Internship

Like I said before, I had an internship this semester through my Intro to Ministry class. I was working with The Minister of Discipleship and Young Married Adults at First Woodway. Overall, I absolutely loved getting more involved with this church. First Woodway was going through a lot of changes and it was really awesome to get to see the church body follow Christ and trust in His promises. 

At the beginning of the semester, our professor told us that this internship would either confirm our calling into ministry or show us that this isn't what God has called us to do with our lives. This scared me to death when I first heard it. Umm excuse me, I'm in my second year at college and I'm planning on going into ministry. What am I supposed to do if this internship shows me I'm not made for this? It terrified me. However, this internship taught me a few things:

1. Ministry, and the life of a minister, is a hard life.

• Ministry is a full time job. It isn't 8-5 like other jobs so there is no telling when you may be called in to handle a situation
• The repercussions of this job have eternal consequences. This thought is very intimidating to me. In ministry, I have to realize that literally every action of mine can draw someone closer to or further from Christ. 
• You're in charge of leading other people and their walk with Christ which means you have to keep up with your walk with Christ. If a minister stops talking to God, stops reading scripture, and stops working on their relationship with Christ, it will affect their ministry. 

2. Ministry is also rewarding

• This job has eternal consequences which can be intimidating but it can also be so exciting! My job will allow me to spread the word of Christ. What an awesome privilege! 

3. Keeping up with church/culture trends isn't as easy as it sounds

• American families are drastically changing and this has a profound impact on family ministry. How does the church handle homosexuality as it is becoming legal is many state? How does the church be in the world but not of the world? It's hard to stick to your morals with a lot of big issues like this while also being loving, welcoming, and non judgmental.

4. I'm not sure I'm called to work in a church

• Let me clarify, I still believe with my whole heart that I'm called into ministry; I'm just not sure it's ministry within a church. My heart is always pulled towards those in need. Whether it be poverty, seeking shelter from abuse, homelessness, or anything of that sort, I want to help them. I want to help their immediate needs while telling them about how God can help their spiritual needs. At this point, I feel like my calling is in family ministries within urban missions rather than within a traditional church setting. 

My internship was one of the most valuable experiences I've had in college thus far. It helped me figure out exactly what I believe with certain issues and it gave me the opportunity to see how church life is behind the scenes. It was encouraging, overwhelming at times, and reaffirmed my decision to give my life to full time Christian ministry.