Internship Program in Prayer Ministry
Purpose of the Intern Program
When we examine the ministry of Jesus, we see that He employed a mentoring approach. "Mentoring is a recent term especially in Christian circles, but what it describes has been the focus of Christian community since the early church. It is a dynamic relationship of trust in which one person enables another to maximize the grace of God in his/her life and service. It has a sound biblical and theological basis with Jesus as the ultimate model, retaining all that is consistent with his life and teaching." (Extract from "Mentoring to Develop Disciples and Leaders" by John Mallison) While our Lord was with His disciples, we do not find large amounts of time spent in formal education. Rather we see that Jesus modelled what a relationship with God would look like. He walked with His disciples day by day, and as they walked and shared life together, the teaching took place.
Phase 1- Pastoral Care Prayer Healing School, 14 Weeks
The Internship Program at Barnabas House has two phases. The initial phase is made up of two components. The first, which we call Encounter, introduces the intern to some basic underlying concepts that are foundational to prayer ministry. The focus is primarily on learning the concepts and only secondarily on practical application in a small group setting. The second, which is called Pastoral Care Prayer Healing, is a blended approach to prayer ministry that was developed by the Rev. Art Zielstra of Cornerstone Christian Counselling Centre in Waterloo, Ontario. It looks to Jesus as the "Wonderful Counsellor", is biblically based and dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
This approach consists of:
- Thorough Biblical teaching related to prayer ministry;
- Observation of both video and "live" demonstrations of how to pray in this manner;
- Practical Ministry Group Sessions with the opportunity to give and receive healing prayer ministry under the supervision of a trained facilitator.
- Learning how to apply the teaching and experience gained in ministry opportunities.
The emphasis, even in this initial phase of the Internship Program, is on practice. We learn pastoral care prayer healing through continual practice. Each person involved in the program takes a turn serving as a ministry facilitator (leading the ministry time), ministry recipient and recorder. It is necessary to stress that this is not role playing. Real ministry to real needs takes place in the small group. If you are not prepared to receive ministry in this context, then you are not ready to participate in prayer ministry.
This phase of the program occurs on Tuesday afternoons (1 to 4pm), September to December. The Registration Requirements are as follows:
- Complete a Barnabas House Staff/Intern Application Form.
- Two character references of persons who know you in a Christian context;
- A letter of recommendation from your minister or pastor; &
- A cheque for $125.00 to cover the cost of the program
Please be aware that the Internship Program is designed for those with a desire to minister within the context of Barnabas House.
Phase 2 - 1 Day per Week, January to June
Phase 2 of the internship program is where the rubber really meets the road. While the goal all the way through the program is that you will learn how to exercise the ministry of pastoral care prayer healing, the emphasis in this phase is that you will actually participate in ministry sessions at Barnabas House on a weekly basis. One person described how the Internship Program works in this way:
"We believe that much can be CAUGHT rather than just being TAUGHT. The focus is more on impartation than information. This is not to say that no learning will take place, but rather in modelling prayer ministry and in answering questions much more can be learned than through imparting of information."
You have heard the old saying that "practice makes perfect". Well, there is a biblical application here as well. Hebrews 5:14 declares:
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish (discern) good from evil.
If the gift of discernment can be learned, as a result of constant practice, then so can prayer ministry.
During the second phase of the internship program, the intern will spend one day a week at Barnabas House ministering in real client situations under the guidance of a trained facilitator, from early January to June. The requirements of Phase 2 are
- The Intern must be a member of Barnabas House; and
- The Intern must provide Barnabas House with a current CPIC or Police Records Search Certificate for Volunteering Screening;
- There is no cost for this portion of the program.
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Barnabas House is a place of Christian ministry. We do not pretend to be psychologists or psychiatrists. Our work is carried on by trained volunteers. As a result, our ministry is not based on fee for service. We have no fees and those who come are not asked to pay nor are they under any obligation to make a donation.
Barnabas House was established in 2000 and is a charity incorporated in the province of Ontario. It has registered charity status with Revenue Canada under the Canada Income Tax Act. The Charity’s Business Number is 89809 8819 RR0001.
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