Ignite

Leadership Development Training

A Paid 12-Week Internship Program for college and seminary students that will empower you to clarify your God-given purpose and equip you with the tools you need to holistically thrive as a leader in God’s Church. 

 
 

  • The cohort is designed to purposefully and creatively build a culture of high accountability. Peers are encouraged to learn together, support each other, succeed together, collaborate, and coach each other.

  • Interns will be challenged to identify community needs both within and outside of the congregation. They will then propose and implement solutions via their Capstone Project. The project can be independent research conducted, a historical analysis, a launching of a new ministry, or anything else that the intern wants to do. Once interns choose a ministry track (see below), interns will work closely with their mentor to develop the project. They will complete a final presentation of their project to their cohort peers and mentors at the closing Leader Development Retreat.

  • Each intern will be provided with a mentor from one of our partner organizations. The mentor will partner with you to equip you as a leader in your respective field. Interns will work closely with their mentor to formulate their Capstone Project. They will help you to achieve your personal or career goals, refining your strengths and challenging your weaknesses.

  • The internship will end with a Leadership Development Retreat in which interns will have the opportunity to reflect on what they’ve learned and to think critically about how they will apply their new tools, skills, and insights.

 
 

Program Overview

Application Due: July 15th, 2022*

Internship Start: August 29th, 2022

This is a rolling application. The final application deadline for the fall semester is July 15th. Once you’ve completed the application, you will be scheduled for an interview during the month of August if we think you might be a good fit. Please note: we will only be accepting 10-12 interns for each semester cohort, so it is best to apply sooner rather than later. Once we reach capacity, we will be unable to accept any more applicants.*

 

We believe that we are called not to preserve the Church for the previous generation, but to create the Church of the next generation. We believe that the Church doesn’t “happen to us” but that we (yes, you!) are called to co-create with God. Bethel Church of Morristown, in partnership with ministry partners (LUNA, Spring Street CDC, Crossing Capital Group, Oikos Institute) will be providing personalized Leadership Development to help you find your purpose in Christ.

Through training and mentorship, we will help you identify how your career goals and your calling to ministry align. The program also aims to raise up diverse ecumenical Christian leaders who are able to facilitate dialogue at the intersection of race and faith. The program will intentionally address the question of racial equity in the Church.

Interns will have many opportunities to brainstorm and launch new ministry projects with fellow peers. The intern ministry provides the chance for interns to explore how their faith translates to action in the local community context. Internship Cohorts will operate on a semester to semester basis. Students can choose to participate for one semester or to extend their work depending on their own personal goals and priorities. 

Ministry Tracks

Interns should choose 1-2 tracks (no more than 3) they would like to pursue. The Capstone Project should have an emphasis on one particular track, however depending on the nature of the project, can bridge tracks together. Intern will work closely with their mentor to determine how they would like to grow as a leader and pursue their Capstone Project.

 

TRACK 1: Faith and Finance (Crossing Capital Group) For students interested in careers in consulting, LUNA will partner you with mentors from Crossing Capital Group and you will have opportunities to support the work of the NJ Benefit Corporation. Crossing Capital Group is a New Jersey Benefit Corporation that supports communities of faith, seminaries, and colleges in reimagining their mission, ministries, and physical assets to create spaces, services, OR businesses that generate positive  social impact. Project ideas include financial modeling for real estate development projects, raising capital for catalytic investments. 

TRACK 2: Social Impact (Oikos Institute for Social Impact) For students interested in careers around social impact LUNA will partner you with mentors from Oikos, and will have opportunities to support the work of the non-profit. The Oikos Institute for Social Impact helps congregations harness the power of their assets in order to be a catalyst for communal transformation and economic renewal. Project ideas include new uses for sanctuary space at Bethel such as creating student learning space and cultivating a place for the arts. 

TRACK 3: Emotional & Spiritual Health (LUNA) LUNA exists to facilitate spaces and provides resources for students to grow in their emotional and spiritual health so that they can be holistically successful students. We believe the healthier students are emotionally and spiritually, the better they will perform academically so that they can become all that God has called them to be in their respective academic and career fields. LUNA EMPOWERED INC. partners with local churches in strategic regions to support them in their ministerial goals to reach the youth of this generation. Project ideas include: Emotional & Spiritual Health Training and Programming for Congregants, Healing and Deliverance Ministry, Evangelism & Outreach Strategy. 

TRACK 4: Church Administration & Worship Arts (Bethel) (Bethel) lives the mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, ministering to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ’s liberating gospel through word and deed. Interns will have an opportunity to reimagine the following ministries at Bethel: Youth Ministry, Worship Ministry, Prayer Ministry, Evangelism Ministry, Inner Healing and Deliverance Ministry. Seminary students will work closely with Rev.Dr.Sidney Williams Jr. to discuss their involvement in the local congregation. They will be provided with numerous opportunities to use their ministerial gifts to lead in God’s Church. 

TRACK 5: Community Engagement (Spring Street CDC) For individuals interested in careers around social work, LUNA will partner you with mentors from the Spring Street CDC, and will have opportunities to support the work of the non-profit. Programs include: Table of Hope Soup Kitchen, Healthy Women Healthy Families, New Life Recovery and Reentry Program, Student Outreach and Academic Enrichment (SOAR) Program, and COVID Education Vaccine and Testing Information. Project ideas include: Additional Programming for High School and Middle School Students (Emotional & Mental Health, Academic Enrichment, etc,...), College Readiness Programming, Youth Branch of New Life Recovery, Online Training Modules.

Have Questions?

 

Mya McQueen and Nicole Williams of LUNA EMPOWERED INC. (LUNA) are the lead program administrators. If interns have any questions during the application process or doing the program, they should email LUNA at admin@lunaempowered.org. During the program, Nicole and Mya’s personal contact information will be provided to cohort participants.