Word of Life’s Youth Ministry Internship: After students graduate from their second year at the Word of Life Bible Institute, they are sent out to a church. For the next two years, interns work in youth ministry while completing their education online.
Q: What is one thing you have learned in your training this week?
Spud: Getting organized is an effective tool for ministry. I never realized how helpful it can be, even for parents and students, to keep them involved and knowing what is going on.
Braydon: Youth ministry should be fun. Surprise them with something they do not expect.
Josh: We were asked to outline what we want our youth ministry to look like, and we were missing our philosophy and biblical principles. It made me really think through the principles of ministry and helped me understand the place for programming while also having goals and a biblical foundation.
Q: What is one element of ministry you are either excited or uncertain about?
Spud: I am excited about discipleship, the one-on-one chance to pour into them what has been poured into me while I was here at the Word of Life Bible Institute.
Braydon: As a kid I would look up to those who were just a few years older, which will work well since a lot of the students will only be a couple years younger than me. Hopefully I can use that.
Josh: There will be a lot of uncertainty at my church. I will be helping to start and build up a middle school ministry. We need to figure out what our goals will be and where we want the ministry to go. I am excited for the hands-on leadership experience, to see the beginning years of a ministry and its growth over the next two years.
Spud: I am nervous about communicating clearly. When I communicate the gospel, I want them to understand clearly and not leave with any questions. Being at the Word of Life Bible Institute has given me more confidence in this area.
Q: What is something in a student’s life you want to help develop or understand?
Josh: I want to help them see God’s love and grace. As a student, I wanted to make my faith my own, but I did not know how. My understanding of my spiritual walk was gauged on what I was doing. I did not understand God’s grace and what He had done for me. If I had known that, I would have run to my fellow believers rather than isolating myself.
Q: What degree will you be pursuing?
Braydon: Biblical Studies with a Christian Counseling cognate, from Liberty University. Eventually I would like to counsel within a church and maybe run a youth group.
Josh: A Bachelors in Bible and Theology with Clarks Summit University. I would like to further my studies and become a youth pastor in the future.
Spud: A Bachelors of Integrated Studies, which is a basic Bible degree allowing me to transfer many credits from the Word of Life Bible Institute to Clarks Summit University.
Q: What was your favorite icebreaker game from training?
Braydon: Hug the Potholder – All the kids sit. The youth leader tells three students to leave the room and places a potholder in the middle of the floor. The youth leader gives a pot to one of the seated kids who either hides it behind their back or holds it openly. When the first student comes back in the room, the youth leader tells them to hug the potholder but without picking it up. The kid has to figure out that the potholder is actually one of the kids sitting in the room holding a literal pot.
Brian: Zero IQ – Trivia questions, like “Name a color” or ‘Name a baseball team,” but not with right answers. If you get lucky you get it right.
Josh: Head, Shoulders, Cup – Students pair up and a cup is placed between them. The leader calls, “head” and “shoulders” back and forth, making students touch their head and shoulders. When the leader yells, “cup” both try to grab the cup. Whoever grabs the cup first wins and goes on to play another winner.
Q: When you get the chance to teach, what passage of scripture, concept, or truth do you want your students to understand?
Spud: Romans 6, “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be.” We should be staying in God’s grace, living in faith, reaching out to people and sharing Christ.
Braydon: Love. A lot of people do not receive love growing up and the love Jesus can give is like no other. John 15:13, “Greater love is no one than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” (Deut. 6:5 and Luke 10:27)
Josh: Eph. 2:1-10: While focusing on God’s grace and love for us, understand where we were before we were saved, how He saved us, where we are now, and what it looks like going forward.
Word of Life’s Youth Ministry Internship:
Consider this opportunity for any junior or senior you think may have youth ministry in their future and if you would love to have them back to help you in your ministry after training.
Send them to us for 2 years of training at the Bible Institute and then we will send them back for two years of internship while they finish their bachelors degree online (with a discount).
Our goal is to assist the local church, and one thing we often hear from leaders is, “How do we get more leaders or volunteers?” We want to saturate your church with more youth leaders and this is a great way to do it.
If your church is interested in getting an intern, reach out to us at multiply@wol.org