Training Youth Pastors Through Mentored Internship: The Church, Denomination and Bible College in Partnership

This thesis proposes a Youth Pastoral Mentored Internship model that is designed to run concurrently with a typical four-year Bible College education. The model is generic enough to be used by various Bible Colleges and/or denominations but this proposal is designed for the FEBBC (Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists of B.C.), and it's constituent churches, in conjunction with it's Bible College (Northwest Baptist College) in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

The model is essentially a partnering program that brings together the Bible School student, the denomination, the Bible College, and local churches to work together to produce effective Youth Pastors. Each 'partner' has an investment, an involvement and an incentive for their part in the program.

Students entering Bible College with the goal of becoming youth pastors would be candidates for this program. In the first two years the student would work alongside a full-time Youth Pastor at a church that is in close proximity to the College. In these first years the student would work with the youth pastor rather than running programs on their own. The emphasis would be on watching and assisting.
In the student's third and fourth years he would move to another church that had no youth pastor and would be responsible to run a youth program on his own. In this year the student would be working on his own but continuing to maintain a close coaching relationship with his mentor.

In the student's graduating year he would maintain these responsibilities in addition to taking on a first year intern of his own. By the time the program is complete the student, in addition to receiving a Bible College education, has had four years of on the job training with a qualified mentor and has learned to execute every aspect of a healthy youth ministry. Additionally, the student has had the opportunity to experience leadership training by taking on an intern of his own in his graduating year.

The proposal arises out of the author's personal experience in local church Youth Ministry, including serving as mentor to several Bible College students, and is well supported by the Biblical and Theological analysis, as well as the literature reviewed. It is hoped that the thesis proposed will be accepted by the denomination, local churches and Bible College it has been designed for, and form the basis for a pilot program based on the principles outlined within.