 |
They say experience is the best teacher, something that St. Peter, Fort Collins, Colo., has been putting into practice for the past 20 years. Since 2004, the congregation has been providing hands-on ministry experience to two different interns every year from Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn.
For ten weeks each summer, the two MLC students—one in the teacher track and one in the pastor track—immerse themselves in ministry experiences at St. Peter. They assist with everything from vacation Bible school to Sunday school to kids camps to worship services. The interns are also given the opportunity to develop and lead new community outreach events.
The St. Peter interns are paid for their work, funded almost fully by the congregation. The goal is to help them gain valuable ministry experience in lieu of a traditional part-time summer job. “We aren’t doing this to get free help,” says Joel Spaude, pastor at St. Peter. “Whoever comes here as future called workers will get a really good experience of what ministry is like.” Congregation members provide housing, meals, transportation, and recreational experiences for the interns.
Each MLC intern serves for two summers, and after the second summer, helps choose his or her replacement. A year-one intern always serves alongside a veteran year-two intern.
Josie Sims, a junior at MLC in elementary education, just finished her second summer serving at St. Peter. “Being a St. Peter intern has allowed me to be on a faculty for a summer and work alongside pastors and teachers,” she says. “What a great opportunity for MLC students to get real-life experience before they take a call.”
Johannes Bourman, a junior in the pastor track at MLC, will return to St. Peter next summer for his second year. He says, “Being able to work with people and help them understand the Bible has been such an honor and blessing. I can’t wait for that again.”
The blessings of the internship program extend to St. Peter as well. “It’s allowed our congregation to do ministry we wouldn’t have the manpower to do,” says Spaude. “It also keeps the training program at MLC in front of our people here in Colorado.”
Micah Plocher, pastor at Trinity, Nicollet, Minn., served as a St. Peter intern in 2012 and 2013. “My summers at St. Peter might have been the most influential factor in keeping me excited to study for public ministry through college,” he remembers. “The chances I had to love and serve people with the gospel cemented my desire to be a pastor and got me really excited for ministry—an excitement I still feel today.”
Work while it is day
Similar to the internship program at St. Peter, the Daylight program at Martin Luther College (MLC) provides short-term mission trip experiences to students. It encourages them to “work while it is day” during their school breaks as they assist WELS congregations in sharing Jesus’ love with their members and communities.
“Students who participate are blessed to share their faith in new settings, experience joy in service, and cultivate a practical skill set for ministry,” says Angela Scharf, a coordinator of the Daylight program. More than 2,500 MLC students have served WELS congregations through short-term mission experiences since the early 2000s. MLC encourages students to take advantage of the Daylight program at least once during their college years.
After students complete their ministry experience, Scharf meets with them to debrief. “They are on fire for the Word when they return,” she says. “They got to share their faith, and they are working for their future.”
Learn more about the Daylight program at MLC.
Author: FIC
Volume 111, Number 09
Issue: September 2024
