Pastoral Ministry Requires Field Work
Pastoral ministry is not simply an academic endeavor. At Faith Bible Seminary the practical training is not an add-on to the M.Div. — it is half of it. Every student serves as a part-time intern in a local church for all three years.
Half of Your Education Happens in a Church
Each M.Div. student is involved half-time in ministry and half-time in academics. Classroom work happens one to two days a week; the rest of the week you are serving as an intern in a local church, where the practical side of ministry is learned by doing it.
- Half-time intern, half-time student: every M.Div. student works as a part-time intern at a local church.
- Three to four days a week in the church; one to two class days a week at the seminary.
- All M.Div. students participate. If you already have extensive ministry training but not academic training, an exception may be granted.
- Each church directs the practical mentoring environment of its intern, under guidance and consultation from FBS.
What each church balances
Strengthening the student's weaknesses
Assignments are chosen to grow the intern where he is least developed, not only where he is comfortable.
Utilizing the student's gift set
The intern serves in areas where his gifts are already recognized by the church.
Meeting the needs of the local church
The internship is real ministry: the church has real needs, and the intern helps meet them.
Plus four to five one-week modular courses each year. Expect 50–60 hours a week, year-round, for three years.
Two Ways to Intern
Every M.Div. student interns either at Faith Church in Lafayette or at a local church that has partnered with FBS. The deadline depends on which track you are applying for.
Faith Church Internship
Faith Church in Lafayette, Indiana offers several partially-paid, part-time internships. Priority is given to men who have been raised up in Faith Church and demonstrate a call to pastoral ministry.
- Apply by September 1, 2027 for the 2028 cohort. Positions for the 2025–2028 cohort are filled.
- Paid interns make a three-year commitment; there are financial penalties if it is broken.
- Faith Church interns also serve at one of the Faith Community Center campuses (East, West, or North). Spouses serve about 20–32 hours a week, depending on whether they have children — this helps offset the cost of education and housing.
- Not part of Faith Church? You may still apply for a paid position, or inquire about an unpaid internship if you are financially independent. Unpaid positions are handled case by case.
Partnering Church Internship
A local church partners with FBS to train a man from its own congregation. The church hires him as a part-time intern for three years while he completes the M.Div.
- Apply by July 1, 2028 for the 2028 cohort, and submit a church partnership application alongside your M.Div. application.
- The partnering church raises up its own intern — FBS does not act as a placement service.
- The church provides a stipend and housing for three years so the intern is not required to work outside his studies and the church.
- The church provides three years of practical ministry training, balancing its own needs with the intern's gifts and weaknesses.
- Each partnering church submits a doctrinal statement with its partnership application.
Tuition is $2,000 a year for full-time ministry and internship students, and the intern's church contributes $1,200 a year ($100 a month) toward his training. Applicants seeking an internship outside Faith Church submit a church partnership application with their M.Div. application. See the M.Div. admissions requirements.
FBS admits an M.Div. cohort once every three years. The application fee is $40.
One of the things I am so grateful for Faith’s model here is having the chance to partner with Rockpoint Church during my time in seminary. Watching the practical side of ministry and learning the practicalities while I study the book work at Faith has been probably one of the most valuable sides of the ministry, and I’m just grateful for the model and seminary that Faith has brought in and for the church and staff at Rockpoint Church for giving me the privilege of learning that practical side of ministry.Brock Graham · M.Div. 2013
Not Sure You Fit the Internship Requirements?
Interested in M.Div. classes but unsure whether the church internship fits your situation? You can still join us.
No local church connection yet
If you are not currently connected to an area church, you can seek independently to establish a relationship with a partnering local church in the Lafayette area, or pursue one of the Faith Church internship options above.
Already in ministry
Men who are currently in ministry and want an M.Div. from FBS may be able to enroll in the three-year part-time program without the internship requirement. Each situation is considered case by case.
Classes for credit, not the degree
Anyone who wants to take classes for credit without working toward the M.Div. may take a class. You must meet the admissions requirements and are charged tuition per class ($250 per credit hour).
Auditing a class
Anyone who wants to audit a class may do so, at half the regular tuition ($125 per credit hour).
More questions? See the M.Div. FAQ or contact the seminary.
Partner With FBS to Train Your Next Pastor
Sending a pastoral candidate to a traditional seminary has significant challenges: graduating with sizable debt, a lack of practical ministry experience, a disconnect from the local church, and a family exhausted from carrying a full-time load at school and an outside job.
FBS is pioneering a model that keeps traditional academic excellence while addressing those challenges — by partnering with strong local churches who raise up, employ, and mentor their own pastoral candidates during the M.Div.
What a Partnering Church Commits To
- Be evangelical in nature and fundamental in faith, and submit a doctrinal statement with the partnership application. Systematic theology at FBS is taught from a pre-millennial point of view.
- Have a man in your ministry who is a potential candidate for the pastorate and desires academic and practical training.
- Hire him as a part-time intern for three years while he is enrolled year-round in the M.Div.
- Provide housing for three years, along with a stipend, so he is not required to work outside his studies and the church.
- Provide three years of practical ministry training as a pastoral apprentice, balancing the needs of the church, his gift set, and his weaknesses.
Partnering churches put together a compensation package based on the needs of the intern and the resources of the church; this is part of the partnering application. Consider whether your intern would be licensed to preach, which affects whether he is treated as self-employed or as a church employee. (Faith Church does not license its interns.)
Common Questions From Churches
Where does my church "get" an intern?
From raising up men in your own ministry who demonstrate a call to full-time ministry.
Will FBS act as a placement service and provide my church with an intern?
No. Because of the extended three-year commitment, FBS has determined it would not be best to act as a placement service. There are many advantages to raising up your own intern: you and your church know him and his character, and whether he meets the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3.
Who provides the housing for the student?
The sponsoring local church provides the stipend for the three-year internship and the housing arrangements. FBS provides the academic training.
Ready to partner?
Complete the seminary's Church Partner Application Form and FBS will reach out once it is received. The form cannot be saved, so plan to fill it out in one sitting. For a detailed example benefit package, or to talk it through first, contact the seminary or speak directly with Dr. Brent Aucoin, President.
Ready to Train for Pastoral Ministry?
The next M.Div. cohort begins in 2028. Faith Church internship applications are due September 1, 2027; all other applications are due July 1, 2028.
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