I (Heart) Summer Interns

Josh on June 10th, 2008

Summer interns are a total risk. Let’s be honest – 72 days is barely enough time to start to figure a place out, much less really make a difference. So why go to all of that trouble? This is why many people waste summer interns, relegating them to meaningless tasks that typically involve collation, stapling, getting coffee or other assorted tasks any entry-level robot can do. We’ve got 4 all-star interns this summer, and I want to make sure I don’t waste this opportunity.

Here’s 3 reasons I love them and you should, too:

Summer interns get the vision
Our summer internship is actually a closed program. If you want to get in, you have to have graduated from our ministry. We only take the cream of the crop internal candidates – and that typically gives us students who really know and live out the purposes, truly get the vision and direction of the ministry, and come in with a leg up over an outsider. They understand the culture, and while they have no idea what they are getting into, they’re more ready than you might expect.

Summer interns haven’t been broken yet
I like the greenness (is that even a word?) of a summer intern. They are eager to jump in, they want to prove themselves. They bring fresh eyes to a ministry that might consist of mundane and expected programs. They say “yes” to things others might balk at – for example, we may or may not have had Scott in a toga this weekend to celebrate the upcoming Olympic games. Brilliant! Not being broken or jaded is a big deal.

Summer interns add bandwidth to the team
I figure a typical summer intern will add about 40% of what a paid staff member may contribute in the same work-week. You need to cut them some slack because they are short term and new, but also because you want to be pouring into them as well as seeing results they are producing. While I’m pleased to say that we are a “teaching student ministry” we also take full advantage of summer interns to help us get things done. The more hands, the merrier, I say. Let’s get things done.

Having summer interns is not without challenges (hey, we’re just a week in this year - maybe at the end of the summer I’ll share those and have them do the same) but I couldn’t be more excited about having the extra bandwith for tasks and more heart as pastors to minister to our students.

JG

Leave a Comment

Jason Rait at 9:26pm June 10

Great thoughts Josh. We have been having conversations about summer interns and your post was really helpful. Thanks

Andy Lawrenson at 4:05am June 12

I want an intern