We desire to help train men to be pastors who will lovingly shepherd their flocks (1 Peter 5:1-3) for the benefit of the church and for the glory of God.
Pastoral Internship Program
Nothing fancy happens in the Redeemer Bible Fellowship pastoral internship program. We simply want to unveil regular, day-to-day ministerial life and provide men aspiring to be pastors with an ecclesiological and pastoral grid for doing the work of ministry. What does it look like to do church revitalization? How should a church be organized, specifically in an immigrant church context?
In addition to observing church life today, Redeemer interns will spend much of their time engaging in conversation with great pastors and theologians from the past.
Through these conversations and their interaction with our church’s life, interns will be exposed to the unique joys and challenges of biblical faithfulness in an immigrant church context.
Internship Structure and Work
We offer the internship program to men throughout the year. It runs at least three months to more, depending on the individual’s particular situation. A man must have completed his undergraduate degree to be a part of the program.
Due to the shortness of the internship program, men coming from outside of Redeemer should not expect to use it to help them answer the question, "Am I called to the ministry?" Three months is not enough time to confirm someone’s ministerial qualifications. Instead, we view the church sending a man into the program as bearing that responsibility. Moreover, Redeemer does not build ministry on interns, but interns should expect to teach occasionally in a variety of contexts.
The bulk of the intern’s office time will be spent being a part of church leadership meetings, reading, writing, and preparing for ministry opportunities.
Who Is Eligible?
We welcome applications from men who are interested in pastoral ministry and who are able to affirm our church's Statement of Faith. Interns will also receive a monthly stipend for food and miscellaneous expenses. We do not provide health insurance. A vehicle is necessary during the program.
What Does an Intern’s Typical Week Look Like?
In addition to the reading and writing assignments mentioned above, the intern’s week includes mandatory attendance at staff meetings, ministry meetings, shepherding meetings, diaconate meetings, all public services of the church, weddings, wedding rehearsals, funerals, intern accountability and supervision times, and any spontaneous meetings that arise in the course of a week.
Additionally, we ask interns to schedule gender appropriate one-on-one lunches with each church elder and staff member. If lunches are paid by the intern, they are reimbursable expenses. Interns also have the opportunity to schedule lunches with new and old members of the church. These lunches provide the interns with an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the church‘s history and life.
We do have a "no-dating" policy during the internship.
Lastly, we ask each intern to be an active member of a small group.
PAST INTERNS
Ryan Choy (Redeemer Bible Fellowship)
Brian Chang (Redeemer Bible Fellowship)
Ryan Cheung (Chinese Baptist Church of Orange County)