration Services”—not just attending a service
o Regular participation during ministry time
o Organizing and recruiting for a training event
o Helping plan, organize and lead an outreach event or retreat
o Leading a community group
o Tech services for events, services
o Set up for events
o Meeting with supervising pastor
o Other tasks assigned by supervising pastor
§ Specific responsibilities in a wide variety of ministries and outreaches:
o Serve as an ALPHA small group leader for one rotation
o Serve as a Beginnings Small Group Leader for one rotation
o Serve as host/hostess for GAB (Getting Acquainted Buffet) making phone call invitations/serving food/cleaning up
o Serve in Children’s Ministry for a predetermined amount of weeks
o Serve in One Way Student Ministries as a project coordinator/ministry team member for length of rotation.
§ Other general serving roles
o Copy and production work
o Sending out mailings (snail mail or electronic)
o Making ministry related phone calls
o Creating and completing forms, etc.
o Working at the reception desk answering phone calls
o Audio/visual reproduction
o Be available for hospital visitation
o Learn how to conduct a wedding and funeral
The following are examples that would not qualify as part of the 20 hours/week of service activity:
§ Attending events
o Attending weekend celebration services*
o Attending training meetings/sessions
o Attending a retreat
o Attending outreach events
§ Personal spiritual or academic development
o Daily Bible study, prayer, and worship
o Attending a community group
o Attending VLI or other training classes
o Doing homework
§ Exceptions are
o Hours spent planning and executing a VLI Leadership Project may be counted toward internship service hours
* If the intern is serving during the weekend celebration service, those hours may be counted toward the internship. However, if the intern is attending the service just to “go to church,” the hours may not be counted toward the internship.
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Application Process
Following are the 10 steps in the Intern Application Process:
1) Meet the following criteria:
a. You have completed the Beginnings course
b. You are a member of the Heartland Vineyard
c. You participate regularly in the weekend celebration services
d. You are leading or co-leading a community group
e. You are tithing (giving 10% of your income) to the Heartland Vineyard (we will verify)
f. You will attend/participate all LIFT meetings
2) Pray and seek God’s call and affirmation
3) Contact VIP director Jeff Conner regarding your interest in the internship program
4) Submit to Jeff a completed application
5) Attend an intern informational meeting (December 1, April 1, or August 1)
6) Complete the DISC personality profile and spiritual gifts test
7) Complete a personal interview with Dan
8) Complete a personal interview with Jeff
9) Receive offer/denial of internship opportunity
10) Sign Internship Agreement
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VIP Application
Today’s date
Applying for: _____ Track 1 _____ Track 2 _____ Track 3
Personal Information
Date of birth
Name
Address
Home phone Work phone
E-Mail address
Spouse name (if applicable) Spouse date of birth
List names and ages of children
Occupation
Education ___ high school grad ___ junior-college grad ___ 4-year college grad ___ advanced degree (explain)
Christian History
Date of salvation
Water baptism
Spirit baptism
List of past churches
Reason for leaving your last church?
Past Leadership experience (List the jobs/positions you have held in each church)
List the ways in which you are serving in the Vineyard
Requirements
Do you understand both the practical and academic sides of the program? __ yes __ no
Are you a member of the Vineyard? __ yes __ no
Have you completed the Beginnings Course? __ yes __ no
How regular is your participation at Weekend Celebration Services? ______
Are you a regular and functioning member of a Small Group? __ yes __ no
Who is the leader?
Are you faithfully tithing 10% to the Vineyard at this time? __ yes __ no
Do you have your family & spouse’s blessing to participate in VIP? __ yes __ no
Essay Questions
Please write brief essays (up to 150 words maximum) to answer each of the following questions (attach on a separate piece of paper):
1. Give an account of your conversion to Christ or the nature of your Christian experience.
2. Discuss what you believe is God’s calling upon your life, your vision for the future, and how your participation in the Internship Program fits into this?
3. What do you see as your areas of gifting?
4. Discuss your preparedness for the rigors of study and service that this program requires.
Please sign the application below.
Signature of VIP applicant
Signature of spouse (if applicable)
______
Signature of VIP coordinator
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