Want to Build a Pastoral Internship? 4 Steps

Paul’s words to his protégé, Timothy, inform the aim of pastoral training in every generation:

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim 2:2 ESV)

We are to raise up faithful leaders who will be able to instruct the church in sound doctrine.

One way to accomplish this task is through a pastoral internship: a definite amount of time given to training aspiring leaders for the prospect of pastoral ministry.

Although many pastors recognize the need to “entrust [the gospel] to faithful men,” many feel they lack the infrastructure, budget, or capacity to do it well. Yet whether you pastor a large or a small church, whether you’re full-time or bivocational, I firmly believe you already have everything you need to train aspiring pastors.

While no two internships (or churches, for that matter) are alike, the essential ingredients remain the same: 

1. Faithful, qualified leaders
2. Development in sound doctrine and piety
3. Practical, hands-on experience
4. Meaningful feedback and guidance

Let’s consider these four elements.

1. Aspiration

“If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Tim 3:1). This statement by the Apostle Paul establishes two foundational principles for training future pastors:

1. Pastoral ministry is good work.
2. The goodness of this work commends aspiration. 

Sometimes people can be discouraged from aspiring to ministry out of fear of becoming proud or presumptuous. But Paul seems to suggest this kind of godly ambition is to be encouraged. Given this, the first step to building a pastoral internship is to openly commend godly, ministry-focused ambition with the aim of identifying and equipping pastoral prospects. 

But how are such individuals to be identified? Seven qualities come to mind: 

1. Faithful: Above all else, he is not to be a recent convert (1 Tim 3:6) but a maturing individual who demonstrates steadfast faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:58). Can anything greater be expected of a gospel steward than that he “be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:2)?
2. Responsible: Is he a good steward of his time, resources, and relationships? More of a doer than a dreamer, does he “bear his own load” (Gal 6:5) and “work heartily for the Lord” (Col 3:23)?
3. Dependable: Look for those who independently finish what they start. If someone needs his hand held through every task, he will be a burden. But the Bible says that one who is able to ingeniously fulfill his duties is like a cold drink on a hot day to those who send him (Prov 25:13).
4. Teachable: Avoid “puffed up” individuals at all costs (1 Cor 8:1). Instead, look for those who are humble and seek out knowledge with “discerning hearts” and “wise ears” (Prov 18:15).
5. Sociable:¹ If someone likes to learn but does not like people, he cannot be a pastor. He must take a genuine interest in others with the intent of doing them spiritual good. Look for those who value their fellow church members. Does he arrive early to church and linger afterward? Is he hospitable? Does he pursue all kinds of people? Would-be pastors should love being “among the flock” (1 Pet 5:2).
6. Agreeable: Look for a man who eagerly pursues unity (Eph 4:2) and lives in harmony with everyone, as he’s able (Rom 12:16). You want to train up uniters, not dividers—the kind of person who does not “major in the minors” but is adept at finding common ground through Christ.
7. Accountable: All leaders are followers: followers of Christ, first and foremost. But also, in his ministry as a member, he willingly submits himself to the church’s leadership. If a man will not follow, he cannot lead. This does not mean he is a “yes man,” but that he is humble in his attitude toward godly authority. Look for those who are a joy rather than a headache to lead (Heb 13:17). 

Let me offer a final word on aspiring leaders: A pastoral internship need not be limited exclusively to future pastors. Many churches would benefit from simply providing a clear path for saints who want to be strengthened spiritually and equipped ministerially.

Some individuals know this about themselves and will take initiative to apply or join your internship. Other worthy candidates may not see in themselves what you see in them. An internship may be the very thing that grows their confidence in the Lord, in their gifts, and in their service to the church. My advice to pastors is to go after the ones you want. Cast a vision for their growth. Invite them to pray about the opportunity. And affirm to them: “You can do this!” Sometimes, all a faithful member needs is a simple vision and some encouragement to knock them off the fence.

2. Education

Once you find the right kind of intern (or interns), turn your attention to laying strong foundations in two essential areas: doctrine and devotion.

i. Doctrine

Throughout the Pastoral Epistles, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine for churches. He exhorts Timothy to closely watch his life and doctrine (1 Tim 4:16) and to commit himself to “the teaching that accords with godliness” (1 Tim 6:1). Titus was charged to “teach sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9; 2:1) with “integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned” (Titus 2:7). Paul then summarizes the doctrinal content of a faithful ministry:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–15)

More could be included, but Paul manages to lay out in a mere four verses what doctrines Christ’s under-shepherds are tasked to guard and teach:

• The glory and grace of the triune God
• revealed in his plan of salvation,
• accomplished by the death of Jesus Christ,
• and applied to his redeemed and purified church
• that they might live godly lives in the world 
• as they await the second coming of Jesus.

In so many lines, Paul establishes his pastoral interns (so to speak) in a doctrinally sound confession. Timothy and Titus and the many men to whom this doctrine was entrusted (2 Tim 2:2) were to know, teach, and guard this confession.

Whether through the reading of good books, guided study, or seminary partnerships, pastors must provide pastoral interns with theological education to do the same. 

ii. Devotion

Sound doctrine may be essential, but it’s not exceptional. A man cannot have godly piety without sound doctrine, but he can have sound doctrine without godly piety. Puffed up pastoral interns who divorce their knowledge from the enjoyment of God will neither grow in godliness nor endure in ministry.

To these ends, aspiring leaders must be trained in devotion as well as doctrine. Matthew Bingham’s recently published book, A Heart Aflame for God (Crossway, 2025), is a generally useful guide. He identifies three foundational areas that are key for spiritual formation:

1. Scripture: Spiritual formation is a “word-based affair.” No real spiritual growth is possible apart from God’s Word. Interns must learn to be attentive to Scripture, not merely for public teaching, but especially for guarding their own hearts and enjoying God. How will you build attentive Scripture reading into your pastoral internship?
   
2. Meditation: In a technological, social-media age that incessantly begs for our attention, how will the intern learn to follow Paul by fixing their minds on godly things (Phil 4:8)? By this, I don’t mean reading more books (Eccl 12:12) but growing in one’s ability to set aside time to deliberately sustain godly thoughts for the sake of growing in holiness. How will you build this kind of meditation into your internship?
3. Prayer: The intern must learn to pray in a way that his prayers become the primary way he praises and gives thanks to God (Ps 34:1) while believing Scripture’s promises that God will bless him through it (Matt 6:9–13; John 15:16). How will you prioritize prayer in your pastoral internship? 

A pastor must train interns to be both knowledgeable and godly by modeling godly piety. This is what translates mere knowledge about God to an enjoyment of God, which is necessary for a fruitful and enduring ministry. Lord willing, his pastoral interns graduate their internships confessing, “More so now than when I began, I love God, desire to be more like him, and aspire to serve others for his glory!”

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3. Participation

In addition to theological education and spiritual growth, a pastoral internship must be practical. Ideally, an intern will observe and participate in key areas of pastoral ministry, including but not limited to the following:

Teaching and preaching

• Preparation: Involve interns in the sermon preparation process. This might include co-working on an exegetical outline, gospel-connections, or practical applications.
• Training: Besides good books on teaching and preaching, consider ways to get interns engaged in actual Word-work. To this end, you might consider taking them to a nearby Simeon Trust workshop.
• Evaluation: Start a weekly sermon review meeting in which interns learn to offer godly encouragement and criticism of the most recent sermon.
• Preaching: If you want to train pastors, then would-be pastors need to preach. This might look like a lab-setting in which they preach to a smaller group, or perhaps to the whole church in a mid-week or Sunday evening service. Providing multiple opportunities for them to teach and preach, while providing an evaluation loop each time (see above), will help them grow in their skills.

Serving and leading

• Serving: Consider requiring a season of service in certain ministries of the church that encourage faithfulness in anonymity: weekly administration, children’s ministry, set up and tear down, etc. Those who are enthusiastic to serve the church in ways that are largely unnoticed and unappreciated—because it serves the church and not themselves—will grow in humility and are more likely to grow into sympathetic leaders.
• Leading: Following seasons of faithful, anonymous service, consider ways to integrate interns into public leadership roles. This might include teaching Sunday school classes, organizing evangelistic outings, or praying public prayers in the worship service.

Discipling and shepherding

• Discipling: As I’ve argued elsewhere, every disciple in the church should be discipling, with pastors as the chief disciplers in the church. How will you encourage pastoral interns to initiate discipling relationships that help other church members grow spiritually?
• Shepherding: Pastoral interns should be exposed to every aspect of pastoral leadership. Consider requiring attendance at elder and deacon meetings followed by debriefing opportunities. You might also bring them on pastoral visitations, as well as certain pastoral counseling sessions (with permission from the member).

4. Evaluation

Throughout the internships, schedule critical evaluations for each intern. These aim to help them grow in one or more of the areas above and will allow them an opportunity to evaluate the internship in connection with their expectations and desires.

Each intern is different, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all program, so regular evaluations provide opportunities to better tune the internship to the particular needs of the interns as you go.

The best time to start is now!

Every pastor should commit himself to training future pastors (2 Tim 2:2), whether for vocational ministry or “lay” leadership. While one might build a program for the elements mentioned above, pastoral internships aren’t ultimately about programs but discipleship. And every pastor, regardless of church size and available resources, can commit himself to discipling at least one would-be church leader.

My encouragement: Don’t wait until your church grows to a certain size or you have the bandwidth to build an expansive program. Start now. The need for godly leaders is too great to delay! Assuming godliness and faithfulness in your ministry, you have everything you need: Give them yourself. Say, “Come, follow me as I follow Christ” (cf. 1 Cor 11:1).

A good pastor is the most valuable resource for training interns to become good pastors. Find one would-be pastor, give him yourself. Then find another … and another … and another, and keep going for as long as the Lord strengthens you for such a ministry.

Resources for your pastoral internship

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• 8 Ways to Gain Ministry Experience While in Seminary
• Does Your Church Have a Discipleship Culture? How to Cultivate It
• Go Beyond the Pulpit. Pastor While “Walking Around.”

1. By “sociable,” I do not mean that a candidate must be extroverted, but that, regardless of the particulars of his personality, he nonetheless exercises genuine concern and interest in people.