“Adventure, challenge, and growth” — that’s how Zera McCall describes her year as a children’s ministry intern at Oak Lane Community Church.
She has discovered that children’s ministry is about much more than what happens on a Sunday morning. She has discovered that children’s ministry is about much more than what happens on a Sunday morning.
Alongside her studies at Pathways Bible College, she has had practical experience across different areas of children’s ministry, helping her connect what she is learning with the realities of ministry in a local church. She has particularly enjoyed seeing how the two inform each other.
For Kylie Brown, Zera’s mentor, one of the joys has been seeing Zera grow—not only in her skills and capacity for ministry, but in her relationship with God. She says the opportunity to invest in that journey has been a privilege.
“I love being able to have an input into someone’s journey of learning and growth.”
Having an intern has also challenged Kylie to grow as a leader. She has found herself thinking more carefully about why she does things and how she can explain them to someone else.
The internship has become a two-way learning experience. Zera has been developing her skills and understanding of children’s ministry, while Kylie has been stretched and encouraged in her own leadership.
The elders of Oak Lane Community Church are keen to provide internship opportunities, recognising that while an internship gives valuable experience to the person being trained, it can also impact the whole church.
“It’s about welcoming and embracing others and seeing them grow in God and grow in ministry,” says Kylie.
As the wider church welcomed Zera and invested in her, they also became part of her journey.
This is one of the things that makes an internship so valuable. It gives the intern practical ministry experience and also gives the whole church an opportunity to support them and encourage them as they grow in God and in ministry.
