University education to calling, beginning pastor to licensed minister, then on to commissioning or ordination. Pastors are made, not born. And ministerial internships are an important part of that process.
Every year, conference presidents and ministerial secretaries travel to Avondale University to interview graduating theology students. The students indicate their preference for future jobs—usually chaplaincy or pastoring—and program leaders consider those preferences along with candidates’ specific attributes and strengths before recommending them for an internship placement.
“Internships are important because those initial two years are when new pastors develop the basic skills they need to succeed in ministry,” says Pr Andre Vieira, Greater Sydney Conference Ministerial Association Secretary. “They need a lot of supervision and support, time to make mistakes and learn, and the freedom to ask questions so they can grow as much as possible in a safe environment.”
Internships start as soon as ministerial students graduate from college. They receive a calling to intern for a local conference as a school chaplain or pastor for two years. During this time, interns are accountable to work with an appointed supervisor, a senior minister who will supervise them and serve as a mentor and coach during the internship.
Once a year, all interns in the Australian Union attend a week-long camp, where they meet with union staff and mentor pastors to become inspired, share, learn, and find motivation to serve others. “The intern camp … was vital for my ministry,” says intern Josh Carnie, who is serving as Kellyville.Church Associate Pastor and Hills Adventist College Chaplain. “It inspired me that there were so many leaders that wanted to pour into my leadership and help me understand the reality of ministry in all its glory.”
Mentor pastors aren’t the only ones who help interns as they learn and grow. “Local churches, especially the elders, need to be tolerant and patient,” shares Pr Vieira.
“They can work alongside senior pastors in encouraging, coaching, and mentoring interns so they can grow.” He shares that most church leaders understand interns are new to ministry and grant them patience and grace. “Everyone is in this together,” he says, “and everyone benefits if we have good interns becoming pastors”.
Once the two-year internship process is complete, candidates qualify to become licensed ministers. After more experience, they can be commissioned or ordained. But the internship program is vital in helping support them in the early days of their ministry and helping them move into future leadership roles.
And it’s looking forward to this lifetime of ministry that makes the internship program so important, according to Pr Vieira. “Ministry isn’t a career, it’s a service,” he says. “When people work in a corporation, they expect to grow in rank. But in ministry, the highest position is ordained minister, so the local church is actually the highest placement. Whatever appointments people receive is the church recognising specific skills that make some people able to serve in different roles, like conference president or official. But those people are ordained ministers first, so there’s no higher position in the church than ordained minister.”
Diversity and inclusion matter more than ever in ministry, and Australian Union officials are working to increase the numbers of women and minorities in pastoral roles. “We have opened doors,” says Pr Vieira. “This year we’ve had the biggest group of young women yet, and that’s very exciting. We’re spreading the word and trying to encourage women to study to be pastors.” He acknowledges that progress is slow, but he’s proud of how the Australian Union is moving forward. “Especially in chaplaincy and some of the bigger churches, women are in demand. They can connect better with specific groups, and some churches request women ministers because it will facilitate some of the work they do. The culture is changing, but it takes time.”
So does becoming a pastor. The long road from school to senior pastor takes years, and the internship opportunity helps shape graduates and determines the type of minster they will become.
“I have really enjoyed my internship experience with the Greater Sydney Conference,” shares intern Josh Carnie. “Since day one, I have felt supported by the conference, as well as my local church mentor. Being placed at a campus church has been a dream, and I have loved every day of it! My mentor, Pr Martin Vukmanic, has encouraged me to be as active as I can within the community and to find ways according to my giftings, strengths and passions to best serve the church. Being an intern is giving me an opportunity to understand what type of minister I want to be and what that actually looks like from day to day… I love being a pastor, and I feel like the process so far has taught me how to be a pastor for the long run!”
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Interested in pastoral ministry? To serve local needs, ask church elders about available volunteer positions, or visit https://sydney. adventist.org.au/volunteer/. If you want to become a pastor, the best pathway is attending Avondale University or Mamarapha College. Admissions counselors and conference ministerial secretaries can help guide you.
