Grants for Pastoral Internships
Purpose
Grants for Pastoral Internships seek to fund initiatives by congregations and other ministry contexts for young adults of college age and recent graduates. These initiatives support their exploration and discernment of a call to pastoral ministry. Led and supervised by professional ministry staff, these projects also draw on the gifts and leadership of a congregation and its members. Proposed projects will engage the VocationCARE practices.
FTE awards 3-5 pastoral internship grants up to $12,500, depending on the quality of the grant proposal.
What is VocationCARE?
VocationCARE helps individuals and communities discern their call. It consists of communal practices in which all Christians grow together into a life "worthy of the call we have received" (Ephesians 4:2). These practices are unique in each church, tradition and context. And yet, there are observable disciplines that can be named as four core VocationCARE practices for any congregation or ministry context. The acronym C.A.R.E. stands for:
C- Create a space to explore Christian vocation together;
A - Ask self-awakening questions together;
R - Reflect theologically on self and community; and
E - Enact the next faith step.
When you practice VocationCARE you tap into a deep collecive heart force we call leadership. Its Source is within us. The VocationCARE practices provide a framework for taking deep dives into that zone regularly as a community. This is a clarifying, unifying and fortifying experience for those engaged in discernment.
Grant Program Guidelines
Application deadline for Pastoral Internship Grants: September 1, 2012
Pastoral internship grants are available to congregations that reside in the United States and Canada.
Grants support projects that:
- Offer diverse exposure to ministry practice for young adults in a local context
- Foster new efforts in exploring the call to ministry among college age students
- Build a congregation or a church-related organization’s capacity to accompany ministry exploration for young people beyond the award period
Grants do NOT support:
- Allocations above 15% of the total grant budget for costs connected to the function of lay support teams or retreats
- Projects that engage interns in administrative support tasks
Grant projects require(s):
- A supervisory context that includes at least one ordained clergy
- A system of congregational/organizational support – a team of 3-4 congregational members – who will reflect theologically with interns throughout their intern ministry practice
- Participation in a Grantees Meeting for award recipients in Atlanta early 2012
- A grant project of no less than eighteen months
- An internship program for no fewer than two interns in the project duration
- The incorporation of the four VocationCARE practices into the internship
Because pastoral leadership embraces the life of communities beyond churches, contexts that offer parallel engagements in social action and service organizations are especially desirable.
Letter of Intent
Applicants are required to submit a letter of intent that provides a project overview by September 1, 2011.
Letters should be a maximum of three pages in length and should include the following:
- Description of the organization applying (maximum 400 words);
- Project description (maximum 750 words) for a duration no less than eighteen months for no fewer than two interns of college age or recent graduates;
- Key leadership, including pastoral oversight and an intern support team; and
- A strategy for evaluating the project’s effectiveness.
CLICK HERE to access the online submission form for a letter of intent. An online submission is required.
Consultation
Potential applicants are invited to consult with Jim Goodmann, Director of Congregational Grants, regarding the suitability of their projects. Contact Jim through email (jgoodmann@fteleaders.org) or call 404-727-1415.
CLICK HERE for Information about our other grants program.
Related:
Download The FTE Guide to Creating Pastoral Internships
A how-to book for for congregations and church-related organizations
