OVERVIEW

The ONE HOPE Pastoral Internship Program is a five-month, full-time internship at The Garden Church in Baltimore. It is designed to expose men to the day-to-day life of a healthy church in a low-income urban context. Interns primarily spend their days reading books and articles on ministry, the Gospel, ecclesiology, and the urban context. Interns additionally accompany the pastor to various duties. Interns are fully involved in all programs and services of the church. They will attend all services and be placed on a ministry team.

Who is this for? Men who desire eldership/pastoral work in the urban, low-income context.

Note: We lean toward those with urban experience and who desire to be the main preaching pastor for a church, however, we are open to all candidates with the desire of serving their church as an elder. Preference is given to candidates who are serving in a low-income context or plan to live and remain in a low-income ministry context.

ONE HOPE’s Pastoral Internship Program introduces interns to the regular, day-to-day life of a Gospel-centered church in a diverse, urban environment. It is a very broad program which tackles questions such as Who should lead a church? What is a healthy church? How should a church impact its neighborhood and engage in culture? Does church membership matter in 21st century urban America?  Does doctrine really matter for the urban church? Additionally, we cover issues related to mercy ministry, addiction, abuse, and poverty.

Throughout the internship, interns will discover that the church is to be a representation of God’s glory to the world as a community on mission promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Interns will dive into the central workings of a church and learn what it means to build a church, in the city, to the glory of God.

The Intern Program happens two times/year and is roughly five months long. Interns can apply for either the fall or spring program.

Upcoming Internships:

Spring 2027 - January 2027 through May 2027

Fall 2027 - August 2027 through December 2027

OVERVIEW

There will be three primary areas of development for the intern:

Competency - Leadership Experience

Interns will shadow Pastor Joel Kurz in the day-to-day operations of a local church.  Interns will be part of many counseling sessions, member meetings, elder meetings, interaction and service in the community, and one-on-ones. Interns will interact with various leadership materials, gain pastoral experience, and live intentionally. 

Character - Spiritual Growth and Development

Throughout the internship, interns will work in a variety of ways in the community and the church which will, at times, challenge their character and stretch them as a leader. Interns will additionally be assigned an accountability partner who will be meeting weekly with the intern to pray, share life, and grow together. Church ministry is not easy – so the need for prayer and community heightens.

Conviction - Theological Training with an Emphasis in Ecclesiology

Interns will have their theological training sharpened through their internship. A key part of the internship will include reading and writing.  Interns will read a number of books during their internship and write a 1-3 page reflection paper on each. Unlike school, this is not for a grade, but rather the papers will be opportunities for the you to fully reflect on your reading, discussing the papers with Pastor Joel and other church elders/members.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

We welcome applications from anyone who desires pastoral ministry in the inner city context.  We lean toward men who have familiarity with or are from the urban environment as we seek to invest in future church leaders for inner-city Baltimore, and/or other urban areas, future pastors/elders of healthy churches, and potential church planters. This is part of our broader goal to strengthen and build healthy churches in the inner city.

Men...

• who are interested in church/pastoral/Christian ministry in the urban context

• who can affirm our Statement of Basic Belief and Church Covenant

• preference given to men with previous theological/pastoral training

WHAT DOES AN INTERN DO?

Reading: The bulk of the internship will be spent reading and writing various reflection papers on various books and  lectures. Papers will be discussed and defended with Pastor Joel each Wednesday morning.

Leadership Interviews: Interns will also have the opportunity to have a face-to-face or Zoom conversation with various authors. In addition to reading and writing, the focus of the internship is full immersion into pastoral/church ministry which includes the following:

Sundays: Participation in Sunday morning worship service, Sunday evening service, Wednesday Midweek Bible Study, and occasional meetings on Sunday afternoons/evenings.

During the Week

• 8:30am-5:30pm, M-F, Interns are Expected to be In Office and available for travel, outside meetings, or ministry with the pastors, members.

• Mandatory attendance of Wednesday night Bible Study, Elders Meetings (every other Thursday evening), Bi-Monthly Members’ Meetings, One-on-One Discipleship Meetings, Occasional Weddings and Wedding Rehearsals, Various Meetings throughout the Week.

• Interns generally attend one trip out of state with Pastor Joel to represent ONE HOPE and/or attend a conference.

• Interns will assist in some general office administration and are encouraged to schedule lunches/coffees with any church members, all elders, and deacons throughout their internship. Each intern will also serve within the The Garden Church in at least one particular way based on skills, gifts, and talents (examples: sound team, music team, graphic arts, etc.)

• Interns will shadow Pastor Joel throughout the week and experience church ministry through appropriate counseling sessions, discipleship meetings, etc.

Membership and Stipend:  Thanks to generous donors, interns will receive a $1000/month stipend for food and miscellaneous expenses, along with shared bunk housing (singles only). If housing is not needed (or if the intern is married), they will receive an additional $200 in their monthly stipend. We encourage interns to live in the Upton community for the duration of their internship to maximally expose them to the local church life. We do not provide health insurance. Interns will functionally become members of The Garden Church during their internship. ONE HOPE is a ministry of The Garden Church.

Pastoral Internship Interest Form

This form is not an application but an interest form. An application may follow. If you do not hear back from us after completing this form, you are welcome to email info@onehope.gives.