Hawaii Chaplaincy and Pastoral Development Internship

SUMMER OR YEAR LONG 2024 INTERNSHIP in Hawaii for Seminary, Bible, or Theological Studies students. Program begins May 2024 and can either run until September 2024 or May 2025, dependent on university program requirements for student internships. Monthly stipend, health insurance, complimentary housing and utilities, complimentary transportation included.

Mission and Learning Objectives

Students will be living together in a Service Learning Community of ministry peers seeking to develop their pastoral voice and leadership style in context of local church and chaplaincy environments. The communal mission for the students will be trifold: 1.) to imagine solutions for the declining mainline church, including developing a contemporary service under direction of the Pastor, Worship Leaders, and a Special Committee, 2.) to develop an existing chaplaincy with Hawaii’s largest homeless services organization, 3.) to analyze the context of Christianity in historically colonized settings and its impact on the future of the Christian faith in practice. This internship community is an exercise in preparation for the environment of ministerial job prospects in chaplaincy, local church pastorship, and international mission that students may face upon graduating from their theological institutions. Additionally, for students interested in international mission work, this is an enlightening environment to learn about Christianity in context of historically colonized populations. The learning objective of the community and its individual internships is to evaluate the connection between community chaplaincy, the local church, and international mission work, and imagine solutions relevant to students’ future ministry careers.

Goals of the Service Learning Community include

• Developing the intern’s pastoral voice as a leader in the Church and Community;
• Analyzing the intersection of community spiritual care with local church ministry;
• Navigating the decline of the mainline Protestant church and its impact on Chaplaincy opportunities;
• Understanding Christianity and its contextual practice in historically colonized and multicultural environments.

Weekly time commitments expected of interns (35-40 hours a week, with potential for revision based on student learning needs and objectives):

• 1 hour weekly professional guidance from the Pastor or rotation of guest Pastors;
• 1 hour weekly reflective journaling to be turned in to the Service Learning Committee;
• 2 hours weekly reflection dinner with the Service Learning Community and Committee of Kailua Christian Church;
• 1 hour weekly workshop with rotation of guest Pastors after the reflection dinner;
• 2 hours weekly researching church and and its effect on social service systems (reading materials provided);
• 2 hour weekly researching the effects of Christian colonization on indigenous and vulnerable populations, in particular common populations in Hawaii (reading materials provided);
• 10 hours a week planning, advertising, and executing a contemporary worship service for young families;
• 10 hours a week visiting and serving in a chaplaincy capacity at the Institute for Human Services (homeless shelters);
• Both missions at the church or the shelters should intentionally integrate knowledge of cultural practices into ministry work.
• All students will be expected to attend traditional Sunday worship service weekly and provide a testimonial summary for the congregation about their progress on a rotating basis (once every 6 weeks).
• All students will be expected to attend at least 1 Council and/or Deacons meeting to help provide leadership insight. Students will be provided space at those meetings to ask questions about the processes involved in church leadership.
• All students will be expected to preach for a worship service or teach a Christian Education class for the church once during their service.
• Students will be expected to take at least 2 trainings on Hawaiian history, culture, and spirituality.

Qualifications/Experience/Skills
Theological education students or recent graduates seeking development of vocational understanding for future job landscape in pastoral, chaplaincy, and international mission settings. Preference given to students ages 18-25 who demonstrate understanding or willingness to learn culture values in post-colonial environments, social media and marketing skills, event development skills, and understanding of ministry to vulnerable populations.