This is my 2013 Doctor of Ministry project at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This study is 360 pages, long counting the extensive appendices. It seeks to discover the key components for developing a church-based, mentor-led internship for Master of Divinity students at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA; one that would expose future church planters to the real-world issues of entrepreneurial church starting. What would it take to prepare well-equipped planters who are strong in content (knowing), character (being), and competencies (doing)?
To accomplish these objectives, qualitative research interviews were done with twenty-one educational and church planting leaders. In addition, to discover key design components of other effective internships, a careful examination was made of online and print field education documents from twelve evangelical seminaries. A study of mentoring practice seen in both Testaments, particularly as modeled by Jesus and Paul, revealed the prominence of this leadership development approach. A review of relevant educational literature on the best training principles and practices for adult learners provided additional insights for designing a holistic leadership training model.
The research I did revealed ten core components for an effective seminary internship. These essential features can be implemented by both schools and churches preparing church planters. The completed study led to the development of a church planting internship manual for our seminary’s church planting training program. The manual is the centerpiece of the project’s extensive appendix. It could serve a helpful model for churches and schools setting up their own training internship.