Intern Program

The Perkins Intern Program is nationally recognized as a model program, second to none, in preparing persons for effective ministry in the church. The Intern Program faculty and staff are committed to working with each student individually to design an internship that maximizes learning possibilities within a "hands-on" ministerial experience.

The Perkins Internship is based on a model of "practice-reflection-practice" that teaches the intern to integrate the knowledge and theological reflection skills learned in the classroom with the practical demands of providing ministerial leadership within a congregation or church agency. While the intern performs the various tasks of ministry, a mentor pastor provides professional and theological supervision; a lay teaching committee gives regular feedback on performance; and a peer group led by a mental health consultant (sometimes joined by the faculty supervisor) provides a safe place to share experiences and receive support and wisdom. The intern faculty supervisor trains the mentor pastor and lay committee in supervisory skills and leads evaluation sessions during the internship.

Internship Options

In the full-time M.Div. internship, normally taken during the third or fourth year of the student's M.Div. program, the intern enrolls only for internship and does full-time ministry, gaining wide-ranging hands-on experience under supervision while systematically reflecting theologically on that experience. The Intern Faculty is responsible for placing full-time interns in an appropriate learning situation. The full-time internship may be 7, 9, or 12 months in length. No other employment is permitted during a full-time internship.

The concurrent M.Div. internship is designed for students who are working a minimum of 20 hours per week on a church staff or in a student pastorate and who wish to use that setting for their internship while continuing a limited amount of course work. Students should already be performing remunerative work in an appropriate position or have a firm promise of a specific job or appointment before applying for a concurrent internship. The Intern Faculty must approve the internship site and supervision. The M.Div. concurrent internship begins on June 1 and extends over a full 12 months.

Perkins Catalog: M.Div. Internship

The C.M.M. internship usually follows the concurrent model: students work at least 20 hours per week on a church staff or in a church-related agency doing work that is appropriate for their degree track while continuing to take a limited number of classes at Perkins. The internship is two terms long, from August to May. C.M.M. students who are not currently working in a position that is suitable for internship will be placed in one by the Intern Faculty. In special cases C.M.M. students may be approved by the Director of the Intern Program for a full-time 7-month internship in lieu of the two-term concurrent requirement.