Intern Program
Our Purpose
The purpose of Christ Fellowship's intern program is to teach, train, and test men in the hands-on environment of a local church, in order to prepare and evaluate them for the possibility of future biblical eldership, either with Christ Fellowship or with another church or ministry (e.g., missions).Our Emphasis
Because of our philosophy of ministry and doctrinal convictions, our intern program will place particular emphasis on apostolic methods of evangelism, biblical eldership in a house church environment, and baptistic, new covenant theology with a high view of the sovereignty of God in all of life.Our Plan
Our plan is threefold:- Teaching: In addition to any college and/or seminary education interns currently have or intend to pursue, the elders of Christ Fellowship will provide instruction in matters of doctrine, evangelism, church practice, and biblical eldership. Teaching will rarely be in the form of lecture, but rather, most often, through discussions with the elders and other interns. In addition, interns will be given reading, writing, and Scripture memory assignments, and may be required to attend specified Bible conferences or lectures.
- Training: Interns will be given numerous opportunities to hone their teaching skills. These will most often be in the context of the elder/intern meetings and home congregation gatherings, but may also include preaching at our whole-church gatherings. Teaching and preaching will be evaluated and critiqued by the elders and others who can provide sound, pertinent input. Interns will also be required to regularly attend another religious gathering with the goal of building up any true believers who are there and explaining the gospel to any who do not understand.
- Testing: Interns will be required to attend a weekly meeting with the elders and other interns. The times and length of these meetings may vary (usually 2-3 hours in the mid-afternoon or evening). It will be helpful for interns to have a somewhat flexible schedule. Interns will also be assigned the duties of planning, coordinating, and carrying out much of the necessary work involved in the various activities of the church. In this way they will not only serve the body of Christ and relieve the elders, but will also have the opportunity to demonstrate their eagerness to be found faithful in whatever tasks they are assigned.
Prerequisites
Because we will make a significant investment in an intern (both financially and practically), not just anyone may be a part of the program. A prospective intern must meet the following criteria:- He must be a member of Christ Fellowship for a minimum of six months before applying for the intern program.
Note: The only exception will be in the case of prospective interns who will be moving to our area for the purpose of internship. In such cases, membership with Christ Fellowship will still be required before entering the program, but the six-month period will be waived if the prospective intern can provide satisfactory written commendation (as defined in prerequisite #2). - He must obtain written commendations from three people (not family members) who are known and approved by the elders. These people must affirm their current and personal awareness of the applicant's character, enthusiasm, self-discipline, work ethic, teachable spirit, submission to leadership, cooperation with others, faithfulness in attendance and participation, etc.
- He must not be biblically disqualified for eldership in any way (see Appointment and Removal of Elders for elder qualifications).
Note: The only possible exception to this prerequisite is that interns (though not elders) may, in some cases, be "recent converts" (as described in 1 Timothy 3:6, ESV). - He must be in complete agreement with Holding Fast the Word of Life, Christ Fellowship's statement of faith. If there are points of doctrine that he does not fully understand, or with which he does not fully agree, he is required to disclose his differences and/or lack of understanding in writing before entering the program. The elders will review his written statements and determine whether or not his doctrinal differences and/or lack of understanding are significant enough to preclude him from teaching, in which case he would be ineligible for the intern program.
- He must be in agreement with Christ Fellowship's philosophy of ministry, particularly concerning:
- our plurality of elders
- our commitment to meeting primarily in homes
- our structure (multiple home congregations forming one local church)
- our use of apostolic methods for evangelism
- our conviction that regular church gatherings are meetings for believers, not primarily for the purpose of evangelism or church growth
- He must believe, and convince the elders, that he is "called to preach," meaning he has a God-given desire, evident giftedness, and every intention, to dedicate his life to serving as a pastor, missionary, evangelist, church planter, Bible teacher, etc. Our investment in the training of interns is too significant to allow for those who merely want the experience or education.
Compensation
Interns will be paid $200.00 per month during their internship, which will be a minimum of one year, but not more than two years. At any point during the program, the elders may remove an intern if he demonstrates obvious and/or persistent shortcomings regarding the character qualities and personal disciplines mentioned in prerequisite #2, or is found to be clearly disqualified for eldership.Counting the Cost
Like all dedicated Christian ministry, internship will place certain necessary demands on a man and his family (e.g. time, energy, extra study, etc.). Men who are already excessively busy with school or work, or those who do not have the full and informed support of significant family members (specifically, wives) should not consider internship.Reading Requirements
Interns will be required to read 2 books during each quarter of internship (i.e. 2 books every three months). All books must be selected from the list below, and at least one must be read from each of the six categories. Previously-read books may not be selected. After reading each book, the intern must submit a written overview, no more than 2 pages in length (typed, single-spaced), which he will distribute and verbally summarize at one of the elder/intern meetings. Interns must obtain their own books for these reading assignments.- Pastoral Ministry/Preaching
Biblical Eldership—Alexander Strauch
The Reformed Pastor—Richard Baxter
Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry—Thomas K. Ascol, editor
Preaching and Preachers—D. Martin Lloyd Jones
The Supremacy of God in Preaching—John Piper
Feed My Sheep—Don Kistler, general editor
Reforming Pastoral Ministry—John Armstrong, ed.
- Calvinistic Theology
The Potter's Freedom—James White
The Five Points of Calvinism—Steele, Thomas, and Quinn
The Sovereignty of God (unabridged version)—A. W. Pink
The Freedom of the Will—Jonathan Edwards
Redemption, Accomplished and Applied—John Murray
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ—John Owen
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination—Lorraine Boettner
A Price for a People—Tom Wells
By His Grace and For His Glory—Dr. Thomas J. Nettles
- General Theology
The God Who Justifies—James White
Scripture Alone—James White
The Gospel According to Jesus—John MacArthur
The Gospel According to the Apostles—John MacArthur
The Battle for the Beginning—John MacArthur
The Attributes of God—A. W. Pink
The Holiness of God—R. C. Sproul
Jonathan Edwards & Hell—Chris Morgan
New Covenant Theology—Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel
Tablets of Stone (revised version)—John Reisinger
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God—D. A. Carson
Showing the Spirit—D. A. Carson
- Evangelism/Missions/Revival
Let the Nations Be Glad—John Piper
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God—J. I. Packer
God-sent Revival—John Thornbury
Revival and Revivalism—Iain Murray
The Old Evangelicalism—Iain Murray
Evangelicalism Divided—Iain Murray
Revival—Brian H. Edwards
A Call to Spiritual Reformation—D. A. Carson
- Church History/Biography
Jonathan Edwards; A New Biography—Iain Murray
The Forgotten Spurgeon—Iain Murray
A Quest for Godliness—J. I. Packer
The Reformers and Their Stepchildren—Leonard Verduin
The Life and Diary of David Brainard—Jonathan Edwards, editor
George Whitefield—Arnold A. Dallimore
Spurgeon; A New Biography—Arnold Dallimore
D. Martin Lloyd Jones (2 volumes, counting as two books)—Iain Murray
Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John Patton—James Patton, editor
- Apologetics/World View
Does God Believe in Atheists?—John Blanchard
Apologetics to the Glory of God—John M. Frame
The Consequences of Ideas—R. C. Sproul
How Then Should We Live?—Francis A. Schaeffer
Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy—Francis A. Schaeffer
Jesus Among Other Gods—Ravi Zacharias
Always Ready—Greg Bahnsen
(Other books may be added to this list in the future)
Review of an Unbiblical Book
(pursuant to Titus 1:9) In addition to the reading assignments described above, each intern must review and refute the teaching of one book of his choice (one that is currently in print) that presents Christian doctrine and/or practice in an unbiblical manner. The book must be previously unread and the intern's choice must be approved by an elder. This review should be more in-depth than the summaries of the books listed above, and at least 4 pages in length (typed, single-spaced).Scripture Memory
Each intern must memorize all of 1 Timothy as well as 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 (a total of 120 verses). To accomplish this assignment in one year, the intern would need to memorize an average of 10 verses per month. Scripture memory may be done using NKJV, NASB, or ESV.Copyright © 2003 Christ Fellowship of Kansas City
Permission is granted to adapt this statement for your church, using the phrase, "Adapted from the policy of Christ Fellowship of Kansas City" in the copyright statement.
