Supervised Ministry: Interns for Churches & Congregations
At CTS, we seek to prepare women and men for faithful, imaginative and effective leadership in the church and community. We partner with local congregations to provide our students with a yearlong ministry internship that is practical and relevant. Our CTS students reflect a wide range of diversity—both in terms of who they are as people and in their anticipated vocational paths—so we seek the same in our ministry partners. Together, we’re intentionally raising up future ministers who are, ultimately, reflective of our diverse world.
About the Supervised Ministry Program
Our Supervised Ministry program provides practical experience before students enter full-time ministry. We also want to make it beneficial for participating churches and congregations. Together, it becomes a rich teaching and learning experience for all. Click the tabs below to learn about the application process, expectations and more.
- Church Application Process
- Securing a Student
- Timeline of Supervised Ministry Program
- Expectations of a Participating Church
Church Application Process
- Complete Supervised Ministry Application and submit it to the CTS Supervised Ministry Office.
- Meet with a CTS Supervised Ministry staff member as part of the application process.
- Once approved as a CTS Supervised Ministry partner site, receive resumes from students interested in an internship position at your congregation.
- Choose who you wish to interview and set up times to meet.
- Interview prospective students and offer the internship to your top candidate.
Securing a Student
It is our desire to provide every participating church with an intern from the Supervised Ministry program. Our ability to do that depends on the number of students seeking internships as well as the availability of a student who is the right match. At CTS, we do not assign students to churches but help facilitate the process between them and churches. Ultimately, it is up to the student and the church to decide they are a good fit for one another.
The Supervised Ministry Staff will lend its support at every turn, but we do not appoint, place, assign, reassign or terminate students at ministry sites. However, we do welcome feedback on students who are interviewed or interning at your site. This helps us refine our process and prepare students for future opportunities.
Timeline of Supervised Ministry Program
- February:
Congregations submit their application to be ministry teaching sites. - March & April:
Congregations receive/review student profiles, choose which students to interview, and select, negotiate and call that student. - May – July 1:
Congregations call the Supervised Ministry Office to inform us of the student who has been selected. - August:
Mentors and Ministry Support Committee members attend training at CTS (if new to the program). - September:
Supervised Ministry positions begin. - May:
Supervised Ministry position ends.
Expectations of a Participating Church
- The congregation employs the student an average of 12-15 hours per week (including preparation time), from September through May under a job description with clearly defined expectations. A minimum salary of $6,000 is encouraged for that time period.
- The student is introduced to the congregation as part of the professional ministerial staff (to the extent that is appropriate in a given tradition).
- The pastor or another theologically-trained person serves as the student’s Ministry Mentor, meeting weekly to provide direct mentoring and supervision. The Ministry Mentor provides a student evaluation at the end of each semester.
- A Ministry Support Committee of 4-7 adults meets with the student monthly. Committee members receive training from CTS. At the end of each semester, the committee provides the student with an evaluation.
- Where possible, office space and administrative support is provided for the student.
The Student Support Network
Ministerial learning occurs in a community of people committed to enhancing the student’s growth as a faithful and competent minister. Together, this community supports the student by setting goals, providing support, and sharing observations, evaluation and mutual learning.
Ministry Mentor
- Pastor of the church
- Meet with student weekly
Ministry Support Committee
- 4-7 adults from the site selected by site supervisor or congregational leadership and represent the diversity of age and gender evident in the population of the site
- Meet with student monthly
Student Peer Group
- Meet together weekly
- Explore questions of personal and pastoral identity and the practice of ministry
Student Reflection Group
- Meet together monthly
- Share experiences, exchange ideas, encourage one another
