More than an internship, a community for leadership formation!
Faith Lutheran Church, in Hutchinson, MN, is excited to be launching a new initiative to address the need for future leaders of the Lutheran church. Because our old leadership-training institutions can no longer be trusted, and because many of the new online institutions are not as ideal for young interested leaders, Faith Lutheran is cultivating an environment and community for learning and formation.
I have a gifted daughter who is about to graduate from college and is interested in pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. But where can she go to get that degree? Our old Lutheran institutions are no longer truly Lutheran, and while the new online seminaries are great, she hardly wants to get her M-Div. while living in her parent’s basement!
We need to cultivate quality learning environments, opportunities, and communities that will attract and accommodate young seminary students and other young adults interested in congregational ministry. Our friend, Pastor Nathan Hoff, has one such intern community at Trinity Lutheran in San Pedro, CA, and Faith Lutheran is now creating another in big-town rural Minnesota.
Faith Lutheran began to aggressively pursue this vision in the summer of 2021. We challenged the congregation to give towards the initiative and received $75,000! Then, after a Sunday morning update on the vision, a member was so inspired that he and his wife donated $100,000 to help secure housing. The Lord continued to move this last summer, when an old home a block-and-a-half away from the church came up for sale. We presented our vision to the sellers and were able to purchase the house for $20,000 less than the list price! We have named the house “The Ansgar House,” after the Apostle to the North and the patron saint of Denmark. Recently, a group of young adults have started gathering there every Thursday night for food, fun, Bible study, and worship.
We have a house.* We have a young adult community. And we have a plethora of opportunities for aspiring young adult leaders to plug into! Now we are praying for the Lord to call some interns!
Faith Greenhouse is an intentional intern community. An opportunity for young adults to enjoy intentional Christian community with one another, plug into a thriving confessional Lutheran congregation with a large variety of ministries, and explore how they are gifted for ministry. Interns receive free housing for 20-25 hours/week of church engagement. Interns will be mentored in theology and ministry, and will gain valuable experience and guidance in pastoral, children’s, youth, seniors, and worship ministry plus much more. The internship is designed to run September through May, with a summer option.
Are you, or someone you know, interested or do you have questions? Please contact me at davidw@faithlc.com. You can also support this ministry financially by sending gifts to Faith Lutheran Church, 335 Main St S, Hutchinson, Mn, 55350.
*The house with the green roof above is a stock photo.
