 What does it mean to spend a year serving as a Young Adult Intern through the General Assembly Mission Council at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Louisville, Kentucky? Where are these young leaders on their personal journey of faith? When their term is over, will they continue in Christian service? How can others become a part of this leadership experience? It is time for a conversation about young adult leadership development!
A year of service for young adult interns often falls during a time of transition in the young adult’s life. These developing leaders are usually just out of college or thinking about going back to university. Sometimes they are seeking a clearer direction or plan for life. The young adult intern year offers an amazing opportunity with rich experiences to help young adults identify their next steps.
One of the first advantages mentioned by many interns is the fuller knowledge and understanding they gain of the ministries and missions of their denomination. With prayers said before meetings and voluntary attendance at chapel available most days of the week, interns learn to balance the corporate and church life. They soon realize that they are gaining tools to serve an organization that happens to be a church. This “peek at adult life” leads interns to gather for conversations about their work, their important
goals, the concept of vocation, and what may come next. The discussion often includes sharing what it feels like to continue not knowing what comes next. That feeling and these conversations are part of the life-changing experience of the young adult intern.
Another priceless gift of the intern year is the opportunity to work with and learn from remarkable Presbyterian servants. The internship program creates intentional space for chats about vocation. One intern recalls conversations with some of her colleagues and other interns that led to a graduate program at a PC(USA) seminary, helping guide her next steps in life. The purposeful discussions about the future with those who understand call and help to connect the dots for others on the journey are one avenue for leader development in an intern year. A common result of the Young Adult Intern and Young Adult Volunteer programs is this: We wander in as young adults and leave as future leaders in the church community.
How can you make this happen for the young adults in your congregation? How can you help create that space for listening to God’s call? It may be as simple as entering into a conversation. It doesn’t have to be through an online social network, although that may be a good starting point. Sit down for coffee, ask questions, and be a sounding board for ideas. Affirm what you perceive to be the person’s strengths. Discuss where those strengths could lead. Suggest a book to read or a person to contact. Share the story of your own call to church leadership, including the lessons you’ve learned and how you’ve gotten to where you are today.
Your own stories may lead you to introduce the people who helped you on your way, who lit the spark in your mind. Anyone can be that person to someone else. They do not have to be experts on vocation or come prepared with a lesson plan. They only need to ask questions and listen thoughtfully. It is a privilege to be able to help someone hear God’s call in answers reflected between mentor and young adult.
Invite young adults at your church into an intentional accountability group through the faith community, one of trust and thoughtful, prayerful discussions. Young adults are not only the future of the church, they are the present — right here, right now. They are ready to serve and ready to talk with you and others about the Young Adult Intern opportunity and leader development through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Sarah Vial serves as a young adult intern for congregational support in multicultural ministries through Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/Presbyterian Women, General Assembly Mission Council, PC(USA).
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