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Discover how to create an efficient and effective GAP Year,
Internship or Residency Program for your faith-based
organization or church with these articles and resources.

For Credit or Not? Evaluating Your Internship, Gap Year, or Residency Program

Upgrade your ministry internship to include academic credit, boost recruiting.

Many ministry leaders are transitioning their training programs to offer academic credit and degree pathways for their students. If you have a ministry internship, a Christian gap year program, a church residency, or other similar training program, you may be considering doing the same.

How to Filter for Ideal Church Residency or Internship Candidates

High impact church residency interns laughing

Are you worried you don’t have the right candidates for your church residency or ministry internship program? You may need to start filtering for a different type of student. Jesus chose twelve ordinary men, but these men all had certain qualities others lacked. You can look for these same qualities and filter for better candidates for your ministry training program. Here is what to look for and how to find it in a candidate: Look for the Faithful: Above-Average Dedication When Jesus handed out free bread and fish, the masses were happy to follow him. But when Jesus changed tactics … Read more

Stop Competing with the Big Schools with Your Own Residency or Gap Year Program

ministry culture is caught not taught

The Church needs a new generation of leaders trained for the needs of today and tomorrow. Bible schools, Christian universities, and seminaries have long been the go-to destinations for future Christian leaders. But many local churches and ministries have begun reclaiming their unique role in the leadership training process. Traditional schools still provide a helpful service to the church, but your ministry can fill a gap that schools were never designed to meet. Different Roles in the Same Process For someone to become a fully realized leader, they need a lot more than can be found in a classroom. To … Read more

3 Simple Steps to Start a Ministry Training Program

ministry-training-sketch-without-words

Ministry is hard. Training other people for ministry can be even harder. In fact, sometimes it can feel impossible. But with the right plan, you can build the right internship, residency, or gap year program for your ministry context. Step 1: Design – The Best Laid Plans Great deeds start with even greater plans. Training ministry leaders for the next generation of God’s work is a worthy mission. To get there you will need to design the right plan for you, your team, and your goals. Clearly Identify What Makes You, YouThere are a lot of schools and training programs … Read more

How to Transition Into an Academic Grade Ministry Training Program, Fast!

students working on a laptop together

You know your ministry needs its own training program, but getting it built feels like it will take forever. You will need a cohesive curriculum, materials, hands-on training opportunities, and a thousand other things, then there’s the question of accreditation. Maybe it will take forever, at your current pace, but it doesn’t have to. There is help! The Well Trod Path of Burnout Ministry is an endless opportunity for burnout. People are never really finished and so ministry is never really complete. If you let that get to you, you will burn out as a ministry leader. The problem compounds … Read more