Intern Program FAQ

  1. What is the Perkins Internship?
  2. What are the options for internship?
  3. When should a student do internship?
  4. How are interns placed in an internship?
  5. How long is the internship?
  6. Does a student receive degree credit for internship?
  7. May a student hold outside employment or take additional courses during internship?
  8. May an agency or extension ministry serve as an internship setting?
  9. How can a church or agency become a Perkins Internship placement?
  10. May students do internship within their own denominations?
  11. What is required of the congregation or agency placement?
  12. What is expected of the Mentor?
  13. What is expected of the Teaching Committee?
  14. What are the basic requirements of the intern?
  15. What is the role of the Intern Faculty?
  16. How does an intern differ from a professional staff member?
  17. What is the cost of the program to the congregation or agency?

 

Download the Intern Program FAQ as a pdf document.

 

Q1. WHAT IS THE PERKINS INTERNSHIP?

The Perkins Internship is a required course for the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.) degrees. The student does ministry in a church or agency setting under the supervision of a Teaching Committee, a Mentor, a Mental Health Consultant, and a member of the Intern Program Faculty. The internship is designed to help students prepare themselves for faithful leadership in Christian ministry by:

  • acquiring competence and self-confidence in carrying out the work of ministry
  • growing in awareness and integration of their personal and professional identities and gaining in emotional, spiritual and interpersonal maturity
  • deepening their understanding of ministry through theological reflection

Q2. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR INTERNSHIP?

M.Div. candidates may choose either a full-time or a part-time internship. The full-time internship requires a minimum of 35 hours of ministry per week in the internship placement. The part-time M.Div. internship requires a minimum of 25 hours a week. All M.A.M. interns do a part-time internship, working a minimum of 20 hours a week in the specialized area of their degree track. All of these minimum work hour requirements include the Internship Seminar.  All interns receive a minimum stipend.

Q3. WHEN SHOULD A STUDENT DO INTERNSHIP?

M.Div. candidates generally apply for internship in the fall of the academic year in which they will complete the courses recommended in preparation for internship, though the Intern Faculty will be glad to talk to them at any time to help them look at options. Many M.Div. students choose to complete all other degree requirements before doing a full-time internship in the final year of their degree program.  M.A.M. students who plan to complete their degree program in two years will need to apply for internship during their first Fall term at Perkins. In any case, it is important to plan ahead for internship.

Q4. HOW ARE INTERNS PLACED IN AN INTERNSHIP?

Students apply in the fall of one academic year for an internship to begin the following fall. A member of the Intern Faculty will work with each prospective intern to find and develop an internship placement that offers good potential for learning. Students are encouraged to explore placement possibilities with funding to cover the required stipend and to bring these suggestions to the placement conversation. If students are already employed in a church or agency where they wish to do internship, the Intern Faculty must approve the proposed placement and supervision.

Q5. HOW LONG IS THE INTERNSHIP?

Perkins internships are nine months long, over the fall and spring terms of one academic year. They begin in mid-August and end in May shortly before Commencement. The single exception to this rule is the CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) internship in which the student does a CPE residency on the schedule dictated by their accredited CPE center, usually four units and 12 months long.

Q6. DOES A STUDENT RECEIVE DEGREE CREDIT FOR INTERNSHIP?

Successful completion of an internship earns three credit hours per semester. M.Div. students are required to complete Internship 1 (fall) and Internship 2 (spring), for a total of six credit hours. Internship 3 is available to M.Div. students as a directed study (taken concurrently in the spring with Internship 2), for an additional three hours of elective credit.

M.A.M. students are required to complete Internship 1 (fall) for three credit hours, but have the option of enrolling in Internship 2 (spring), for an additional three hours of elective credit.

Q7. MAY A STUDENT HOLD OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT OR TAKE ADDITIONAL COURSES DURING INTERNSHIP?

This is an individual decision that depends on your personal capacity and circumstances. Students should be aware that the internship is intensive and requires significant time and energy. You’ll need to work closely with your internship team to ensure that any additional academic responsibilities do not interfere with your ministry involvement or your learning process.

Q8. MAY AN AGENCY OR EXTENSION MINISTRY SERVE AS AN INTERNSHIP SETTING?

Yes, if the learning and professional goals of the student are best served in that setting. In some cases an agency placement is linked with a church congregation to ensure the student’s exposure to the full range of ministry.

Q9. HOW CAN A CHURCH OR AGENCY BECOME A PERKINS PLACEMENT SITE?

A church or agency may contact the Perkins Intern Office to be considered as a teaching partner for internships beginning the following August.

Q10. MAY STUDENTS DO INTERNSHIP WITHIN THEIR OWN DENOMINATIONS?

The Intern Faculty are committed to placing students in internships within their own denomination whenever possible and to working with each student’s denominational polity in a way that satisfies its requirements and maintains the standards of the Intern Program.

Q11. WHAT IS REQUIRED OF THE CONGREGATION OR AGENCY?

To become a teaching congregation or agency, the administrative board or other representative governing body:

  • Commits itself to share the congregation’s faith and ministry or the agency's mission with the student in ways that encourage and facilitate the student’s personal, spiritual, and professional growth.
  • Agrees to provide a Teaching Committee whose members will attend a two-hour orientation and then meet regularly with the intern to provide support and feedback. 
  • Agrees to honor the pastor commitment of time, if she/he is the mentor, for supervision of the intern.
  • Agrees to support the intern financially; the amount of the current mandated minimum stipend is $5,400 per semester.

Q12. WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE MENTOR?

The Mentor is the professional person selected by the Intern Faculty to have primary supervisory and teaching responsibility for the intern. The Mentor commits:

  • To attend the New Mentor Institute, a two-day orientation to the Perkins Intern Program held on campus before the internship begins.
  • To select individuals to serve on the intern’s Teaching Committee (if serving on site at the intern's placement) and to attend the committee orientation and the midpoint and final evaluation meetings.
  • To attend two daylong Mentor Colloquies (one per semester) on campus during the internship.
  • To observe the intern engaged in ministry and to offer constructive mentoring.
  • To meet with the intern on a regular basis during the internship for 1 to 1-1/2 hour supervisory sessions, many of which will be focused on a theological reflection paper written by the intern about a recent ministry experience.
  • To participate in the evaluation process and all evaluation conferences.

Q13. WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE TEACHING COMMITTEE?

The Teaching Committee, usually comprising six to eight persons, should reflect the composition of the congregation/agency and be committed to the mutual learning process of the internship. The committee members commit:

  • To attend the Teaching Committee Orientation led by the Intern Faculty and to meet with the intern at least once a month throughout the internship.
  • To support the intern personally, spiritually and professionally through prayer and constructive feedback.
  • To find opportunities to observe the intern in ministry and to share with the intern honest, constructive opinions about the intern’s work in fulfillment of the required ministry competencies.
  • To participate in the evaluation process and all evaluation conferences.

Q14. WHAT ARE THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE INTERN?

  • Doing real ministry under supervision
  • Attending Intern Orientation at the start of the internship
  • Attending all Teaching Committee meetings, including the orientation
  • Writing a Learning Covenant detailing learning goals and planned experiences to achieve and demonstrate mastery of the Course Competencies
  • Writing a specified number of theological reflection papers on ministry experiences during the internship
  • Meeting on a regular basis with the Mentor for supervisory sessions
  • Participating in the Internship Seminar led by the Intern Faculty and a Mental Health Consultant skilled in church family systems, or an equivalent experience if distance precludes such meetings.
  • Preparation for and participation in all evaluation conferences.

Q15. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE INTERN FACULTY?

The primary responsibility of the Intern Faculty is to supervise the internships of all M.Div. and M.A.M. students.  The responsibilities of the Intern Faculty include:

  • Developing and negotiating intern placements and selecting the Mentor. 
  • Planning and conducting the following training events: Intern Orientation, New Mentor Institute, Teaching Committee Orientation, Consultant Convocation, and the Mentor Colloquy series
  • Supervising the Internship Seminar and the Mental Health Consultants who work with the intern groups
  • Being available for unscheduled consultation with the intern or any other member of the internship team as needed
  • Organizing and conducting all evaluation conferences
  • Making the final decision regarding the satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion of all internships and giving the final grade of Pass, Incomplete or No Credit

Q16. HOW DOES AN INTERN DIFFER FROM A PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER?

A professional staff member is oriented toward the performance of tasks. The intern is engaged in an educational process of professional formation, doing ministry and reflecting upon it in order to become a competent and thoughtful Christian leader.

Q17. WHAT IS THE COST OF THE PROGRAM TO THE CONGREGATION OR AGENCY?

The Intern receives a minimum stipend of $5,400 per semester. Internship stipends are considered taxable income by the IRS, and appropriate withholdings should be made. When planning for an intern, churches and agencies should account not only for the stipend amount but also for any standard employer-related payroll obligations, such as Social Security/FICA contributions. Contact the Intern Office to explore the possibility of grants to help cover the cost of the stipend. Interns are generally responsible for their own health insurance, though the placement church or agency may wish to assist in providing that benefit if its resources permit.