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Internships

Ideally, this year-long internship is the culminating activity of the program, which you'll take concurrently with a year-long capstone seminar, having completed all other minor coursework.

DETAILS

The internship is a closely supervised practical experience in a church, para-church ministry, community organization or other relevant setting. This experience involves six to 12 hours each week of supervised involvement with the ministry or organization for a full academic year (14 weeks per semester). 

Students receive two to four credits a semester for this internship. The decision about how many credits an internship will be is based on conversations with the minor's director and coordinator of mentoring and internships, your track and ministry interests, and your other academic requirements.

You'll be placed in an internship that matches, as much as possible, the type of ministry to which you are discerning a call. The internship should enable you to gain a clear understanding of the expectations, responsibilities and challenges involved in the type of ministry you're considering and the specific organization where you're interning.

In special circumstances, you may request to do an internship over the summer rather than during the academic year. In this case, the capstone seminar of the minor would be taken during the academic year that immediately follows the summer internship. This internship can be done outside of Holland, either domestically or internationally. Requests are considered and arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis, in conversation with the director of the minor and the coordinator of mentoring and internships.

INTERNSHIP SITES

 This is a partial list of previous site placements. Future placements are not limited to these organizations.

• 3-Sixty
• A Child's Voice
• Audio scripture Ministries
• Barnabas Ministries
• Beacon of Hope
• Beechwood RCA
• Bethany Christian Services
• Boys and Girls Club
• The Bridge
• Bridge Street House of Prayer*
• Calvary CRC
• Center for Women in Transition
• Central Wesleyan Church
• Christ Memorial Church
• Clear Vision
• Community Action House
• Community First Association
• Community Mental Health
• Compassion Heart Ministries
• Community RCA Zeeland
• Department of Human Services - Michigan Youth Opportunity*
• Ecclesia Church
• Eighth Day Farm
• Engedi church
• Escape Ministries
• Every Orphan's Hope* (Zambia)
• Faith CRC Holland
• Faith RCA Zeeland
• Fellowship RCA Holland
• First RCA Zeeland
• First RCA Holland
• First United Methodist
• Good Samaritan Ministries
• Heights of Hope
• Holland Free Health Clinic
• Holland Hospital
• Holland Rescue Mission
• Hope Campus Ministries
• Hope Haven*
• Hospice of Holland/Hudsonville
• I.N. Network
• Japanese Ministries
• Justice for Our Neighbors/First Methodist
• Lakeshore Pregnancy Center
• Lakeshore Latino Outreach
• Lakeshore Vineyard Church
• LeadOut
• LifeQuest (church)
• Mercer Island Presbyterian* (WA state)
• Moran Park Church
• Mosaic Ministries
• Neighbors Plus
• New Community Fourth RCA
• Northland (church)* (Florida)
• Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church
• Pittsburgh Project
• Providence CRC
• RCA Disability Concerns/CLC Network
• Ready for School
• Real life Fellowship
• Ridgepoint Church Holland
• Second RCA Zeeland
• St. Francis Catholic Parish - student ministries worship team
• Team Effort
• The River Church*
• Third Reformed Church
• Trinity Lutheran Church
• Troy Assembly of God*
• Turning Point School of Dance
• Upward Bound
• Urban Rock
• Vineyard Cincinnati
• West Michigan Youth for Christ
• Without Walls Vineyard
• Ward Church
• Young life Holland
• Young Life/Ottawa
• Zion Lutheran

*Non-local sites

SUPERVISORS

If you're an internship supervisor or considering the opportunity of supervising a student, the following documents may be of assistance:

• Internship Guidelines:
  • Main
  • Worship
  • Youth
• Learning Covenant
• Overview of Ministry Minor
• Time Sheet Instructions
• Hope Calendars:
  •  (searchable/interactive)
  • Academic Calendar

Orientation Lunch

Supervisors will gather in mid-August for lunch to learn details regarding their time with students throughout the upcoming year.

Feedback/Evaluation Forms

Forms are due toward the end of each semester or summer term. You will receive a link to the form along with the submission deadline by email. Please contact vanputtenp@hope.edu if you are unable to locate your email containing the online form link.

STUDENTS IN THE MINOR

Before you register for your ministry internship, our department will host an orientation session where you will complete all forms required for the program and the Registrar's Office.

Students taking an internship for academic credit at Â鶹ÊÓƵ¹ÙÍø should review Boerigter Center's internship information.

Feedback/Evaluation Forms

If you have feedback forms that are due, you will receive a link to the form along with the submission deadline by email. Please contact vanputtenp@hope.edu if you are unable to locate your email containing the online form link.

I loved my internship. I did mine over the summer due to being a social work major, and pushed myself out of my box by moving to Pensacola, Florida, for a summer without knowing a single soul. It stretched me in ways I didn't know were possible, created lifelong friends and, at one point, produced a job opportunity (that I didn't take â€” but still, incredible!).
—Kierstynn Foster ’16