Ministerial Internship Program
SNU President Loren Gresham had a dream: to provide financial assistance for ministry students while creating ministry opportunities for them in local churches. Real ministry experience. Real scholarship money.
That dream came true in 1996 with the birth of the Ministerial Internship Program. Today, students serve alongside Supervising Pastors in local churches, gaining hands-on experience while earning significant scholarships that ease much of the financial pressure of college.
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First-year interns invest 7 hours per week in a local church and receive a $1,000 scholarship.
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Second-year interns invest 10 hours per week in a local church and receive a $5,000 scholarship.
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Third-year interns invest 12 hours per week in a local church and receive a $7,500 scholarship.
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Fourth-year interns invest 15 hours per week in a local church and receive a $10,000 scholarship.
The purpose of this program is three-fold:
- To connect the academics in the classroom with the practices in the ministry.
- To develop better-trained pastors who are fully equipped to take a changeless gospel to a changing world.
- To reduce the financial debt load of pastors so they will be able to focus their full attention to pastoral ministry rather than to debt reduction.
Entry into the program is based on scholarship, potential, personal testimony, recommendations and financial need. Participation in the program involves significant accountability, both to the church and supervising pastor where the internship is served and to the department and university who subsidizes the scholarship. Continuation in the program is accomplished by maintaining a 2.7 GPA, successfully fulfilling the expectations of the program and being recommended by the School of Theology and Ministry faculty.
If you or someone you know is considering studying for the ministry, here are the steps to take to secure a Ministerial Intern Scholarship:
- Complete an application to SNU and declare your major as Theology and Ministry (with a concentration in Pastoral Ministry or Youth Ministry), Intercultural Studies, or Theology.
- Upon your acceptance into SNU, you will receive a letter from Dr. Jim Fitzgerald, Chair of the School of Theology and Ministry, welcoming you to our School of Theology and Ministry, with an invitation to reply and notify us if you have interest in applying for the Ministerial Intern Program.
- If you notify us of your interest in becoming an intern, you will receive an application for the Ministry Intern Scholarship.
- Complete the online scholarship application, which includes your personal testimony that tells us about your call. In addition, send us a letter of recommendation from your pastor and a copy of your Local Ministerial License. (Check with your pastor about securing this license.)
- If you are selected for the Ministerial Intern Program, you will receive a congratulatory letter from Dr. Steve Johnson.
We here at SNU are excited about the privilege we have to serve our church and also to come alongside those who are preparing for full time Christian ministry. Funding this Ministerial Intern Scholarship Program is dramatic evidence of SNU’s commitment to the future of the Church of the Nazarene and her ministerial leaders.
If you have questions about the program, you can contact Dr. Steve Johnson, the program director, by email at sjohnson1024@snu.edu.