Internship Committee Handbook

Internship Committee Handbook

First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto

June 1, 2014 to June 15, 2015

The Purpose of Our Internship Committee

The overall purpose of the First Presbyterian Internship Committee is to train students in ministry while, at the same time:

· Providing supervision and support to the Interns through the Internship Committee and Rob Martin, the Field Supervisor.

· Offering an opportunity to the Interns to refine their call to ministry by experiencing various ministerial roles, practices and settings.

· Challenging the Interns to help First Presbyterian Church to re-embody and re-enact Micah’s Call--loving kindness, doing justice and walking humbly with the Divine.

The Internship Committee is important to this process. Members of the Committee will add their insights to those of the field supervisor to give a more rounded understanding to the Interns.

Who Will Make Up the Internship Committee?

The Internship Committee is made up of four or more people who are from various areas and programs of First Presbyterian Church.

The Chair of the Internship Committee, Kathy Merkle-Raymond, will call meetings, pull together agendas, produce the formal evaluations based on the input of the Committee, and generally will serve as liaison for the Committee to the Interns, the congregation being served, and the pastor/field supervisor.

What is the Work of the Internship Committee?

The work of the Internship Committee is to help our Interns to become more effective and more self-aware in their ministries. The Internship Committee will assist in this process in the following ways:

Functions: The Committee will work alongside the Interns while giving both commentary and support. Listening to our Interns and getting to know them is essential. In addition, members of the Committee will make themselves available to receive feedback—both constructive and affirming—from people being served by the Interns, taking care to suggest that people express themselves directly to the Interns when appropriate.

The Committee can help our Interns to think about their work in the context of their faith. That is, members can ask questions such as, “Where was the Divine to be found in that difficult (or joyful) situation?” or “What biblical stories relate to this occurrence?” “How does that affect your understanding of the Divine? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? The Church? Humankind? Ministry?” “How does the mission of this church influence your ministry?” “How do the cultural contexts of this church (and the organizations you are serving) affect your work?” “How can we work within the organization’s mission and contexts and/or change them?” Committee members will want to ask such questions of themselves, as well as of the Interns.

Meetings: The Committee should plan to meet at least monthly, more frequently if necessary. The chair of the committee will plan an agenda (being open to and seeking additions from others).

These meetings will be focused primarily on relationship building and theological reflection, as well as the learning experiences of the Interns. Minutes will not be necessary but notes should be kept.

A typical agenda will include:

· Opening prayer

· Report and observations by the student

· Theological/cultural reflection by all present

· Discussion of a particular event or an area of ministry

· Setting the date of the next meeting

· Closing prayer

Transitions: By working with the Field Supervisor, the Internship Committee will help our Interns through their beginning, middle and ending time with us. It is essential for agency staff and clients, church members, youth, home-bound, and the IC itself to have a chance to celebrate the work of the Interns and to experience the feelings of having them leave from our midst into future ministries.

When our Interns start, the Committee can introduce the congregation to them at Sunday worship. After church, the fellowship time could be a chance for people to get to know the Interns better. Short articles in the newsletter and worship bulletins will help people to know the Interns’ roles and something of their interests.

In the middle of the academic year, right after Christmas, those working with the Interns may sense growth in the students such as them having a clearer sense of their identity as ministers following a calling. The Internship Committee may choose to mark this growth in a symbolic way such as by presenting stoles or other small items to them in a Sunday service or at a meeting.

When it comes time for the Interns to leave, it is important that committees and groups have a chance to say their goodbyes and express their feelings. The Sunday service can include the recognition of the Interns’ work and opportunities to say goodbye. The Committee may want to host a coffee or lunch after church as well.

The community agencies that the Interns will be serving will be able to devise ways to mark transitions that fit their settings as well. Some illustrations are: introducing the Intern at the first board meeting, writing an article for the newsletter, being sure that clients and board members have a chance to get to know the student and, later on, to say goodbye when the time comes.

Requirements of the Internship Committee

Confidentiality – The discussions of the Internship Committee will be confidential and should not be referred to or shared outside of the meetings without specific clearance by the Committee and the Intern(s).

Attendance – Faithful attendance at meetings of the Internship Committee and at special events and services of the Congregation / Social Service Agency is essential.

Evaluating –From time to time, the Committee will give informal feedback, including comments of support as well as possible suggested changes and areas for development for each Intern.

Difficulties –Occasionally there will be tensions in our church or the agency settings. If these occur and are within the normal boundaries of the ups and downs of life together, then the Internship Committee can help the Interns to understand and address these tensions. If there are serious difficulties between groups and/or persons in a contextual setting, the Internship Committee and Supervisor will be sure that they avoid expecting the Intern(s) to “take sides.”

Internship Policies and Procedures

The Pastoral Internship Program provides an opportunity for the newly trained Seminarian to learn and practice the skills and responsibilities that accompany Ordained Leadership as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. While at First Presbyterian Church, the Intern will develop and use tools from their Divinity and Theology courses, as well as their individual Pastoral gifts to lead creative and meaningful worship services, preach thought-provoking sermons (8-10 per year), offer pastoral care to the Church Community, nurture small groups in relational ministry, and assist with teaching Adult Education or Bible Study classes.

The Internship Program is also intended to help a newly trained Pastoral Leader develop the professional and office management skills and behaviors that are necessary for serving one’s Call to Teaching Elder and Church Pastor.

The following Policies and Procedures will provide a framework to help guide Pastoral Interns at First Presbyterian Church as they bridge from the role of Seminary Student to becoming a Professional Leader in Ministry and a member of the First Presbyterian Church Pastoral Staff:

1) All Church Staff will treat one another with professional respect, honesty and compassion as colleagues in Ministry. The same professional courtesy and kindness shall be extended to all Church Office visitors and volunteers, as well as all representatives from the Congregation and the wider community who engage with Church Staff.

2) Church Staff shall maintain an appropriate level of professional discipline in managing individual work schedules to deliver each person’s best and consistently highest quality of work within expected timelines. Staff members must understand that late or incomplete work deliverables can create stress for co-workers, and may result in missed deadlines and poorly coordinated Staff communications.

3) The dual role of a Pastoral Intern serving the First Presbyterian Church Community and an outside non-profit agency requires the Intern to proactively manage his/her calendar and set appropriate boundaries to meet time commitments and project expectations in both work settings.

4) A Staff Worship calendar will be planned and assigned quarterly, and at least one month in advance of each quarterly period throughout the liturgical year. The Worship Leader who is responsible for a Sunday service will provide a completed draft of the Order of Worship (Church “Worship Bulletin”) at the Staff Meeting on Tuesday prior to the Sunday service. Staff will discuss the worship plan and flow to clearly identify each Staff member’s role and responsibilities for participating in the service.

5) All Pastoral Staff will coordinate music offerings for Worship services and other events with the Director of Music, seeking the Director’s input and guidance about selection of music to fit liturgically with the order of worship. Early and frequent communication between Pastoral Staff and the Church Music Director helps ensure coordination of Choral and Instrumental music with desired hymns and the overall worship plan.

6) All Pastoral Staff will provide complete written documents to the Church Office Administrator to meet publication deadlines. Examples of these requirements are:

a. Sunday Worship Bulletin – done by Thursday prior to Sunday

b. Graphics, Art and Images for Sunday Worship software templates – done by Thursday prior to Sunday

c. Text input for Thursday’s Weekly eNews – done by Thursday noon

d. Text, Articles and Images for Monthly First Pres Press Newsletter – done by noon on the fourth Wednesday of every month

7) The Pastoral Intern is expected to commit a minimum of one work day per week in serving a non-profit organization. The objective for this role in the Pastoral Internship Program is to engage our Congregation in working and supporting people in need within our local communities.

With support from the Head Pastor and members of the Internship Committee, the Pastoral Intern will identify ways that our Congregation can volunteer to help the non-profit organization achieve its goals, while transforming us through our faith and deepening our experience of Relational Ministry, as followers of Jesus Christ.

8) A Pastoral Intern will be granted two weeks (10 business days) of vacation time in a one-year period. Vacation days should be planned and coordinated with the Head Pastor to ensure Office coverage by Pastoral Staff.

9) All Staff will follow general, posted Church Office hours and observe the published holiday schedule. The Intern’s full-time employment is defined as working 40 hours per week, including time spent at Church on Sundays and time spent in evening meetings with various Ministry or Committee groups.

Staff members will manage their calendars appropriately to perform an average of 40 working hours per week. Any requested time away from the office as “compensation time” taken during normal business hours must be clearly communicated to the Head Pastor and Church Office Administrator, explaining how the compensation hours have been “earned” in any particular week.

The Church expects all Staff members to apply a credible “reasonability test” when requesting time away from the office on scheduled work days. Communication and coordination are critical to make sure that the Church Office is appropriately staffed and prepared to cover any needs of the Congregation during the normal work week.

Pastoral Ministry is a faithful call to trusted and tender Spiritual relationship within a Church community. Serving in Pastoral leadership requires professional maturity, sensitivity and personal flexibility in offering communal care wherever and whenever it is needed. Planning for personal vacation, travel or educational seminar attendance requires careful balance and thoughtful guidance.

These principles for professional conduct and behavior will help create a healthy workplace environment where each Staff member at First Presbyterian Church is treated equally and with the highest level of professional respect and collegial support. The Pastoral Intern is a vital and valued member of this team!

Internship Committee Evaluations

Evaluation

The purpose of evaluation is to enable a person to learn and grow in ministry. It is an assessment of the learning plan that the Interns and the Field Supervisor have established as their agenda for ministerial growth and development.

Evaluating Ministry is Not Easy

Most of us are evaluated in our jobs. Often these evaluations are easy to understand because they are readily measurable. For example, we might be evaluated for our “KPM,” our “keystrokes per minute” while entering data on a computer, or on the dollar amount of our sales per month, or the hours we have logged that are billable to clients. These are quantifiable.

Some of the work of ministry is quantifiable: did the student show up for most meetings on time? Was the sermon of approximately the accepted length? Did the student contact the people in the study group to let them know when the field trip was planned? Usually we begin to measure the tasks of ministry when we they are negative, that is, the minister-in-training is not visiting the sick, the student does not visit the community center as planned, and so on.

However, most of the work of ministry is what is done--not what isn’t. Ministry evaluation is subtle and even based on impressions rather than data. Nonetheless, the Internship Committee must try to note growth in Seminary students to encourage them. The Committee must give feedback about areas where it thinks there could be improvement so that the Interns can add to their skills and abilities. We need to do this in the context of mutual evaluation, that is, how can we as the Internship Committee improve our work as well?

Evaluation Specifics

Evaluation by the Internship Committee should be direct, gentle, firm, and loving. It should be a constant factor, present at all times, and formalized at stated intervals.

The Internship Committee will be responsible for two brief written evaluations of the student—one at mid-year and one at the end of the year. However, there should be no surprises when the formal evaluations are done. Evaluation should be an ongoing process of give-and-take in which consultation with the Interns around their goals and growth occurs at least monthly. It will be helpful in this regard to keep some written record of sessions held with the Interns, noting both general topics of discussion and specific points that have been raised. The Field Supervisor and the Internship Committee can each use these notes to identify and reflect upon the essential elements of the evaluation and feedback provided to the Interns over the course of the year.

Written evaluations should be simple, clear, direct, and confidential. They should reference behavior that is observed, not assumptions or hearsay.